Screenwriting 101: Daniel Hanna

“I will be writing, exploring to see how characters respond to situations, who are the other people in their lives, and how do they bump up against them. I’ll write through and let them talk and see, are they quiet, are they loud, are they funny, are they shy, and let it play out. Then later you put on a different hat and you say, ‘OK, but what really is their greatest fear?’ You’re looking at it and thinking these are the things we’ve developed here.

This is the part where they come alive, and I’m seeing their greatest fear is that something will happen to their little brother or sister or whatever it is. You have to trust the process and trust your subconscious. That’s where things will come out that you never expected and the things that are somehow driving you to write it in the first place. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to do that from a place of freedom from structure, first, second, and third act breaks, and all that stuff.”

— Daniel Hanna

Go Into The Story interview, February 2022

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