Knowing the importance of a strong main character, our writer focuses almost all of his attention on the hero. He “fleshes out” this character mechanically, by tacking on as many traits as possible, and figures he’ll make the hero change

KEY POINT: What’s really important is that audiences understand the character but not necessarily like everything he does.

The dramatic code, embedded deep in the human psyche, is an artistic description of how a person can grow or evolve. This code is also a process going on underneath every story.

KEY POINT: True character change involves a challenging and changing of basic beliefs, leading to new moral action by the hero.

writing process we will work through might be described as internal, organic, interconnected, and original.

each story has its own unique set of rules, or challenges, as well. These are particular problems that are deeply embedded in the idea, and you cannot escape them. Nor do you want to. These problems are signposts for finding your true story. You must confront these problems head-on and solve them if you are to execute your story well.

Step 3: Identify the Story Challenges and Problems

Two exercises can help you do this. First, write down your wish list, a list of everything you would like to see up on the screen, in a book, or at the theater. It’s what you are passionately interested in, and it’s what entertains you.

Designing principle = story process + original execution