5 More Essential Storytelling Rules I Once Again Made Up

Summary

The script discusses the intricacies of crafting a compelling plot, emphasizing the importance of conflict and the interplay between characters and their environment. It suggests using concrete elements to anchor emotional narratives and stresses the value of outlining to avoid writer's block. The speaker shares personal writing strategies, including using sticky notes for scene organization and advocating for a respectful approach to character development and backstory. The script also humorously touches on the challenges of writing and the importance of embracing the creative process, including its inevitable struggles.

Takeaways

• 📚 The importance of conflict in storytelling: Characters should have a reason to fight beyond just philosophical debates, such as resources, status, or emotional needs.
• 🧩 The role of a 'connector piece' in a plot: Introducing an element that links the emotional and physical aspects of a story can help drive character interactions and conflicts.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The significance of inheritance in character development: In the example of siblings and a strip club, inheritance becomes a catalyst for revealing true natures and motivations.
• 🔍 The necessity of a meaningful conflict: Writers should position characters to engage in conflict that is not just talk but is reflected in their actions and decisions.
• 💡 The creative process of writing: It's not always about drafting and redrafting but can involve planning and structuring to reduce stress and improve efficiency.
• 📝 The value of outlining: Outlining is a separate but crucial phase of writing that helps in organizing the story's structure before diving into the actual writing.
• 🎨 The use of visual tools like sticky notes: These can help in organizing scenes, character journeys, and pacing, making the writing process more visual and tangible.
• 🖥️ The benefits of using screenwriting software: It enforces a format that organizes information quickly and prevents writers from getting sidetracked.
• 🧬 The impact of genetic factors and life experiences on character development: Backstories should explain why characters are the way they are, adding depth to their motivations.
• 🔗 The connection between backstory and main story: A well-crafted backstory should logically precede and influence the main story, maintaining internal consistency.
• 👁️ The importance of point of view (POV) in storytelling: The choice of narrative perspective can significantly affect the audience's experience and emotional engagement.

Q & A

What is the main advice given for creating a dynamic plot in the script?

The script suggests that a dynamic plot can be created by introducing a physical object, place, or situation that connects the emotional plane to the physical plane, serving as a medium to link story and plot.

What is the purpose of using a 'connector piece' in a story as mentioned in the script?

The 'connector piece' is used to kick off the conflict among characters and to anchor emotions in a physical context, making their interactions and reactions more tangible and driving the plot forward.

How does the script suggest handling a premise that doesn't naturally lend itself to a dynamic plot?

The script suggests introducing an element or situation that stirs the pot and forces the characters to engage in meaningful conflict, such as the inheritance of a strip club in the example provided.

What is the importance of the 'medium' in linking the story and plot according to the script?

The 'medium' is crucial as it serves as the link between the story and plot, turning emotional conflicts into actions and reactions that can be physically depicted and followed by the audience.

What role does the strip club play in the example given about a group of siblings and their grandfather?

In the example, the strip club is the 'connector piece' that brings out the true natures of the siblings, causing them to interact with each other and the situation in a way that drives the plot.

Why does the script mention the importance of creating a backstory for characters?

The script emphasizes that a solid backstory provides a valid extension of the main story, explaining why characters are the way they are and ensuring internal logic and consistency.

What is the 'Dominoes thing' mentioned in the script in relation to character development?

The 'Dominoes thing' refers to the process of working backwards from a character's current state to determine the logical events and experiences that led to their present condition.

How does the script differentiate between the 'Canon phase' and the 'Presentation phase' in writing?

The 'Canon phase' involves establishing the objective sequence of events in the story, while the 'Presentation phase' is about deciding how to convey these events to the audience in the most impactful way.

What does the script suggest regarding the use of point of view (POV) in storytelling?

The script suggests that the choice of POV is an artistic decision that can greatly affect the audience's experience, and it's important to be consistent and intentional with this choice.

What advice does the script provide for dealing with writer's block?

The script advises accepting writer's block as a natural part of the creative process, suggesting that thinking, outlining, and even resting are all forms of writing, and to let the block pass through rather than fight it.

What is the significance of the sponsor 'Atlas VPN' mentioned in the script?

Atlas VPN is presented as a tool to protect users from the dangers of the internet, offering privacy and the ability to bypass geographical restrictions, and is mentioned as the sponsor of the video content.

Outlines

00:00

📜 The Art of Character Conflict and Plot Development

This paragraph discusses the importance of conflict in storytelling, emphasizing that characters should not just have philosophical debates but should fight over tangible things like resources, status, and emotional needs. The speaker suggests that a writer should identify what triggers the conflict among characters and use it to drive the plot. The example of siblings finding a world-changing resource illustrates how control over such a resource can create dynamic plot twists. The paragraph also touches on the idea of using a 'connector piece' to link emotional and physical aspects of a story, as well as the writer's personal struggle with the creative process, advocating for outlining as a way to avoid getting stuck or stressed during writing.

05:02

🛡️ Atlas VPN: The Shield for the Digital Frontier

In this paragraph, the speaker introduces Atlas VPN as a sponsor and describes it as a tool for protection and control in the chaotic digital landscape. The VPN is likened to a mech suit that makes one invulnerable on the internet, offering safety and the ability to bypass geographical restrictions. The speaker humorously mentions the surveillance by 'Reptilian overlords' as a reason for needing VPN protection and highlights the benefits of Atlas VPN, including a discount on a three-year subscription, unlimited device usage, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The paragraph also touches on the speaker's writing process, recommending the use of sticky notes for organizing scenes and character development, and the importance of using screenwriting software for its formatting and focus benefits.

10:03

🎭 Crafting Backstory and the Importance of Causality

The speaker delves into the creation of character backstories, explaining that they should be a valid extension of the main story and logically consistent. They argue against the idea of characters simply 'being' a certain way without reason, advocating for a backstory that explains their current state. Using the example of two brothers with contrasting personalities, the speaker illustrates how to create a backstory that provides context and depth to characters. They also stress the importance of respecting the consequences of random events in a story and the need to integrate them fully into the narrative. The paragraph concludes with advice on incorporating writer's block into one's writing process, suggesting that it's a natural part of creativity that should be accepted rather than resisted.

Keywords

💡Conflict

Conflict is a central element in storytelling that drives the plot forward. It is the struggle between opposing forces or characters' desires. In the video, conflict is discussed as a necessary catalyst for character interaction, where the introduction of a tangible element, such as a resource or inheritance, can ignite and sustain conflict among characters with differing perspectives.

💡Character Perspectives

Character perspectives refer to the individual viewpoints or attitudes that each character holds towards the central premise or situation. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding each character's unique perspective to create a dynamic and engaging plot, as these perspectives often serve as the foundation for conflict and character development.

💡Inheritance

Inheritance is a plot device often used to create conflict among characters, especially in stories involving family dynamics. The video uses the example of a strip club inherited from a patriarch to illustrate how inheritance can lead to characters revealing their true natures through their interactions with the inherited property, thus driving the story forward.

💡Emotional Needs

Emotional needs are the internal desires or requirements that characters have, which can influence their actions and decisions. The script mentions emotional needs as one of the factors that can cause characters to engage in conflict, as these needs can be threatened or challenged by other characters or circumstances.

💡Inciting Incident

An inciting incident is a key event that sets the story in motion, often by introducing a problem or challenge that the characters must face. The video describes the inciting incident as more than just a starting point; it's a medium that connects the emotional and physical planes of the story, providing a tangible issue around which the plot can revolve.

💡Outlining

Outlining is the process of planning and organizing the structure of a story before writing the actual script. The video discusses the importance of outlining as a way to avoid writer's block and to ensure that the story has a clear direction and purpose. It contrasts the outlining phase with the drafting phase, emphasizing the need for a structured plan before diving into the writing process.

💡Backstory

Backstory refers to the events, history, or background information about characters that precedes the main story. The video stresses the importance of creating a consistent and logical backstory to inform and justify the characters' current behaviors and motivations, even if this backstory is not explicitly shown in the main narrative.

💡Causality

Causality is the relationship between cause and effect, where one event leads to another. The script discusses the importance of respecting causality in storytelling, ensuring that character actions and story events follow a logical sequence of cause and effect, which helps to create a believable and coherent narrative.

💡Point of View (POV)

Point of view (POV) is the perspective from which a story is told, either through the eyes of a character or an omniscient narrator. The video touches on the significance of choosing a consistent POV to maintain narrative coherence and to control the flow of information to the audience, enhancing the emotional impact and engagement with the story.

💡Writer's Block

Writer's block is a creative障碍 where a writer experiences difficulty in producing new work or ideas. The video acknowledges the inevitability of writer's block and suggests incorporating it as a natural part of the writing process, advising writers to be patient and allow ideas to develop over time rather than forcing creativity.

💡Screenwriting Software

Screenwriting software is specialized programs designed to help writers format and structure their screenplays according to industry standards. The video recommends using such software not only for professional credibility but also because it aids in organizing information and maintaining focus on the story structure, which is crucial for effective screenwriting.

Highlights

The importance of conflict in driving a plot, with characters fighting over resources, status, and emotional needs.

The suggestion to introduce a 'connector piece' to link the emotional plane to the physical plane in a story.

Using the example of siblings and a strip club to illustrate how inheritance can drive character actions and plot.

The concept of creating a backstory for characters to explain their differing beliefs and behaviors.

The method of using sticky notes in columns to outline scenes and track character journeys.

The advice to use screenwriting software for its formatting and organization benefits.

The impact of genetic factors on a character's temperament and the importance of considering this in character development.

The technique of reverse engineering a character's backstory to create a logical sequence of events leading to their current state.

The significance of respecting the consequences of random events in a story and allowing cause and effect to follow through.

The discussion on the importance of point of view (POV) in storytelling and its impact on audience engagement.

The idea that a writer's process should include dealing with writer's block as a natural part of creativity.

The personal anecdote of the speaker's struggle with writing and the acceptance of the creative process's ups and downs.

The humorous mention of 'unprocessed mustard' as a metaphor for dealing with the complexities of writing.

The speaker's acknowledgment of the difficulty of being a constant source of creativity and the need to embrace the process.

The advice to start writing as a way to overcome the intimidation of a blank page, even if it leads to rewriting.

The importance of considering the practical applications of a story's premise and how it can be used to create dynamic plots.

The speaker's experience with using Atlas VPN as a metaphor for protection in the wild west of the internet.

Transcripts

so you have a cast of characters and

each one has a different perspective on

your premise cool but if I were a

betting fellow I'd bet you wanted your

plot to involve more than a

philosophical debate in a white void

characters don't just fight they fight

over stuff resources status emotional

needs the question you need to ask about

your unique characters is what's going

to kick their conflict off and then

throw that thing right in the middle of

them and watch them go at it I'm writing

a feature about a group of siblings who

happen upon a resource that could change

the world obviously Whoever has control

over that resource is going to drive the

plot the details are in the devil but

it's not always that easy what if your

premise is the passing of a patriarch

you've decided on that premise you've

created the cast of characters who all

have different relevant perspectives on

Old granddad but you can't think of

anything for them to do other than talk

about how they feel about them nothing

wrong with that of course but let's say

you want a dynamic plot with all sorts

of twists and turns and you're at a dead

end because your premise doesn't

automatically lend itself to such a plot

you might need to throw in the thing the

connector piece Grand dad owned a strip

club boom pow so now you have a question

of inheritance all of your characters

will show their true Natures not just by

talking in a room but by interacting

with the thing who inherits the strip

club now their feelings about Granddad

aren't just feelings in a vacuum they

actually get to color and inform their

actions maybe Grandad's eldest child is

anti-strip club and wants to tear it

down but the younger child is like

stripping has been a family tradition

for decades how could you do this and

then maybe tries to sabotage them or

change the will to keep the strip club

in business the thing I speak of is more

than just an inciting incident it's the

medium you've added to connect the

emotional plane to the physical plane

it's the link between story and plot

it's not always necessary but sometimes

if your spark of inspiration is more so

an emotional one you have to Anchor

those emotions in a physical object or a

place or a situation I had a writer

email me that he wanted to write a story

about Dutch spice trading and

colonialism in the 1600s and then he

broke down his characters each of them

holding a different perspective on Dutch

spice trading and colonialism in the

1600s so you have your premise and you

have your characters that belong in that

premise but it's lacking something that

premise is not presenting itself

aggressively enough in their lives it's

not stirring the pot enough all they can

do is talk about it but this is solved

if you present them with a relevant

Choice instead of just some spice

traders who have opinions on the State

of Affairs there's some spice traders

who have to make a choice between

returning to the oppressive conditions

of their Homeland and becoming

oppressors themselves in the so-called

new world so now these opinions aren't

just talking points they're doing points

bottom line sometimes you as a writer

will have to position the characters

appropriately so that they engage in

meaningful conflict

this is really truly just my creative

process but I found a way to write and

not die of stress and that must warns

inclusion there's this constant idea in

the writing community of opening up your

laptop and looking at the blank page

there are so many possibilities what do

I do the blank page it's so intimidating

just start just start fighting he no no

no maybe that works for you but I was

stuck in a rut for so long because I

took that stuff to heart I have this

tendency to obsess over a single word or

line even just the inclusion of a the

and I would start writing my screenplay

the old-fashioned way just going in

blind and seeing what would happen and

after half a page I would just have to

Nuke the entire thing from orbit because

I felt so much dread and anxiety trying

to figure out the specific execution of

a scene while also being unsure of

whether or not that scene should even

exist it's like drawing a face but you

just spend a bunch of time on the ear

and then when you're completely

satisfied with the ear you do the mouth

and you obsess over getting the perfect

mouth but then when you do the stuff

between the ear and the mouth you

realize that all your proportions were

wrong and it's bad it's all bad and then

you remember why artists start with

basic shapes and placeholders it's to

make sure that they get the low-res

image first before they go in and do

details so why is the outlining phase

considered separate from writing why

does outlining get its own word and why

is it treated like a separate process

success why is writing so often

characterized by just Drafting and

redrafting just throwing Dart after dart

at the wall until your arm is sore and

then coming back the next day and doing

it again and again until finally you get

a bullseye why can't I just build a

hyper accurate dart gun and calibrate it

perfectly for me the actual writing of

words is the payoff the moment all of my

hard work comes together typing isn't

inherently progress either I might

discover a cool tidbit or line that I

can put in my pocket for later but at

best I'm wasting time and at worst I'm

crystallizing scenes prematurely and

getting attached to them which prevents

me from being open to new possibilities

look look how dangerous it is to just

start typing without a plan I

accidentally wrote 48 gigabytes of

malware and now it's literally headed

straight for you yes you it's going to

change all of your writing in the copy

pasta murals except they'll be

misaligned so they'll look terrible but

don't panic there is a way out of this

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back guarantee anyways back to my

writing process I use sticky notes in

columns one column equals one scene each

character has a color if I see a blue

sticky note and a yellow sticky note

stacked vertically I know this is a

Billy Bob and Martha scene on the blue

sticky note I write what Billy Bob gets

up to and on the yellow sticky note I

write what Martha gets up to this way I

can chart the Journey of each character

as well as easily keep an eye on my

pacing which is a purely subjective

thing but a thing that matters to me

nonetheless bring a friend bring two

talk about your your sticky note movie

look for bits that don't work character

attitudes that change between scenes

scenes that should be happening but are

missing move stuff around and then only

when the whole thing works like a

well-oiled machine type of first draft

if you're writing a screenplay use

actual screenwriting software not just

because professionals will laugh at you

if you don't but also because it forces

you into a format that lays your

information out very quickly and stops

you from getting sidetracked I decided I

wanted to become a screenwriter when I

was 15. I use Google Docs until I was

20. don't be like me I'm a dingus

the blank slate model of psychology is

not scientifically true genetic factors

do influence a person's temperament

things like their capacity for

addictions certain life-altering

diseases as well as all manner of

neurological and social differences my

brother is just freakishly better at

math than me despite the fact that we

receive the exact same education a

person can simply be a certain way due

to factors that are Beyond anyone's

control and you as a writer can entirely

avoid this in the house of the D the

plot is often shaped by the sex of a

child total dice roll no causality you

can't tie it to any character choices

George just gets to play God and decide

that random variable which has huge

consequences but when possible I find it

impractical to rely on the idea that a

character simply is especially when it

comes to beliefs you have your premise

you have your cast they all have

differing opinions and you could just go

from there but slow down have a cup of

tea one of the brands with the string so

that it hangs off the side and everybody

knows that you're drinking tea and see

if you can answer this why are your

characters different say you have two

brothers the older one is super

analytical and the other one lives

vicariously through internet personas

because he's based and schizo-pilled and

the reason for these differences is just

because they are that way

it's kind of lame lore time the younger

brother was given more attention as a

child because he was the youngest the

older brother was resentful and sought

to quantify and master the world around

him because it was his way of being

strong the internet brother eventually

realized that maybe he should have paid

more attention in school but now it's

too late and he resorts to getting

Praise on the internet to affirm his

worth as a human being and make up for

the fact that he never took the time to

hone his skills and just like that I've

created an appropriate backstory for

these two characters one that explains

why they are the way they are when we

meet them on page one I did it by doing

The Dominoes thing but in Reverse

instead of asking what is The Logical

next step for these characters I asked

what logically would have happened to

get them to this place you can do this

to create a few years worth of backstory

or if you need to you can create 300

years and when you have that backstory

you can cherry pick from it when you're

writing your dialogue depending on

what's relevant to the current scene but

the most important thing is that you

give your backstory the same respect as

you give your main story the rules are a

little different like if your inciting

incident is some unlikely event as most

are it obviously doesn't have to be part

of an existing sequence of cause and

effect it can just happen what's

important is that you respect the

consequences of a random event and allow

cause and effect to follow through from

there Tyrion Lannister was born a dwarf

this was a random genetic event and

George explores it in such excruciating

detail and with such immense respect for

psychology and social norms that it's

integrated fully into the story but

whenever possible he does his lore the

service of causality and internal logic

and as a result it's able to be adapted

into an a plot of its own what I'm

getting at is that backstory should be a

valid extension of your front story even

if you never show it here's the

beginning of your story and here's the

end if these two lines intersect it

means you have a contradiction but

you're good right because they don't

intersect no false they do just because

you don't see a thing doesn't mean it

can be discounted as meaningless

backstory trivia make sure your lore is

solid or it'll come back to bite you in

the ass

trust me as the guy who made an

Instagram page solely dedicated to

bugging people who use the term POV

correctly I think about this way too

much you have your timeline you know the

Beats of your story you can chart the

Journey of each character and now you're

at a point where you're starting to

figure out the specific sequence of

scenes this is a different phase you

were in the Canon phase and now you're

in the presentation phase and I do

consider those to be two different

things because there's the objective

Canon of events and you've got that

figured out and it's airtight but you're

not ready to start typing yet because

now you got to take your Canon and

present it to the audience in the most

efficient and subjectively the most

impactful way you can there was a time

when I really didn't like the thing

because the narrative follows Kurt

Russell 90 of the time but then

sometimes it'll arbitrarily show us

something he doesn't know about

presumably to create dramatic irony and

make us fear for him but then when we're

back with Kurt the movie will go ooh I

wonder who secretly the thing is Keith

David the thing oh I don't know as if

we're supposed to only know what he

knows despite the fact that the movie

has already expressed a willingness to

cut away and show us stuff he doesn't

know which always left me a little

pissed like this is only scary because

John on Carpenter is playing God and

selectively withholding information and

part of me still Wishes the script was

anchored on a single POV and not

arbitrarily jumping around to

manufacture Intrigue but a far more

important takeaway from this is the fact

that POV matters a lot when you write

your Canon you essentially just have a

Wikipedia page full of information but

now you gotta filter all of that through

your intention as a writer how you do

that is purely an artistic choice I

can't speak to any specific techniques

but I do think the importance of

sticking to one point of view varies

depending on how visceral you want your

story to be visceral meaning the

emotional and physiological reaction of

the audience is the point but if for

instance the Intrigue of a mystery is

front and center I'm not going to cheat

The Audience by giving them a clue the

protagonist doesn't have the choosing of

a protagonist if you do such a thing is

also part of this step the bottom line

is be aware that having your Canon is

only the beginning you could present all

that information to your audience raw or

you could season it cook it and serve it

with garnish on a silver platter

objectively nothing changes but

subjectively very few people are going

to say the information isn't more fun to

consume this way

really if I didn't want to talk about

this I would have just left it at nine

but it's important to me because it took

me a while to figure out I'll keep it

brief because I'm sure you all have

somewhere to be I've drained my bank

account into my own student films and

I've done a little pa work in the

industry but at 21 for the first time in

my life I can pretty much say I'm

getting paid for my writing here on

YouTube so if you're the type to fall

for an appeal to Authority calling

myself a professional writer might help

you internalize this a bit more it's not

supposed to be easy like I know I come

at this from a very confident angle but

honestly I follow all of my advice and I

still struggle I only entertain the

possibility that my system might be

worth sharing because it works for me

better than any other system but

regardless of what your process is it's

not natural to be a never-ending

Fountain of creativity I've accepted the

fact that pacing around in anguish for

seven days might just be the price I

have to pay for my next good idea and

when that idea finally comes I don't

tell myself that those seven days were

wasted because the mind is a complicated

Beast thinking is writing outlining his

writing resting is writing just think of

it like that do whatever you have to do

to incorporate writer's block into your

process because it will happen no matter

how driven you are and you can't fight

it you just have to let it pass through

you that's all I got thanks for

entertaining my Rambles I know this was

another mini video I wanted to filter

feed some ad Revenue by concentrating on

my shorter scripts because winter

utility bills are very bad here in Ohio

and I know that I won't be able to

release my big projects until the spring

but shout out to my subscribers shout

out to my Kofi compatriots shout out to

the living shout out to the dead shout

out to the undead and shout out to

unprocessed mustard like with the whole

mustard seeds in it hmm

foreign

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