And they’re good ones!
- Everyone admires a character who overcomes adversity.
- Once upon a time ___. Every day ___. One day ___. Because of that ___. Because of that ___. Until finally ___.
- Come up with your ending before you figure out the middle.
- Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Delete details. It will feel awful, but it will make the story better.
- What is your character great at? Throw the polar opposite at him/her. Challenge them, always.
- Give your characters opinions, strong ones. Audiences don’t like milquetoast. Think Rush and Howard.
- If you were the character, how would this situation make you feel? Be honest. It’s always about feelings.
- Give me a reasons to root for the character.
- What is the essence of your story? Can you tell me in one sentence? Build out from there.
If you think what you do on-air is not story-telling, I’d love to talk with you, because most effective human communication is always a form of story-telling.
You are a character on your own show, so many of these rules apply to what you produce every day.
I hope you find it helpful.