Phi Theta Kappa: Honors in Action

Abrams is heralded as the master of not just sci-fi, but also knows how to keep viewers intrigued in a story right the way up to the pay-off. The art of injecting the right amount of mystery into a screenplay is a tricky one to master, but Abrams’ TED talk—intriguing in and of itself—will put you on the right track.

Rather than cover the best practices of storytelling, Cohen takes a critical eye to the craft and reveals some of the pitfalls—many of them related to subjectivity—that screenwriters come up against.

Nancy Duarte, a graphic designer and writer, came across an intriguing observation: some of the world’s greatest orators all used very similar patterns in their speeches. In unpacking the structure of some of the most well-known speeches and presentations, there’s a lot screenwriters can learn from Duarte’s TED talk in terms of making an emotional connection with their audience.

Fiction is a powerful thing. It has the ability to transcend the limits of its own created world and have a tangible effect on the real one we live in; here, novelist Elif Shafak explores this concept and shares examples of how fiction can help bring us together from across cultural and/or political divides.

Comics and screenplays—or, more specifically, the creation thereof—share a lot of parallels. Scott McCloud is widely considered to be the grandfather of comic theory, and the deeply insightful advice on storytelling that he delivers throughout his inspirational TED Talk is of use to both screenwriters and comic book creators alike.

Isabel Allende is famed for her compelling work as a novelist, but is also becoming equally well-known as an activist. In this essential TED Talk on storytelling, Allende discusses creativity and the art of exploring feminist issues through stories, and is equally as funny as it is moving.

By all measures, Andrew Stanton is an incredible storyteller, having created some of the most enduring Pixar tales to date (including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E). His talk is a candid invitation into his creative process, with much of the theory being readily usable in your own screenwriting.