1- Nobody wants to read your shit

1- Today I learned a lot about writing stories, and I wholeheartedly recommend S. Pressfield’s ‘Nobody wants to read your sh*t: why that is and what you can do about it’, 2016 . From the basic idea, to writing for ads and screenwriting,  fiction, non-fiction, self-help etc. it is all about the concept (external) and the theme (the internal). The important thing is to take something that is already there and put a spin on it, see it from a different perspective, tweak it, challenge the perception of the audience.

Basically, each story has 3 parts: beginning, middle and end or (inciting incident) crisis-hook, climax-build and resolution-payoff. The protagonist embodies the theme and the antagonist the counter-theme of the story. The story itself is the hero’s journey. The writers should always know: the genre? climax? hero? villain?stakes? and jeopardy? The writing should start from the end, the climax should be clear and the stakes should be very high for the protagonist.

The writer should always give depth to characters-internal and external journey, or to write the part for a Movie Star. ‘The role of the writer is to give the biggest All is lost to the hero and then find a way to get the hero out of there’. A great epiphany restates the theme and answers what the story is about. Giving the villain a brilliant speech is also a way to go.

The concept gives the point of view and the theme is the meaning of the story that is always bigger than the protagonist, it is a universal truth. Everything in the story should be on-theme. Another important thing to remember is to tell the audience what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you have told them.

What is the best idea to start working on? The one that scares you the most.

Always write for the good of the reader, rather then your own ego. Understand life! Film is visual and everything should propel the character forward.

Writing is very challenging and frustrating, but also awarding. One needs to know how to handle this lifestyle and everything that comes with it. Chunking and structure can help.

Finally, from an Ad to a Phd dissertation, everything is a story. A proper story structure ignites attention.

 

2- I had the temptation of negative thoughts and oversleeping today. I threw myself on reading and that helped.

 

5- Sports, writing, film, reading and the guitar, today I did it all. 124 days to go.