5Make us Care
As writers, we find ourselves creatively “in the zone” when the characters start speaking for themselves on the page—as if they’ve taken on a life of their own. As readers, this same process happens when we forget that we’re reading words on a page and feel as if we’ve been transported into the world of the story.
Cultivating Viewer Investment
For a TV series to prosper and become a classic, the audience needs to become emotionally invested in the lives of its characters. We need to worry about their problems, big and small. We need to care about their hopes and dreams, triumphs and misfortunes. We need to bond with them, consider them part of our lives: as friends or coworkers or family members.
In a sitcom, we need both to laugh ...
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