What movies, shows, and games teach writers about telling a story. The craft lessons hiding in good entertainment and the warnings buried in bad. Storytelling analysis for people who want to write better.
Character DevelopmentJokes don't count. The most insulting line ever written seriously for the screen is She-Hulk telling Bruce Banner that catcalling and mansplaining make her better at controlling anger. Here's why it fails, and the lines that come close.
EntertainmentWarner Bros. Discovery finished Coyote vs. Acme and buried it for a tax write-off, and only a sale to Ketchup Entertainment got it into theaters in 2026. Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt are still locked away, and every writer should…
Character DevelopmentWatching a story break teaches craft faster than watching one succeed. A sagging second act explains pacing; a wrecked fan-favorite explains consistency; spectacle with no plot explains the gap between flash and story. Here is what bad movies teach writers,…
Book CoachingI keep thousands of films the way other writers keep reference books, and I have written deep analysis guides on more than 200 of them. Watched closely, movies teach pacing, structure, and dialogue that most writing advice skips entirely. Here…
Character DevelopmentThe girl boss has no flaws, no arc, and never earns a thing, and she is everywhere, and she is boring. Rey earns nothing; Ripley, Sarah Connor, and Lisbeth Salander are unforgettable. The difference is consequences, flaws, and craft. The…
EntertainmentIn 1969 I saved for months to buy the big red Lord of the Rings, and my parents bet I would never finish it. I read it twice back to back, and it rewired how I understood story. Fifty-five years…
EntertainmentTwenty minutes was all I managed of Rings of Power, and everything since has confirmed the verdict: the writers do not understand Tolkien, flattening Galadriel from one of his best characters into a stock action hero. It looks like Middle-earth…
EntertainmentVilleneuve's Dune is gorgeous and largely faithful, but faithful is not the same as identical, and the gaps are where the real choices live, the cut dinner party, the vanished Alia, a dozen others. Some sharpened the story; some dulled…
Book MarketingEvery month has a reason to celebrate books, if you know where to look. This calendar collects more than 100 of them: author birthdays, fictional character birthdays, reading holidays, and the odd offbeat date worth marking. Use it for content…
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