Alex Katsnelson

TV writer. Sleepless dad. Back To The Future enthusiast. Executive Producer of #JoeVsCarole, formerly on #EvelKnievel, #Wildcards, #Lucifer, #Chuck and others…

[Melinda Hsu Taylor @mhsutaylor]

Thanks @moryan @ATXFestival for inspiring me to host Lead With Kindness, launching Nov 8. Ten 30-min eps about changing Hollywood via: kindness that creates impactful leadership, inclusive environments & elevated results. Apple, Spotify, IG @leadwkindness https://t.co/DVf3n5eAjl

[Daniel Goldman @danielsgoldman]

Powerful. A must watch.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@AiyanaEWhite Don’t forget the lunch reminder.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

Barry Diller Says Studios Should Split From Netflix and Amazon by Cutting Their Own Deals With Guilds https://t.co/is5tGKaSYd via @thr

[Deadline @DEADLINE]

(WATCH) Tony Gilroy speaks to demonstrators today at the NYC screenwriters picket #WritersStrike

[Nathan Baugh @nathanbaugh27]

In 4 minutes, Kurt Vonnegut explained stories better than anyone I’ve ever heard.

“The shape of the curve is what matters. Not their origins.”

He plots stories on 2 axes:

X: Time
Y: Good fortune / ill fortune

He goes on to say,

“Somebody gets into trouble, then gets out of it again. People love that story. They never get tired of it.”

Point 1:

Stories have defined patterns.

In Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces, he makes the case for the Hero’s Journey.

Since then, it’s become the most famous storytelling structure in the world.

Vonnegut argued stories could be divided into 8 shapes.

Each story, he said, fit one of the 8.

Point 2:

Vonnegut says,

“Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — so the reader may see what they're made of.”

To see who your characters really are, you have to make them suffer.

Only then does your audience have someone worth cheering for.

Point 3:

End on a high note.

Vonnegut says, “It’s not accidental that the line ends up higher than where it began. This is encouraging to readers.”

The way a story makes people feel when they finish is how they remember it.

It’s called recency bias.

Lift people up and they will love you.

***

“There are people. There are stories. The people think they shape the stories, but the reverse is often closer to the truth.”

I wrote this with @RobbieCrab. Follow him for lessons on storytelling + fundraising.

And I talk about creative storytelling. Follow @nathanbaugh27 for more like that.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@NogaLandau Brody is the best!!!!

[Melissa Blake @mblakewriter]

Great shout-out tonight to the @WGAWest Writers of @Jeopardy while they and we are on strike. CLUE: Jeopardy Champion Sam Buttrey. ANSWER: What is a man who recognizes and respects the people this hit show wouldn't be here without? - THAT IS CORRECT! #WGAStrong #WGAStrike

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@DavidHSteinberg Busted! :)

[patrick. @imPatrickT]

this clip of @RealGDT should be on the home page of every social media app.

[QENNY | THE SPOOKY LAWYER ON YOUTUBE @AKBrews]

Ghost costume 😂

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@jrorci I like your glasses.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@jrorci @JennyNeutron4 Perfection.

[Emma Straub @emmastraub]

Ok this is going to be long and rambling but here goes. My father, Peter Straub, died on Sunday night. He was the fucking best, and here's why, with photos:

[Billy Ray @BillyRay5229]

All scripts, at the start, feel like this.

Just get in there and start WORKING it, until it starts to make sense.

Forget all the myths about screenwriting. And don’t crush yourself for not being a good enough artist. 95% of the job is just problem-solving.

You can do that.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@BrianTrichon Huge congrats!!!🎉🎈🍾

[Lacquerware @lacquerleaks]

Dogshit - Very poor quality
Bullshit - Not true
Horseshit - Nonsense
Apeshit - Rambunctious
Batshit - Insane

This is an excellent feature of English that we should continue building upon.

[Alex Katsnelson @Alexkatsnelson]

@AiyanaEWhite I love that you track time in scripts… :)