Stardust Machine

As a writer, I see everything I watch and read as both entertainment and education. I can learn how to be a better storyteller by experiencing good stories, and I can learn how to avoid being a bad storytelling by experiencing truly awful stories. Thankfully, the Avengers was a great story. Here are a few things I learned about storytelling from the always-brilliant Joss Whedon:

- Introduce the climactic “stage” in act one. While I kind of knew it’s a good idea to set up the ending in the beginning, it really impacted me in the Avengers with Stark Tower.

- A team or group of people can have an arc just like a single character can. It takes more skill to pull it off, and it’s rather limited, but it can be done well.

- Villains don’t always have to be in control or one step ahead or smarter and stronger than the protagonist(s) to be good villains. It’s fantastic storytelling when the villain is also the comic relief, the hero’s punching bag, and a captive while still posing as a real threat. Also, this will make the audience love him.

- It’s possible to write a story with multiple characters where every last one of them is well-liked. If you take the time to set up each of their roles in an interesting way and give them all motivation, backstory, good interactions, and witty dialogue, they will be impossible to dislike or forget—even if their role is small. Moral of the story: all side characters can rock. If you’re going to create them, take the time to do them justice.

Thank you, Joss Whedon. We should all strive to be master storytellers like you.