I Wanna be Popular too, step #7.

7Shawshank Redemption - Hole Warden

In the end, climax with them. There is a reason every story has an antagonist, even if it isn’t always a human being. To them (the audience) seeing the protagonist overcome, survive or triumph speaks to their own journey. With … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #6.

Mad Men - Sally Draper becomes Adult

Brutalize them during the plot. There’s a reason reality television is still popular today. Part of it is the smaller production costs but the other reason is the audience (them) are fascinated by any story that could possibly be true. … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #5.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN-PART 1

Invest them in the world. A new writer understands the world must impress them (the audience) it’s real. A classic mistake is to believe for it to feel genuine their simulation must copy every aspect of our day-to-day lives. With these 7 … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #4.

Show them a unique protagonist. To be unique or not to be…that is the question on every writer’s mind when developing their protagonist. Are Andy, Bella and Don really so different compared to them (the audience) that they should be … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #3.

Touch them using theme. Theme unifies a work’s plot and character arcs in a relevant way for them (the audience). If a work is popular you’ll find at it’s heart a theme any and every audience can relate to, no … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #2.

Use point of view to seduce them. Point of view is the window through which the audience (them) interacts with a work. A writer can go to a lot of effort to craft a point of view that should be relatable, … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too, step #1.

Commit them in the setup. To be popular a work draws them (the audience) into their world and inspires them to participate in the plot with the characters. Everyone knows this but it’s not concrete enough to help a writer … Continue reading 

I Wanna be Popular too: A Series

Audience

Or 7 Steps to Engaging the Audience… As a writer I’ve always desired to understand why a particular work is popular. If you ask a cross section of your friends, you can gather a list of appealing elements they all … Continue reading 

The Many Faces of a Heroine

At times readers feel like something is off or not as good as it could be, they don’t realize this can stem from a wandering style. Today’s writer must capture their audience’s attention and to do this their story must be … Continue reading 

Miss it or Cancel it?

There were hundreds of canceled shows from the 2011-2012 television season. I try to watch the pilots of any show that I could possibly be interested in and I drop those that are irredeemable. These are 8 of the shows that made … Continue reading