by jdsmeaton | Nov 1, 2023 | Writing
The Surprising Key to a Child Prodigy’s Artistic Greatness I came across musician/singer Ethan Bortnick on TikTok. He performs these insanely impressive pop/rock piano songs. I liked his work so I looked him up. He’s in his early 20s now but turns out he was a...
by jdsmeaton | Oct 3, 2023 | Storytelling, Writing
Why Shakespeare Couldn’t Care Less About His Legacy (And You Shouldn’t Either) I think about legacy a fair amount. There’s a part of me that wants to create a lasting body of work. But the more I contemplate it, the more it seems personal legacy does not...
by jdsmeaton | Sep 5, 2023 | Writing
I Hope You Fail Anyone you admire used to suck. And honestly probably still does suck on a regular basis. You want to know who was a failure? Michael Jordan, Stephen King, Ali Wong, The Beatles. We judge them for their end results but every one of them struggled and...
by jdsmeaton | May 2, 2023 | Storytelling, Writing
You Might Find You Get What You Need Are you watching season 3 of Ted Lasso? The writing is excellent with setting things up and paying them off in satisfying ways. Which doesn’t necessarily mean giving the character (or viewer) what they think they want. *Episode 7...
by jdsmeaton | Dec 26, 2022 | How To, Storytelling, Writing
I was browsing in a bookstore when a cover caught my attention. I picked the book up and read the back cover. There were no blurbs from famous authors spouting pithy praise. No lines taken from glowing reviews. There wasn’t even a description of the story. What it did...
by jdsmeaton | Oct 4, 2022 | How To, Storytelling, Writing
Do your characters want something? They sure do on the FX show The Bear. I’m guessing your main character wants something but what about the rest of your characters? How about that no-name side character? The Bear is about Carmy, a chef trying to fix his dead...
