Television is having a big moment right now, perhaps even more so than movies. With fantastic series on Netflix, HBO, AMC and so forth, it seems like television writing is the place to be. And why not? Unlike with films, writers rule television. Plus, television writing offers a regular paying job, perhaps one of the few in the storytelling world, where most of us work "freelance" (if we work as a writer at all).
Read MoreEver since I was little, I have been taken by the idea of writing a novel. As a child, I wrote several novel beginnings, never finishing an entire draft until I was twenty years old. A contrarian in every way possible, while other people wrote short stories and did mini writing exercises, I vehemently protested the "system" by always pursuing novel ideas.
Read MoreOne of the major things I think is neglected in screenwriting lessons is the discussion of a narrator. By contrast, when people learn fiction writing, this is almost always brought up. Perhaps it's because for film, when we think of narrators we think of Woody Allen films where he provides information for us via voice-overs or Ferris Bueller's Day Off when he looks at the camera and talks to us. While there are technical film terms for these devices, there is rarely discussion about the other types of narration within the medium, such as omniscient or close-third.
Read MoreIn the writing sphere, there's a lot of discussion on how to fix your story or your characters or your plot, but not a lot of discussion on how to find the ideas to tell said stories. Finding an idea can sometimes seem impossible, especially when a teacher or editor is asking for something new.
Read MoreBreak ups are hard. And not because whatever or whomever you're breaking up with is just important to you, but because of all the time you feel has been lost afterwards. Your mind wonders if maybe you'd have been better of never encountering this person (or story!) or what you're supposed to do with all the scraps of those efforts. Do you toss them out? Do you try and build back up the pieces? Or do you attempt to forget it all?
Read MoreThe term "literary fiction," is a bit of a loaded one. Defined as any fictional work that holds "literary merit," the phrase is undeniably subjective. After all, what does it mean for something to hold literary merit? Who decides such things? Why are some works better than others and how are some books universally regarded as so? Where do we draw the line and define something as literary versus not?
Read MoreIf you sit in a creative writing class today or read a book on the craft, you'll likely hear at some point about the hackneyed "show don't tell" rule, and maybe for a long time you've followed said rule. To clarify, it is not really a "rule" in the way we understand it, but instead exists as an unspoken standard all creatives are supposed to strive for in prose for it to be considered "good," so that "bad" prose is telling and "good" is showing. Which is not true.
Read MoreWhen I was younger, I, like many others, was at one point convinced I needed to suffer to be an artist. I wanted to be great and memorable and someone people talked about, and if I'm being honest it's still something I want. Who wouldn't? We all want to have meaning in this world, and a lot of us storytellers find that via writing, so it'd be nice to make a living and maybe then some off of that.
Read MoreIf you were fortunate enough to take a university level course on Shakespeare at some point in your life (with a good professor!), you'll understand the necessity in reading Shakespeare's work as a storyteller. However, since so many people tend to experience Shakespeare in high school where they either couldn't appreciate the text or their teacher did not appreciate the text, people often neglect to read Shakespeare's work. They claim he's too "hard" to read, that they lack the skills to understand him or that they think his work to be too "high brow' for them.
Read MoreWhile in many ways the minute-by-minute approach to writing a script feels comfortable - it is in fact just a very detailed three act structure guiding writers when to hit major plot points - for some, this writing approach can feel stressful. Maybe all your scenes are just a few pages ahead of the typical page numbers you're supposed to be aiming for, or maybe you find the entire approach too precise for your taste. Either way, it can get intimidating starting down the 100 blank pages you need to fill without some sort of guidance.
Read MoreWhen you first learn about screenwriting, one of the first general rules you'll learn is that one page in the script equals about roughly one minute of screen time. Of course, that's not always the case, Veep's first script being around 45 pages long but coming in at 30 minutes on screen. However, if you haven't "made it" in the industry, you'll likely have to face the reality that your script won't be accepted many places if it's over 120 pages or under 90.
Read MoreIt's finally here! My brand new and completely free ebook, The Storytelling System, a 50-page guide to taking your story through the four main mediums for telling stories: novels, movies, plays and video games.
Read MoreCreative Writing Coach and Storyteller | Serving creative writers who want to write novels, movies, plays, and video games – and helping them learn how to write all four.
Hey there—I’m E.M. Welsh and I’m a writer and storyteller based in Texas. In my spare time, you can find me reading books, watching TV and movies, and playing video games. I also cook a lot of food and dabble in a plethora of other hobbies.
I’m currently working on my first book, which I hope to have published in 2024.
This blog is basically a diary of what I’m up to, random musings, and progress updates on my book.
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