Introduction: Old school, new adrenaline
Part one: Essential principles of plot. Drop the hammer. (Hamlet)
Ask dramatic questions. (Finding Nemo)
Explore all endings. (The Night Of)
Connect with "therefore," not "and." (South Park, "Breast Cancer Show Ever")
Escalate risk. (Pulp Fiction)
Clash expectation with reality. (Breaking Bad, "Dead Freight")
Max out the middle. (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Begin the end with a critical decision. (Frankenstein)
Confirm the decision. (The Godfather, Part II)
Wrap up fast. (Late Spring)
Part two: Essential principles of character. Make your hero active and decisive. (Red Dead Redemption)
Provoke dilemma. ("The Best of Times, the Worst of Times")
Layer conflict. (Ms. Marvel: No Normal)
Peel the onion. ("Interpreter of Maladies")
Write characters to the top of their intelligence. ("Stan")
Mask everyone. (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Earn transformations. (Fun Home)
Motivate fierce antagonists. (The Piano Lesson)
Confront evil. ("The Lottery")
Part three. Essential principles of setting, dialogue, and theme. Link inextricably to your setting
Exceed expectations. (30 Rock, "Jack-tor")
Craft actionable dialogue. (Death of a Salesman)
Hide meaning. (The Remains of the Day)
Amplify your theme. (Double Indemnity)
Attack your theme. (The Brothers Karamazov)
Transcend thought. (Fever Dream)
Conclusion: The necessity of story.
