Writing a great character arc is a challenge. Great characters and their arcs are what drive a plot, make a story relatable, and memorable. In this post, we’re going to teach you how to write a great character arc. We’ll also discuss some excellent character arc examples along the way. Continue reading How To Write a Compelling… Continue reading How To Write a Compelling Character Arc [FREE Story Speedometer]
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → What is a foil character? Is it a character who wears tin-foil on their head? Wait no, that’s Joaquin… Continue reading What is a Foil Character — Definition, Examples in Lit. & Film
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → What is a dynamic character? An essential player in storytelling, a dynamic character might learn a lesson, go from… Continue reading What is a Dynamic Character — Definition, Examples and Traits
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → How do writers make characters into people we can empathize with and understand? One way is through the use… Continue reading What is Characterization — A Guide to Character Building
Who is the best movie villain of all time? There are a number of lists that include The Joker, Darth Vader, Freddy Krueger, and Nurse Ratched, but we wanted to make a list that wasn’t so… disparate. In this list, we’re going to give you a list of the best realistic movie villains. These are the… Continue reading 15 Best Realistic Movie Villains, Ranked
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → Can you tell a good story without a round character? What does it mean to be a round character?… Continue reading What is a Round Character — Definition, Examples for Writers
Over the last few years, Hollywood has tried to reinvent its definition of the “strong female protagonist” – but the result has been mixed. Although there has been a greater representation of empowered women in Hollywood films, there has also been a dissolution of nuanced characters. All of this begs the question: how do you… Continue reading Strong Female Characters in Film — With 5 Tips on Writing Them
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → When you think of the most iconic films in cinema, odds are there is a well-rounded, memorable, maybe even… Continue reading What is a Flat Character — Types of Character Arcs Explained
Plot TropesOpen menu What is a Trope What is a Cliche Flashback MacGuffin Plot Twist Red Herring FREE Movie Scripts: StudioBinder Screenwriting Library Write Your Script for Free W hat is a Mary Sue? This much-maligned character type is often the subject of fierce online debate, and pinning down a precise definition requires sorting through swaths… Continue reading What is a Mary Sue — Character Types Explained
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → Continue reading 8 Character Archetypes — Examples in Literature & Movies
Mad Men is one of television’s best period pieces. It not only uses the 1960s as a backdrop and setting for the show, it imbues its dialogue, story, and characters with the details of the times. Every character reflects the 1960s in one way or another. In this article, we’ll analyze how Betty Draper’s tragic… Continue reading Betty Draper: How They Wrote Mad Men’s Most Tragic Character
Screenplay StructureOpen menu What is The Three Act Structure What is Freytag’s Pyramid What is a Story Mountain Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey What is Save the Cat Dan Harmon’s Story Circle 5 Stages of A StoryOpen menu What is Exposition What is an Inciting Incident What is Rising Action What is the Climax of a… Continue reading The Ultimate Film Beat Sheet [FREE Save the Cat Beat Sheet Template]
One step further than the antagonist, is the nemesis. Some of the most memorable characters from stories in cinema and literature are those who have challenged the heroes, characters who’s main role is to be a rivalry force. Let’s look at the impact the nemesis role can have and story and some of the best… Continue reading What Does Nemesis Mean — Definition and Examples
There’s an old film school thought experiment that asks about a character, “What does he have in his refrigerator?” In this post, we’re going to practice that experiment.We can learn plenty about who a character is from the things they say, as well as the things others say about them. But we also learn who… Continue reading Who is This Person? Finding a Character Using the Script Breakdown
Dramatic IronyOpen menu Types of Irony What is Tragic Irony Stages of Dramatic Irony Verbal IronyOpen menu Sarcasm Understatement Overstatement Socratic Irony Situational IronyOpen menu Cosmic Irony Poetic Justice Structural Irony Historical Irony What is sarcasm? As it turns out, it isn’t exactly what most people think it is. In some cases, what we think… Continue reading What is Sarcasm? Definition and Examples in Film & TV
I f there’s one thing writers will agree on, it’s that character development is super critical to writing a winning script.Continue reading Character Development: Write Stronger Characters [with FREE Worksheet]
T he best movies have stories that entertain us, connect with us, and keep us glued to the screen. That kind of compelling drama happens on multiple levels, through internal and external conflict. How you implement these tools will determine how effective your story is.Continue reading How Internal Conflict and External Conflict Can Energize Your Story
Narrative ElementsOpen menu Antagonist Catharsis Motif Plot Protagonist Theme Narrative DevicesOpen menu Deus ex Machina Foreshadowing Irony Personification Plot Twist Red Herring Write Your Script For Free → We all know that conflict is needed to keep viewers engaged, to create an emotional response, and to ultimately, push the story forward. Without conflict in a… Continue reading What is Conflict in a Story? A Quick Reminder of the Purpose of Conflict
A comprehensive article that breaks down why Seinfeld scripts were so good at identifying problems, balancing multiple stories, and keeping the viewer smiling.
EPISODE 2TV WRITING & DEVELOPMENT MASTERCLASSCharacter Development:FREE Character Profile Sheet TemplateA great television show needs great characters. Unlike film, television teases out character development over several seasons. We take you through the basics, and provide a FREE character profile sheet. SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE ← BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE WATCH NEXT EPISODE → TV character development:… Continue reading TV Character Development [Character Profile Sheet Template] — TV Writing & Development: Ep2
