Greetings – If you’re reading this article, and especially if you keep reading to the very end, I’m fairly certain I can predict two things about you: You’re a storyteller. You want to be better at it. The first guess was easy. Because we are ALL storytellers. Whether you see yourself that way or not,…
Of all the multitude of things I loved about Christmas as a kid, one of my favorites was – and still is – the Advent calendar. I’m talking about those single page, cardstock calendars that count down the 24 days from December 1st until Christmas Eve. (I’ve never been sure why it doesn’t go…
Not a great recommendation for celebrating the holidays, I know. But if you want to find great stories to tell, this is the key. I first came up with the phrase “follow the pain” during a presentation.
“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” CHINATOWN, screenplay by Robert Towne. This final line, from one of the greatest scripts ever written for Hollywood.
Humanity is drawn to stories because they provide us with entertainment, enlightenment, emotional experiences and escape from our everyday lives.
Let’s talk about sports…. I know, this is supposed to be about storytelling, but bear with me – even if you have no interest in sports at all.
When you create a story for the page, stage or screen, your primary objective must always be to create an emotional experience for your readers and audiences.
Great stories are driven by desire. The hero of the story wants something, and the story is about the actions that character takes to achieve it.
Great stories are driven by desire. The hero wants something, and the pursuit of that goal keeps readers and audiences emotionally invested in its outcome.
As soon as you introduce the hero of your story, you must begin creating empathy with that character. Empathy is an absolutely critical component of drawing readers and audiences.
Send your questions to Michael and he’ll create a Q&A Article specifically for your question!