A Formula For Writing A Great Story - Dr. Ken Atchity

BUY THE BOOK - A WRITER’S TIME: Making The Time To Write

In this video interview, Dr. Ken Atchity shares his formula for writing a great story.

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#writing #screenwriting #screenplay

[jkshackelford]

I think he’s absolutely right. I like a good story, but love a great character. They are the ones that stick in my memory for years to come. I can think of so many right off the top of my head.

[SVAFnemesis]

I don’t get writer’s block. I just get lazy.

[Tousicle]

Be careful of this device; until it's down on paper you're not writing, you're just thinking. And thinking could go on forever. sometimes you need to write it down to just get it out, so you can move down and try a different avenue. And this advice is coming from Pixar legends. I mean, they said they would try to get down the dead-end cal de sacs as fast as they could. Try everything and fail and fail again, and go back; because then it's not failing, you've just found several diff. ways of how not to do that. I am just saying this because I think his advice is great for brainstorming and daydreaming, especially while accessing the creative side of the brain by viewing your story through pictures, for emotion (and understanding character) that's one technique. Where-as to develop the plot and mechanics you're accessing your left side, so you would be formulating. You can try that out. Lay down on your bed and just visualize your character, what would he do, why? what's he/she feeling, what's coming to you? Nothing auditory, though maybe, but it's more of getting into the heads of the character which I've found super helpful. And then you can go back to analyze it logically by writing it down to see if the devices make sense or not.

[JayCarver]

I think he makes a good point about knowing something about the character and story before you begin writing. I can never just start cold and start writing random things down...I have to have at least a familiarity about one of the main characters. Either the protagonist or the anatagonist/villain.

[HendrikEnsingMindLenses]

I'm wondering if 'not writing it down' until you are ready, is a personal creative style.

Perhaps there is diversity about what works for different people. I create visual art, and the ideas come to me in the middle of the night, in the moments between dreams, and they are fantastic ideas and concepts. If I don't jot them down under the narrow beam of a flashlight, they will keep disturbing my sleep until I do.

After writing them down, as rough sleepy scribbles, often a floodgate of ideas follow. If I note them in my bedside-notebook under the beam of my flashlight, they will still be alive there in the morning. Waiting for me to work on them.

Otherwise, all that will remain in the morning is the harrowing memory that I had a good idea. I'll not recall what it was. Perhaps figuring out how you receive revelation, personally, and figuring out what works for you in your process is a big thing.

Perhaps there is diversity in what works, and figuring out what works for ourselves, is absolutely imperative. Then repeating that process again and again, because it works for us.

[ClintLoweTube]

Stephen King starts his stories with a character in a difficult situation. Sometimes I do the same.

[moniquevamado]

I couldn't agree more. And at the same time, I really needed this reminder right now.

[spiroskagadis]

I think that Dr Ken is amazingly right in whatever he says!!!

[MsDaydreamr]

I can soo relate to the part about characters haunting you. 😅

[ThePalatineHill]

can't say i agree with his method of writing management, i often forget too many things or lose track of where my story is going if i don't write it down, this advice really seems like its meant for a pantser

[MontyBrad]

Pure brainstorming has been my process for the last five months, partly because pacing around works best for me and keeping flow dynamic allows the good ideas to come forward to be refined and improved while the mediocre stuff is free to drift off and be forgotten. I did however come up with a basic outline first, otherwise the thought process has too much freedom to wander off in too many directions. I still run into writers block even though im not actually writing anything so far Lol I got stuck on what my protagonists resolution to his wound would be but i got there. I think writing gets over emphasised a bit, its essential to the process of course but brainstorming... 'Write about what you know' how do you know about a fiction universe that does not exist??? Brainstorming! 😄

[mickierat]

That’s exactly how I write. I walk around thinking about the whole story for a few days. Sometimes it will change dramatically from the time I start thinking about it until the time I write it down, but I don’t write it down until I know the whole story.

[Sims]

I disagree. He subscribes to Stephen King's method where " You trust your memory and write your story." To avoid writer's block just write ideas down don't judge them prematurely, you can organize and fix later.

[ThisIsInfamousJBlack]

You have to figure out your style of writing, You and You alone. All the advice will mean nothing if you don't figure out what works for you!

[stefanomaggio]

greatest excuse for not writing, tnx <3

[gopro_audio]

Pitch-Perfect Authentic, ONLY... your ideas are useless. Stop making excuses and write. I am disgusted to see the negative comments below about this man.