The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe

S2_E45: Four Critical Nuances to Incorporate When You Have a Selfish Protagonist EPISODE DESCRIPTION - One of the things that comes up often in the work I critique is a main character who is fundamentally selfish. This happens because we try to make our characters flawed (which they should be), but we haven't thought through the implications of this particular character trait. To this end, I...

S2_E44. EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Last week we spoke about confronting the issue of fear in writing. This week we will continue our series by differentiating ‘nice’ and ‘kind,’ and what it looks like to make others feel uncomfortable for the sake of telling the truth. We need to be brave enough yo be honest rather than polite.  Taking these ideas further,  a common misconception I see with many writer...

Support the show S2_E43. EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Last week we discussed the importance of empathy. Not only for ourselves as writers, but for developing dynamic and engaging characters.  This week, we take that same principle and dive deeper as we apply it to our lives and our writing to think about the way we engage culture. Now as a storyteller, writing coach, and artist myself, I tend to see a ve...

S2_E42. EMPATHY! The Number One Tool Writers Need to Develop Dynamic Characters  EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Last week, I gave you the 5 dialogue tricks every writer needs to create a clear and dynamic storyline. This week I discuss how to create dynamic characters through empathy.  The basis of story is understanding the human condition from an empathetic point of view. In order to do this it is absolu...

S2_E41: Five Dialogue Tricks For a Clear Storyline EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Last week, we discussed the importance of getting to your main action and character quickly. This week I give you 5 dialogue tricks to avoid ‘the kiss of death’ in your story, confusion. If you confuse your audience, you automatically take them out of the story, which is the opposite of what you want to do. The rule of thumb...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Today we are diving into #7 in our series of “Aha Moments,” that I’ve had both as a writer, and as a story coach. One mistake that I see happen with a lot of writers, is that they wait too long to get into the action of their story. The story lags on and on without the reader or viewer knowing what the story is actually about. That’s why today’s episode is about setting your...

S2_E38  This special episode replays Zena's recent presentation as a guest on Writer's Chat, where she was invited to speak on how writers can make their story ideas commercial. The answer, Zena says, is not as simple as it once was, because we've entered a new paradigm when it comes to storytelling. No longer do the old rules apply in terms of what gets published or made into a mov...

S2 E38. Today in our series of Aha Moments, Zena dives into TIP #6. In essence, the audience needs to see three encounters between characters before they will believe that the relationship has changed or evolved for better or worse. It goes something like this: Scene 1: We establish the standard. What is their relationship like right now? Scene 2: Something happens that shakes things up, or causes...

S2_E37. Unlocking the Secret of How to Write Great Setups and Payoffs One of the best things I ever learned in terms of setups and payoffs is how to make a setup ne barely noticeable. A truly good setup is something that the audience shouldn't be aware of, let alone expect a payoff to come from it. The problem is that audiences today are so  sophisticated that they see them coming 1000 miles...

S2_E36  See the main points for this episode below. Or DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.   EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Today, I'm sharing tips number 3 and 4 of some of the aha moments I've had as a writer. find a way to dramatize the information that you reveal.  #3: Find a way to dramatize the information you reveal.  When I tried to write my first novel,...

S2_E35  See the main points for this episode below. Or DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.   EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Today, I'm switching gears to share some of the aha moments that I have had as a writer or screenwriter. The very first one is: You only get one coincidence per story.  Your story should unfold according to the choices that your main character m...

S2_E34 – Why Comedy Feels Dangerous and How to Avoid Crossing the Line In the conclusion of this series on Writing Funny, Zena addresses two final types of tools or comedic devices (puns/dad jokes and the reversal), and uses those as an entry point to discussing why people are often afraid of comedy, and for good reason.  Since comedy can be used to malign the dignity of the human person, it can b...

S2_E33 – Three Favorite Tools to Create Comedy in Story In this current series on Writing Funny, Zena shares three techniques that can specifically be used when working with cliches to create comedic moments in story. 1. The simple truth.  Break down the literal meaning of a phrase or a key word so that it's simply true, rather than interpreting the expression according to its traditional ref...

S2_E32 – The Cardinal Rule of Comedy is Surprise.   In this current series on Writing Funny, Zena has been breaking down Melvin Helitzer’s acronym THREES from his book, Comedy Writing Secrets, which identifies the six key ingredients of humor and comedy. In this episode, Zena addresses the most important component of all: the cardinal rule of comedy is the element of surprise.  The best way to def...

In this continuation of of the Writing Funny series, Zena unpacks the last two letters in Melvin Helitzer's acronym, THREES, which make up the 6 primary ingredients of comedy writing.  Emotion refers to creating anticipation and excitement on behalf of the audience -- basically building the tension and getting them to invest in the joke or story or scenario. This is done through setups.  Surp...

In this week's episode, Zena continues to unpack Melvin Helitzer's acronym THREES, which encompasses the six primary ingredients of all comedy. We've already covered the first two,  target and hostility. Today, we address realism and exaggeration. These go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.  Realism - The best comedy is based in reality. If it isn't based...

S2_E29 – The Presence and Purpose of Hostility in Comedy This week in our series on writing funny, we're talking about the second letter in Melvin Helitzer's acronym THREES, which makes up the six primary ingredients of all comedy writing. H = Hostility, because all comedy is intrinsically hostile. Humor is meant to eradicate many of the hostile feelings we have in our daily lives. So, w...

S2_E28. How to TARGET the subject of your joke without utterly destroying it. What are the principles and tools for comedy writing? This week we look at the "T" in Melvin Helitzer's acronym, T.H.R.E.E.S., which is Target. Humor must have a Target. We think humor is fun. But it isn't. Humor is criticism cloaked as entertainment. It's directed at a specific target. This is w...

S2_E27. Writing Funny   For the past few weeks, we've been talking about how to use visual cues to enhance the meaning of your story. Today we launch a new series that explores the tools and principles associated with writing comedy, which is another avenue available for us in order to convey  deeper levels of meaning to our audience. But to explore this topic, we need to get beyond our own p...

S2_E26 – Special Episode: Zena Highlights the Crucial Role of the Storyteller in Culture as a Guest on the Act One Podcast with James Duke Recently, I had the honor of being invited to be a guest on the Act One Podcast with James Duke, where I was encouraged to give my unfiltered opinions on anything related to art and Christianity. I trust I did not disappoint!  While this special episode is cons...

S2_E25 – Using Objects & Metaphors to Show the Internal Emotional Arc of Your Character For the last few weeks, we’ve been discussing how to “show, don’t tell” in story by employing a few of my favorite techniques that help writers accomplish this without having to write pages and pages of dialogue. Namely, how to create significant actions for your characters, how to establish a pattern and t...

S2_E24 – How to Use Rituals and Traditions to Reveal Deeper Meaning in Story Last week, we started talking about how one of the best tools you’ll ever learn how to use in story is to establish and pattern and then break it. When you do this, it immediately adds deeper meaning to the story, reveals character progression and/or a change in character relationships, adds energy to the narrative, and d...

S2_E23 – Why Establishing a Pattern and then Breaking it in Story is one of the Best Tools You can Learn One of the primary rules that we learn as storytellers that we need to accomplish is show don't tell. But what I find is that many writers simply struggle with that concept. One reason why is because they're unclear exactly what it means, let alone how to accomplish it. Today, I want...

S2_E22 – The Business of Hollywood: Why You Need a Producer to Get Your Project Made For the last few weeks, we've been discussing how Hollywood works. What are some of the things that you should know as a writer so that you don't end up getting ripped off or scammed by a so-called  opportunity that some charlatan brings your way? We also started talking about option agreements and how y...

S2 E21 - The Business of Hollywood: How do I get My Story Made into a Movie? On the last episode, I talked about how writers are potentially getting ripped off because they don't understand the business of Hollywood.  Today, I address how Hollywood actually works. How does the business work? What is the order? What are the terms? What are the expectations? How do you get an independent projec...