Rick Kerb’s Little Miss Sunshine (featuring Alan Arkin, Steve Carell, and Abigail Breslin) won the Oscar for best original screenplay in 2007, and for a good reason. Not only does this film follow a cast of colorful characters, the story also thrives on sharp, engaging dialogue rich with tension. But what can screenwriting teach fiction… Read more »
Every character in a story is important, even minor ones. Actually, especially minor ones. When written well, they advance plot and/or develop a major character. If they’re not, well…we’ll get to that later. But first, I’d like to discuss three simple ways minor characters make a story. Pay close attention, and you might learn the… Read more »
I don’t know why it took me so long to read James Scott Bell’s Revision and Self Editing for Publication (it’s incredible!) but I do know it changed the way I looked at my story, my characters, and what really mattered in my plot. What did Bell say about back cover copy? Not too much…other… Read more »
