The Final Rewrite

6 What Writers Know

DOI: 10.4324/9781003161578-7

The chapter explores principles that all good writers know: how an understanding of story structure, character, mythology, dialogue, and subtext informs the writing process. Editors benefit from understanding these elements as well.

Writers hold the key to the kingdom. Without writers, there is no movie. From the initial inspiration, whether simple or high concept, the writer envisions characters, situations, and emotions, wrapping them in a well-constructed plot. The characters must be ones that an audience can identify with, because we all share similar desires, even if a character’s expression of these desires is unfamiliar to the average person.

The character’s actions may be reprehensible ...