In no particular order, really.
1. “Get in late, leave early” attributed to William “Bill” Goldman or David Mamet
Get into the scene late, after the boring stuff/small talk would’ve happened. Leave the scene early, before it becomes boring, and outstays its welcome.
2. “The But and Therefore Rule” by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, as described by Nathan B. Weller.
This is the South Park approach to turning scenes.
https://nathanbweller.com/creators-of-south-park-storytelling-advice-but-therefore-rule/
When you have a set of story beats (or an outline in other words) and you can put the words “AND THEN” in-between each one–“you’re fucked” as Trey would say. That’s boring. However, if in-between each story beat you can put the words “BUT” or “THEREFORE” then you have a story in which the events taking place are reacting to each other. The story/plot builds momentum and tension based on everything else that has happened previously, not because of the arbitrary whims of the writer. To quote DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR? – “NO and then!” That’s great. With the But and Therefore, I would even throw in an “Oh, no….”
3. Idea/Joke Creation by Judy Carter
“Ask what’s weird, funny, scary, stupid about something?” What’s weird about being a hermit? What’s scary about being a parent? What’s stupid about being a disembodied brain?
4. Do Your Scenes Turn? (AKA Scene Polarity) by Robert McKee
“A SCENE is an action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a character’s life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible significance. Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT.
Look closely at each scene you’ve written and ask: What value is at stake in my character’s life at this moment? Love? Truth? What? How is that value charged at the top of the scene? Positive? Negative? Some of both? Make a note. Next turn to the close of the scene and ask, Where is this value now? Positive? Negative? Both? Make a note and compare. If the answer you write down at the end of the scene is the same note you made at the opening, you now have another important question to ask: Why is this scene in my script?
If the value-charged condition of the character’s life stays unchanged from one end of a scene to the other, nothing meaningful happens. The scene has activity—talking about this, doing that—but nothing changes in value. It is a nonevent.
Why then is the scene in the story? The answer is almost certain to be “exposition.” It’s there to convey information about characters, world, or history to the eavesdropping audience. If exposition is a scene’s sole justification, a disciplined writer will trash it and weave its information into the film elsewhere.
No scene that doesn’t turn. This is our ideal. We work to round every scene from beginning to end by turning a value at stake in a character’s life from the positive to the negative or the negative to the positive. Adherence to this principle may be difficult, but it’s by no means impossible.”
5. Proofreading Tip by Rick Suvalle
“After writing and before turning in a draft, take your script and change the FONT to TIMES NEW ROMAN then re-read it. All the typos will jump out at you, then change it back to COURIER.”
6. Storm The Castle by Blake Snyder
Blake had a really clean way of encapsulating the third act climax, or the five point finale. Like anything it’s not a rule, just a guideline, or a way to test your third act, or even develop the third act with the broadest of strokes.
I. Gathering the team
II. Executing the plan
III. The high tower surprise
IV. Dig down deep
V. Execution of a new plan
7. Tackling Perfectionism/Self-Criticism by Aadip Desai (but I heard it from someone else):
I have a life-hack for anyone who struggles with perfectionism. Write the words CRITIC and EDITOR on pieces of paper. Seal them in a JAR and put the jar out of reach on a high shelf. They are not invited to your creative sessions. When you start the rewrite, bring the jar back down and invite them join those sessions.
Update: This process can be repeated/re-ritualized if it wears off.
8. Ira Glass on Storytelling:
NPR’s Ira Glass pontificating on the building blocks and his philosophy around storytelling. You just gotta watch/listen.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/extras/ira-glass-on-storytelling
https://vimeo.com/24715531
9. “Kill Your Darlings” attributed to MANY
All of the following have been given credit somewhere for this one – William Faulkner, Quiller-Couch, Allen Ginsberg, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Eudora Welty, G.K. Chesterton, and Chekov. Stephen King said. “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”Who knows who really said it?
The phrase means you must get rid of your most precious aspects/elements of your story in service of the work itself. This can be lines of dialogue, entire characters, set pieces, scenes, entire ACTS. If it doesn’t move the story forward, reveal information, and has no real purpose, it’s got to go!
10. “Always ask what your character wants, and what’s in their way.” by Everyone.
No way to attribute this one. It’s the most helpful thing to ask when the story isn’t working. If you don’t know what your character’s intentions/needs/wants are, and the obstacles they must overcome, your story will be as flat as a can of Diet Dr. Pepper left outside for a week. What tactics will your character employ to achieve their goals?
MORE:
7 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block by Benjamin Sobieck
https://writersblockcoffee.com/pages/7-tips-for-overcoming-writers-block