Arguing Quote by James Scott Bell

Forget narrative, backstory, characterisation, exposition, all of that. Just make the audience want to know what happens next.

— David Mamet

Keep everything in context, and try to have each line doing more than one thing - not just giving exposition but also revealing character…

— Richard Bausch

Be critical of but not brutal with your writing. If something isn't essential, get rid of it. Remember that good dialogue can serve a…

— Elizabeth George

Show enough backstory to allow the reader to glean and make assumptions about what remains behind the curtain of time, yet continues to influence…

— Larry Brooks

With my students, I don't offer any simple tips like that, maybe because my own process is pretty messy, but when we workshop we…

— Edan Lepucki

As a writer, you understand how hard it is to build up backstory for characters, so you can have impactful moments. You have to…

— Cory Barlog

I use a lot of narration; I have a very prosaic style. I like to get you invested in the character first and do…

— Scott Snyder

There are things the story must have or else look incomplete. And these will almost automatically present themselves. When they don't, you are in…

— Chinua Achebe

Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. This is especially important for historical fiction. When your character is new to a place,…

— Hilary Mantel

In a book you can really talk about ideas and themes and characters in a deeper way than you can even on the screen.

— Noah Hawley

I do extensive research before I begin writing, but only a fraction of the research goes into the novels. The writer does not need…

— Edward Rutherfurd