This is an important concept to tackle, so here comes a thread.

Understanding how to tell a story often involves being very reductionist, understanding that there are only two types of stories - comedies & tragedies - and that there are only a limited number of story structures.

https://twitter.com/IishDylan/status/1197289646079778817

Yes, when you boil it down, there are very few stories to tell & very few ways to tell them. "There's nothing new under the sun," as the saying goes. But that's not true. In stories, the details matter. Your voice matters. Times change, as so too do the stories we want to hear.

People are arguing about EDGY COMEDY again, so it's time to dust off @pattonoswalt brilliant essay and point to the third section. This essay changed the way I tell jokes forever, and created the very standard by which appropriateness is judged.

pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page… @pattonoswalt The long and the short of it is that the measure of a joke comes down to who the target of the punchline is. If your rape joke is making Brock Turner the punchline, that's one thing; if the punchline is the woman, that's something else entirely. Two completely different jokes.

It is often said that the hardest part of learning to write is learning when to enter and leave a scene. ENTER LATE, LEAVE EARLY is the common wisdom. But what exactly does that mean?

(a thread) When entering a scene, you want to try and enter as close to the ending of it - first new change or bit of relevant information - as possible. If a character is going to the police station to report a crime, don't start with them in the parking lot unless something happens there.

If your characters are feeling flat despite making interesting choices, consider giving them something they want that doesn't involve the story's chief plot: getting the guy/girl, good night sleep, a promotion - something relatable. Bonus points if they sacrifice it for the plot. You'll be surprised how a sprinkling of normal life desire/conflict into even the most fantastical of plots will ground it. Even the simple desire to find a god damned Twinkie at the end of the world makes Woody Harrelson's otherwise over the top badass grounded in ZOMBIELAND.

For audiences, kindness and a moral center are assumed traits. You never have to explain motivations for unselfish acts. This is especially important to remember when writing antagonists. No matter how brutal the villain, they can still be kind to others, even amid villainy. This is extremely helpful when trying to flesh a villain out. The cheap way to add depth to them is to give them a dog or a sick relative.

But you can have them show a moment of kindness, even to a foe - showing pity, remorse, or empathy - without having to explain exactly why.

One of the best ways to define a character is through a lie. One lie will the the audience more about a character than a hundred truths.

When you choose to reveal that the dialog was in fact a lie will determine how the audience processes it. The truth revealed before the lie will create a more nuanced moment of character development. The truth revealed after the lie will give the audience two different reactions to the character, and will allow them to feel betrayed.

Both will reveal internal workings indirectly.

Marvel developed a Doctor Strange film in the 80s with writers like Lawrence Block, Bob Gale, and Larry Cohen all taking a stab at it. Stan rewrote a few drafts himself. I had to read every single draft for arbitration. Unsurprisingly, Stan's was my favorite. When Marvel hit financial troubles in the late 80s they sold off option rights for their characters, including Strange. Charles Band bought the STRANGE option, developed the film, then failed to make it in time, losing the rights. So he cut out all the specifics & retitled it.