August 29, 2025
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie, and you get an uneasy feeling that you’ve seen it before? But you haven’t! It’s a new book or a new novel and impossible to believe it’s a repeat. But it is!
“Squibler offers some of the best features and tools for novel writers…”
An entire industry of software enablers has emerged. You don’t really have to write your novel anymore; you really don’t have to write your screenplay. To be more accurate, you still need to write them, but creative software (and I’m not even talking AI) does most of the work for you. Scribler being just one of them:
The Screenwriter s Bible’s 7th edition marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most popular, authoritative, and useful books on screenwriting. A standard by which other screenwriting books are measured, it has sold over 340,000 copies in its 25-year life. Always up-to-date and reliable, it contains everything that both the budding and working screenwriter need under one cover five books in one!
- A Screenwriting Primer that provides a concise course in screenwriting basics
- A Screenwriting Workbook that walks you through the complete writing process, from nascent ideas through final revisions
- A Formatting Guide that thoroughly covers today’s correct formats for screenplays and TV scripts
- A Spec Writing Guide that demonstrates today’s spec style through sample scenes and analysis, with an emphasis on grabbing the reader’s interest in the first ten pages
- A Sales and Marketing Guide that presents proven strategies to help you create a laser-sharp marketing plan.
The problem is…there are a limited number of plot and character development devices available. To those 340,000 readers. So, they get repeated.
“Story prompt generator and plot generator for novel writers of all genres.”
Here is a simple one, and once you know it, you’ll be amazed at how pervasive this one is.
The main character has a nemesis. The nemesis is not strictly speaking the bad guy. A detective trying to solve a case does not have the perp as his nemesis, rather…
So, the main character strives, right? Tries to overcome adversity, plow through difficulties, and emerge victorious, or a failure with redeeming characteristics.
But the nemesis is inserted to give tension to the effort. How tired a plot convention that our detective, flawed but admirable, is trying to solve his/her case but is constantly thwarted/obstructed by a superior officer. That one seems to be in every detective novel/movie/TV series I’ve ever seen. Roll my eyes.
“More than 30 plot outlines for writers.”
So, if you don’t like My Cousin Vinny you need to examine that, right? Because Joe Pesci captures the essence of his so’s-yer-old-man character from New York, Marisa Tomei is absolutely charming and the good guys/gals win. But you’ve got (take your pick) Fred Gwynne as the nemesis-judge, or Lane Smith as the nemesis-District Attorney. Why couldn’t the DA be helpful, or the Judge be friendly? Well, that’s not interesting. But the Sheriff is, at the end, just to redeem the idea that not everyone in a small Southern town is pompous/sly.
Living in a small town in the Smokies don’t get me started on Hollywood and their treatment of the people here.
FYI, today’s media obsession with creating controversy and conflict to divide us and create eyeball counts is not really all that new. Conflict sells.
“First line generator tool for novel writers with more than 500 first line suggestions and ideas.”
So many similar examples. Here’s another.
You create a sympathetic, but ultimately expendable, admirable/lovable character. And then, to really amp up the audience’s emotions…you kill him/her off with about 10-15 minutes left in the film. Really get people going.
“Arrange different sections of your novel by dragging and dropping on the board.”
Boy meets girl. OK, there are only a few ways this can go and most of them are…Boy gets girl. Boy loses, then ultimately gets girl (her parents or best friend typically the nemesis). Boy doesn’t get girl but its OK/tragic/wistful/whimsical. Reversed, all of the above except it’s the girl in charge so, she gets boy or loses boy. And in today’s open gender society, it might be girl gets girl but in regard to plot artifice, it’s all the same…two hearts striving to beat as one. And it tends to be the same nemesis…parents, friends, etc.
Given the limited number of outcomes, romantic films basically come down to the actors/actresses simmering, smoldering, making chemistry on the screen or in the novel. So, if you’re looking for either a Rom Com or flat our romantic movie, focus on the actors/actresses…make sure you like them. I can tell you what the plot will be.
“A drag-and-drop user interface for arranging and organizing chapters, sections, and notes.” I remark…Herman Melville is rolling in his grave.
Sometimes, the artifice created by these programs is endemic. Nothing escapes them. Here’s something I bet you’ve never noticed before:
Nearly all modern cartoon characters, apart from the villains, are slightly cross-eyed.
Now, Popeye was not cross-eyed…he had one eye permanently closed. Neither was Bluto or Olive Oyl, nor Betty Boop. So, I think it started with Disney but one of our beloved readers probably knows the answer to that.
But that cross-eyed look gives a certain vulnerability and friendliness to the character.
But villains? Cruella Deville was not cross-eyed.
Modern ‘adult’ cartoons series break that mold, but it is honored in kids cartoons. Family Guy characters are not crossed…more prevalent is a kind of sleepy/dopey thing.
The walls are breaking down. But just flip through a couple of kids’ cartoons and you’ll see what I mean.
“Built-in grammar checking and editing tool to improve your novel and its readability in real-time.”
OK, so here is my final curiosity.
Why do all the characters in movies set in ancient Rome speak with a British accent? They all do. I mean, Richard Burton was picked for Cleopatra. Why not Sam Elliott? Or Joe Pesci?
I mean, Pesci would be more historically correct…. he’s Italian!
Modern Roman Pecs and Sandals Dialogue (thinking Richard Burton): “Caesar, I say oh Caesar, lend me an ear would you old boy?”
More accurate Roman Pecs and Sandals Dialogue (Thinking Joe Pesci):
“Hey! Caesar! Yo! Hey! Listen up! I’m talkin’ to youse!”
Banquets would morph from grapes dropped in mouths by slaves to Domino’s Pizzas and garlic bread. Caesar would have the vending machine business at the Coliseum. Leisure suits would replace togas.
Interesting factoid: 37 Roman Emperors were assassinated, and death by stabbing the most prevalent. I dunno, I’d have a rule if I were Emperor…all knives get checked at the door. Seems a no-brainer to me.
Well, I won’t keep you in suspense. I think Shakespeare is responsible. He wrote all those pecs and sandals tragedies, so we got used to British actors mouthing the lines for Marc Antony or Titus Andronicus. But I think its super unfair…those of us with Sicilian/Italian heritage are left with Tony Soprano while the Brits get Caesar. Maybe it’s the Brits’ revenge for all those Roman invasions back in the day.
OK, so the advent of sophisticated software to help wanna-be writers (novels, scripts…) has a fatal flaw. By definition, there are going to be a limited number of plot artifices, characters, and built-in emotional crescendos. And the result is you sit and watch a movie, and you get an uneasy feeling you’ve seen it before. And you have. Or at least the rhyming cousin.
There are shortages of many things in this world. One is the clever mystery plot, especially courtroom thrillers. The one that leaves you open-mouthed and amazed when the big reveal is made at the end. Because that requires real talent, real creative control and imagination. Something new.
My final proof of the absence of writing talent? How many novels and movies have all those characters running about in confusion, somewhat moving toward a conclusion but getting stuck with 30 minutes or 40 pages to go. Invariably, the solution is to hand them all Smith and Wesson so they can blast each other to tie it up neatly. So, so lame.
“A note-taking feature that helps you organize and manage your ideas.”
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
