by Writing Workshops Staff
3 years ago
1. Start with writing funny and interesting things that happened in your life and then weave them into a dramatic story.
2. Disarm the audience with comedy, then punch them in the gut with drama when they least expect it.
3. Sometimes you have to go looking for inspiration by going far away from what you’re writing.
4. Create sympathetic antagonists and imperfect heroes.
5. Teach your characters what you’re trying to teach yourself.
6. If your writing feels dangerously truthful, you’re going in the right direction.
7. You’re allowed to bore your friends and family, but to bore your audience is unforgivable.
8. Build a lot of humanity within your character if their attitude seems dismissive on the outside.
9. Surprise the audience in a truthful way.
10. Material first, jokes first, character first. Structure second.
11. Add as much complexity to your character as you can.
12. Create an environment in your writer’s room where there is room for failure without embarrassment.
13. Take the audience on a journey.
14. Leave it open for interpretation, even if you have your own idea of what a certain element in your story means or symbolizes.
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15. Write a relatable protagonist with whom audiences can identify with, no matter who they are.
16. Drama and comedy are intrinsically linked. The trick is to find the right balance between the two.
17. Relate deeply to the character.
18. Your Protagonist doesn’t have to be chasing after something, they can be running away from something.
19. Don’t ask the audience to like the character, invite them to try and understand the character.
20. Whenever you get stuck on something, ask yourself, “What would you do and write if you weren’t afraid.”
