Video: Industry Wisdom Bits

With yours truly offering a “golden nugget of wisdom” about screenwriting. I summed it up in one word. Can you guess what that word is?

Yesterday, I spent all of 6 minutes with Suzanne Gundersen, Founder of www.screenwritenow.com. Suzanne has been producing a video series for writers in which featured guests provide a “golden nugget of wisdom” in less than the time it takes to heat up your microwave burrito. I summed up my bit of wisdom in one word. Check out the video to see what that word is.

Okay, I’ll spare you the suspense. The word is CHARACTER! This should come as no surprise to my loyal readers who will know my screenwriting mantra: Begin with character. End with character. Find the story in between.

After over thirty years in this business, I am convinced the best writing is character-driven writing. You may watch the video for a succinct summary why that is the case.

I am a proselyte for character-driven screenwriting and storytelling. That’s a major reason why I welcome the chance to be a guest on podcasts, mentor writers in screenwriting labs, lead master classes, teach in a film school, and host a blog.

Hollywood is besieged by formulaic scripts. The single best way to avoid that trap is to immerse yourself in the lives of your characters. Not only will you give yourself the best opportunity to develop complex, compelling, and multidimensional characters, you will also discover how the plot naturally emerges from your character work.

So there you go, my “golden nugget”: Character.

For more of Suzanne’s video series, go here.