So here we are for our third installment discussing structure, which is kind of ironic after the fact because this original post devolved into a discussion of effective versus ineffective trilogies. And after I realized my original opening had ballooned into an entirely different discussion, I decided to shelve it so we can talk about structure and painting on a broader canvass. I wish I could say I came up with the painting on a broader canvass metaphor to describe televisio

[excerpt from Myths of Old, collected by David Hooper] Long ago in the time before glass, the king of the Vitska tribe died. But the king had two sons, Atl and Breca. And Atl was strong, wearing the skin of a bear he strangled with his own hands, while Breca was weak, with a turned foot. But Atl loved his younger brother and said, “Let us split the tribe, you taking the north, while I shall rule the south. This way we shall be equal and have no reason to quarrel.” And though

I'm working off the /film post about this, which is in turn going off The Hollywood Reporter, but breaks down like this: Ben Hur will lose $120 million ($70-75 mil expected off a $100 mil budget) The BFG to lose $90 mil Alice Through the Looking Glass: $65 mil loss Ghostbusters: Answer the Call: $70 mil loss Pete's Dragon, Star Trek Beyond and Independence Day: Resurrection all round out that list of loses or barely breaking even when video/ TV rights are factored in. Now I'm

So here we are for another session of Screenplay Techniques Adapted For the Novel, and I still can’t think of a better introduction than pretty much just restating the title. I considered a pithy anecdote, but I lead a pretty uneventful life, so you get this fumbling intro paragraph instead. All three of you who read this (hi, Mom and Dad!). But like arriving early to a party where you don’t know anyone but the host, now that the awkward introduction is out of the way we can