with Jeff Kitchen
These three powerful tools can help kick any new story into gear. Trapping your protagonist in a good strong Dilemma, between two equally unacceptable alternatives, anchors your story and builds dramatic tension from the outset. The Enneagram personality-profiling system identifies traits, tendencies, and flaws in your protagonist that complicate how he or she interacts with the Dilemma, integrating character and plot, as it deepens the story.
The 36 Dramatic Situations is a brainstorming tool containing elements like Ambition, Revolt, Pursuit, and Madness, and can trigger a flood of ideas, especially early in the story-invention process. Weaving these situations into your story and characters can energize them, expand the story, break out of cliché, shatter writer’s block, and challenge your own rut as a storyteller. Using the three tools together roots your story in drama while creating dynamic characters and exploring a full spectrum of story options. Jeff will demonstrate the process by spinning up a brand-new story idea on the spot. Participants should know the movie Training Day.
Appearing in this session
Jeff Kitchen – Screenwriter
