Essays on the Craft of Dramatic Writing!

I'm teaching a beginning screenwriting class for PCC that starts in April. Click on the workshop link above for details.

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A third edition of A Story is a Promise and Deep Characterization is now available. This new edition explores how some writers struggle because they make a main character an extension of the author to act out personal issues. A short video about the new work is available; the video is included with the book.

A Story is a Promise & Deep Characterization is available using this PayPal link. The cost of $17.95 includes media mail shipping in the United States.

Overseas mailing, $24.95. ***********************

This site offers writers of all levels and genres new ideas on the essential elements of storytelling:

creating dynamic characters...

identifying what's at stake in
a story...

and ensuring that both the plot and story lines converge into an emotionally fulfilling resolution.

Reviews of popular novels, plays, and screenplays highlight those aspects of storytelling essential for fulfilling a writer's promise to the reader.

The essays on this web site are part of my exploration of what it is to both tell and enjoy a story. I welcome everyone who shares that journey.
--Bill Johnson

What's new:

Listening to Your Audience
This essay explores the power of understanding how a story speaks to its audience.

Question, Answer, Question
This essay reviews the preface to Twilight, the popular novel by Stephenie Meyer. The process of engaging the attention of readers that I call question, answer, question is explored. I speak about this process on this video posted on YouTube.

Writing a Novel With a Wounded Main Character
An essay about Prince of Tides and how a novel can be written with a wounded main character, a choice that can lead to difficulties if not handled correctly.

Writing a Novel With a Stuck Main Character, Notes on The Kite Runner
An essay about how a popular novel was written with an emotionally stuck main character.

About the Author:

Vita
Film Scripts
Q/A
Site awards

I speak about how watching movies can be therapeutic on this video posted on YouTube.

All material on this web site Copyright 1998-2010 Bill Johnson; all rights reserved. I welcome your comments and suggestions. If you have any questions about the story issues raised by my essays, for a response, write me at bjscript at teleport.com.
Thanks for visiting this site.

SCRIPT SERVICES
I review screenplays, novel manuscripts, and plays.

OREGON WRITERS SPEAK
I've created a new web page where teachers like Elizabeth Lyon and Eric Witchey speak about the craft of writing fiction. Mike Thaler, author of The Teacher From the Black Lagoon, offers a video tour of his work studio.

BOOK REVIEWS
Capsule reviews of popular books on writing, and books by students who have studied the a story is a promise concept, and others who asked me to review their novel manuscripts, including M Thomas Cooper's 42, Shannon Capps' Salmon Run, Snip, by Doc Macomber, Betty Grant Henshaw's Children of the Dust, Steve Brody's The New Commandments and Dr. Philip Shapiro's Healing Power: Ten Steps to Pain Managment and Spiritual Evolution. My student Helen Chin's Jin-Ling's Two Left Feet is available from Amazon.

Karen L. Azinger's debut epic fantasy saga has been acquired by HarperCollin's Voyager imprint. Voyager acquiring all five books in the untitled series.
I helped Karen with the first two books. Karen speaks about the release of the first book, The Steel Queen, in this interview.

Years ago I helped Brendan Foley with a screenplay, Under the Wire, about WWII escape artist Bill Ash. It's now a popular, successful novel available on Amazon.