Last night I taught my first class of the spring semester at NYU. I have a large class, 13 people, and a very talented and accomplished group they are! I tried to be very simple in the exchange of information, and asked myself what were the most important things my students needed to know to have a successful semester. This is what I came up with. I’m sure they will grow and change.
1. Create for yourself.
2. Be a great listener.
3. Take what you have experienced and repurpose it for your characters.
4. Find what you have learned and want to share with others, and phrase it as a question.
5. Find the lead character’s inner conflict, and shape the story from there.
6. Visualize 80%, write 20%, not the other way around.
7. Trust your own creative impulse.
8. And the very most important: Don’t get it right, get it written!
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