These reflections on the principles of art are not at all meant to be exhaustive. They are merely notes to a screenwriter acquaintance — which I thought I'd share with a wider audience — intended to spark interest in a deeper view of storytelling. Dear —, I believe some measure of ugliness is necessary to … Continue lendo [Opinion] Why stories should be beautiful
Tag: storytelling
[Opinion] Should we write for love — or for money?
“I no longer write the articles I love writing”, a screenwriter acquaintance confided to me last week. “There’s no money in them.” But is “no money” a good reason to stop writing what we love? This depends of course on how much time and energy we have left after we complete those jobs that do … Continue lendo [Opinion] Should we write for love — or for money?
[Opinion] The myth of the good villain
Many people nowadays misunderstand the role of villains in stories. This misunderstanding has ruined a sad number of good stories, so I call upon my fellow-storytellers, and our audiences, to correct it. The storytellers, by creating villains and heroes differently; and the audiences, by being alert and holding us to account. Whether their creators realize … Continue lendo [Opinion] The myth of the good villain
[Literary analysis] What’s wrong with Dan Brown’s Inferno
Do you sometimes itch to pinpoint why exactly a story affects you in a certain way? I do. My friend did, in the case of Dan Brown’s Inferno. "What makes it 'unputdownable'?" she wanted to know. So here are some thoughts on it — for her and for you, if you care to learn more … Continue lendo [Literary analysis] What’s wrong with Dan Brown’s Inferno