As No Film School's resident screenwriter, I have a pretty big soft spot for incredible writer Jonathan Franzen, whose book, The Corrections, should speak to every screenwriter out there.Franzen is known for his sweeping, character-driven novels that dive deep into the modern American psyche. They're long, dense, and are the perfect novels to curl up with and just dig deep into the worlds.It's safe to say Franzen likes a complicated world, but if you’re looking for a simple formula for writing a breakout story, his advice is surprisingly direct, ruthless, and rooted in two fundamental principles: distance and fun.Let's dive in.The Franzen MethodWhat I love about videos like this one is that it takes one of the great minds of our times and just lets him offer sage advice with no pretense. It made me really happy when he emphasized the need for a quiet, orderly life to support violent, original work. But he had a lot of other advice that I think will help writers in any medium. 1. Find the Comic Problem (The Smaller the Better)Right at the top of the video, Franzen says he is fundamentally a novelist of character, meaning his primary focus is on the people in his story. So his first piece of advice is a core dramatic engine for any narrative: identify your protagonist's central issue, but frame it through a lens of comedy.What about this problem kind of makes you laugh? Instead of jumping to global catastrophes or sheer violence, look for...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - 2 days ago