Follow Me Book Review

Angela Clarke taps into our fears of modern technology and the danger's our online presence can have in the real world in this initially gripping but later quite limited debut. I liked this book, I didn't love it. Pairing a digital-savvy young writer with a tough detective this techno thriller updates the classic who-done-it mystery with a meta-modern serial killer that's made for Generation Y, but beyond it's social media premise it struggles to break free of the standard police procedural cliches.

Read the full review on Crime Fiction Lover.

Character Bios

So I've just fallen in love with Community. I mean I'm proper head over heels, walking along the beach at sun-set, already imaging our future together in love with Community. The meta-humour relating to TV tropes and movie cliches is right up my sub-plot, as are the relentless pop-culture references, and, it's just a great sit-com, with a bunch of characters you can't wait to hang out with.

The Wikipedia page on the cast and characters is a perfect example of how to write short character bios. Obviously the more you know about your characters the better, but the few lines featured on Community's Wikipedia page sums up each character's major personality traits, their flaws and their subsequent room for growth.

Annie's bio jumped out at me, it reads -

"the youngest member of the group, a compulsive over-achiever, relentlessly organised and comparatively innocent. Annie was extremely unpopular in high school and formerly addicted to Addarall, which has caused her to be very insecure and desperate to prove herself in a variety of extra-curricular groups despite already being considered naturally intelligent and attractive by others. She is normally kind and docile, but can quickly turn obsessed or throw a tantrum when she fails to achieve or is denied something she strongly cares about, even if it's about something as simple as a pen."

This last line reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut's 8 rules to writing, the third states - "Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water." Characters with wants, aims and desires are essential because this is the centre of conflict - your character wants something, but something or someone gets in their way of obtaining it - voila! - conflict. Your characters' specific traits will set up the point of conflict for single scenes, whole episodes and a full season's narrative arch. For example Jeff wanting a date with Britta; this isn't only the over-arching point of conflict for series 1 but also the set-up for the show itself - Jeff creates the study group where our loveable bunch of misfits come together and become close friends, so he can be closer to Britta.

Using Wikipedia's Cast and Characters section is a great basis for writing your own character bios, try reading the entries for your favourite shows, see how they sum up David Brent, Tim Bisley and Phil Dunphey's strengths and weaknesses, then get off the bloody Internet and start writing!

Immortal Technique - Dance with the Devil

This here's some gut-wrenching storytelling. A ghetto Greek tragedy, Immortal Technique tells a brutal story of crime, greed and materialism, as New York projects kid Billy, desperate for money and respect, does whatever he has to in order to rise to the top. The consequences of Billy's desires and actions are as harrowing as Immortal Technique's ruthless delivery.

Creative England - Talent Development Scheme

I've been fortunate enough to get on to Creative England's talent development scheme - a series of seminars and networking events for filmmakers looking to shoot their first feature.

Last night there were 2 talks, the first on story telling from Kate Leys, was particularly interesting. Kate is a feature film script editor who works on screenplays at all stages of development from first outline to pre-production and she spoke about the dynamic between story and character, the importance of the hook, and the top 10 things that most commonly go wrong with a story. Below are the key takeaways. 

Story in General

Satisfaction at the end of a story comes from character and us caring/relating to the character on some level.

Character flaw - the story forces them to confront it and get over it.

It's interesting when characters DON'T want to change, rather, they want the world to change around them so put them in a situation they can't get out of and continually throw trouble at them.

In any story, you main character is facing something (could be small and simple) that they've needed to for a long time.

Ending is the answer to the question posed at the beginning. A tragedy might not answer the question. 

Character is more important than story. 

Most stories are about CHANGE.

A stranger comes to town and they bring trouble, and it's the thing that goes wrong that instigates change - the inciting incident. The 'stranger' doesn't have to be a person, could be love, death or a box of matches.

Film Story

Hook - tell the story in a sentence that makes sense and is interesting. Titles can be hooks - 'The Astronaut Wives Club'

Check big name/cult movie hooks on IMDB. 

Stories at their core are precise.

Strong characters - big, recognisable, they can be ambivalent but always FLAWED. 

Clearly defined characters that DO things, NOT well meaning, they need to cause trouble. 

What is your character doing wrong? Secondary characters add pressure to the central character.

Characters WANT things and they're going to do something about it. 

Got to have stakes, it has to matter - especially to the main character.

When planning try writing in bullet points and tell yourself the story out loud.

Whose story is this? What do they want and why can't they get it? What do they need? And remember, you don't have to give them what they want, as is the case in tragedies.

What does my character have at the end, that they didn't at the beginning?

10 Things that Most Commonly Go Wrong

1) Veering - sliding off track. 

2) Nothing happens - no problems, no confrontation, no action. 

3) Not knowing whose story it is.

4) No one wants anything.

5) Not enough going wrong.

6) Leaving the story off the page.

7) A plot with characters you don't connect with.

8) Whole 1st act is a set up. 

9) Not about anything, no emotional pay off.

10) Don't have anything to say and therefore nothing to connect with.

The idea of knowing whose story it is resonated with me. I'm currently working on a short about 4 hipsters who rob a bank to pay off their student loans, but they come up against this grizzled old bank teller who hates her job and isn't gonna take it any more. I've been struggling and think it's because I don't know which character owns the story - is it Horse (they wear animal masks for the heist) the ringleader, or is it Janet - the grizzled bank teller? I'm going to crack that tonight and then HOPEFULLY the prose doth flow.

The Guard - script

John Michael McDonagh's feature debut is an Irish black comedy with Brendan Gleeson as the titular Guard. Gerry Boyle is an unorthodox policeman who doesn't shy away from confrontation, he's teamed up with Don Cheadle's by-the-book FBI agent Wendell Everett to take down a ring of international drug smugglers.

It's dark and hilarious with a cast of great characters and dialogue sharp enough to draw blood. I found the script here and it's well worth a read - funny, touching and an excellent example of how to individualise your character voices.

Lena Dunham on writing Girls

"Write stories that feel like yours and feel close to you rather than trying to fill a hole in the industry."

Lena Dunham

Girls is a pretty fantastic show, the first season never had a dull moment and from the opening scene where Hannah's parents tell her they're going to cut her off, you knew this was a generational sitcom that was going to talk to a lot of twenty-somethings. Although season 2 felt like it wobbled a little with a few missteps I'm excited that it's back. Here writer, director and star, Lena Dunham talks about the creation of the show, about being open with her drafts, getting feedback from Executive Producers Jennifer Konner and Judd Apatow, and soundtracking her writing process.

Character Traits

CHANDLER

So I have a flaw, big deal. Like Joey's constant knuckle cracking isn't annoying? Or Ross, with his over pronouncing every single world? And Monica with that snort when she laughs, I mean what the hell is that thing?

This fight between the Friends in season 1 is a great demonstration of individual character traits. The points Chandler makes at the beginning are the exact sorta thing you might write in your character's bios when you're first developing them. Here the writers get a lot of laughs out of the habits as each trait annoys or grosses-out another Friend. Chandler's habit of smoking, something he started after his parent's divorce when he was younger (also revealing some of his back story), is the catalyst for the argument which then reveals the other characters' annoying habits.

JOEY

Well, is it [his knuckle crackling] a little annoying, or is it like when Phoebe chews her hair?

Cut to Phoebe spitting out her hair. 

Ross's character trait of over-enunciation also helps distinguish his character voice - Ross is well spoken, educated and articulate. This scene is from the very beginning of the series, the third episode of season 1, 'The One With the Thumb', and shows a crafty technique employed to help the audience get to know the characters. By making the traits annoying they provide excellent material for conflict, so while the characters bicker among each other the audience are learning about each of them and the writers are getting a plethora of great jokes.

ROSS 

Don't listen to him [Joey], Phoebe, I think it's endearing.

JOEY

(mimicking Ross's over-pronunciation) 

Oh, you do, do you.

Cut to Monica snort laughing.

Traits are an excellent way to make your characters feel authentic and three dimensional, and even more so when the trait is the manifestation of a flaw or insecurity. Check this scene from Guillermo Del Toro's debut feature 'Cronos' - skip to 1.50 if you're particularly impatient.

Ron Perlman's character wants a new nose, it's a quirky trait that's unexpected for the thuggish archetype he's playing, and therefore makes his character instantly more interesting, relatable and amusing. You don't have to like every character, but you do need to empathise with them on some level. Here, we can all relate to a physical insecurity or wanting to change something about our appearance. Don't overload your characters with traits, just pick one or two things they can do - a physical tick, such as Phoebe's hair chewing, or a pattern of speech, their snorting laugh, or the way they drink their coffee - and know where this trait comes from, to make your characters leap from the page and onto the screen. 

Charlie Brooker interviews Vince Gilligan

Breaking Bad is one of the best TV dramas ever made. A black comedy, a Shakespearean morality tale, and a show that epitomizes the current trend in TV drama for unsympathetic protagonists, every episode is an incredible example of high tension storytelling with some of the tightest writing on the screen. At the Edinburgh International TV festival Charlie Brooker interviewed the show's creator Vince Gilligan. They cover everything from the inspiration and development to Vince Gilligan's entry into the industry.

Into the Woods - John Yorke

Insightful, accessible and totally comprehensive. John Yorke's 'Into the Woods' isn't just a book for aspiring screenwriters, it's for anyone interested in stories, and the psychology behind why we tell them. He doesn't only offer sage advice on how to tell (read - show) better stories, but why we do so in such a frequently recurring form.

John is primarily concerned with structure, and although he mainly references films his theories can be applied to any dramatic form, be they for the screen, stage or page. He successfully argues that the 5 act structure fits perfectly within the 3 act structure. In the traditional 3 act story, act 2 is twice as long as act 1 and act 3, and in John's example he divides this longer act 2 into 3 separate acts, therefore equating 5.

Around this central peg of structure he details how it affects each and every scene, how it influences subtext, characters and even dialogue. It's hard to pick out the most prevalent quote, seriously, at the risk of sounding a kiss ass, there were so many spot on sentences that perfectly articulated an idea, but the importance for every fiction writer to grasp how to show rather than tell, is essential and summed up succinctly.

"Screenwriting is showing not telling; structure is the presentation of images in such a way an audience are forced to work out the relationship between them."

This is where the audience's imagination comes into play, where they have to do a little work and interpret what they're seeing or reading, and this is why films, novels and plays can be so powerful - because good writers encourage their audience to invest some of themselves in the material, to make up their own minds, to form their own conclusions. Rather than shove the exact idea you want your public to take from your work, give them the ingredients, and see what recipe they come up with.

John also pulls no punches, respectfully critiquing gurus such as Robert McKee and Joseph Campbell, as well as some the best screenwriters working today, like Charlie Kauffman. The appendix is full of breakdowns of structural form, and outlines of protagonists' road of change, of some well known movies, from the Godfather to Indiana Jones.

Further Reading

Story - Robert McKee

The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell

Screenplay - Syd Field

The Writer's Journey - Christopher Vogler

On Screenwriting - Frederick Gaffney