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‘Sinners’ and the Sturdiest Plot Structure Known to Man
‘Sinners’ does a lot of things right. One of the most important is its choice to put the band back together.
3 hrs ago
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Sinners’ and the Sturdiest Plot Structure Known to Man
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‘Squid Game’ Season 3: It’s All Your Fault
This grim and somewhat silly show works because it understands that everything that happens should be due to characters making decisions.
Jul 22
6
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Squid Game’ Season 3: It’s All Your Fault
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The Fine Art of the Bullshit Dream Sequence
There has to be a better way to pad out your stories.
Jul 15
3
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
The Fine Art of the Bullshit Dream Sequence
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5
‘Doctor Who’ and The Exposition Machine
Doctor Who has always been an exposition factory, but boy howdy things got out of hand.
Jul 8
1
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Doctor Who’ and The Exposition Machine
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‘Stick’: Several Cliches Standing on Each Other’s Shoulders, Wearing a Trenchcoat
Have you seen a redemptive sports story ever in your life? Whatever you liked about that, you’ll find it somewhere in Stick.
Jul 1
2
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Stick’: Several Cliches Standing on Each Other’s Shoulders, Wearing a Trenchcoat
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June 2025
‘Mountainhead’ and Weightless Storytelling
This enjoyable romp with awful billionaires (and one half-billionaire) would be more effective with a little more chaos.
Jun 24
2
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Mountainhead’ and Weightless Storytelling
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2
‘Sirens’ Sets Its Sights Too High
This limited series confection on Netflix has ambition, and that is its undoing.
Jun 17
5
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Sirens’ Sets Its Sights Too High
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3
‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Loses the Thread
Sometimes writers get distracted by shiny things just like kittens.
Jun 10
2
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Loses the Thread
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‘Hacks’ and the Character Loop
The show loves this trope so much it just keeps doing it.
Jun 3
3
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Hacks’ and the Character Loop
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May 2025
‘Babygirl’ and The Character Vacuum
Part of a story’s job is to make you care about the characters.
May 27
3
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘Babygirl’ and The Character Vacuum
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‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: YMMV
Killing off a major character is always a risk, and this time it probably won’t pay off.
May 20
3
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: YMMV
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‘The Conclave’ is Just a Thriller in Costume
The Oscar-nominated film about electing a new Pope is a locked-room mystery in robes.
May 13
3
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Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives
‘The Conclave’ is Just a Thriller in Costume
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