i’ve always been a good writer and really enjoyed writing. i didn’t write for years and years but got interested in it again when i first started making video games back in 2021. i really wanted to make choose-your-own-adventure games but was having a hard time finding classes on narrative writing for video games. i had what seemed like a silly idea, being that video games were sort of like long movies, or at least they could be when done well.

i started looking into screenwriting classes and found one of peter russell’s seminars through the writer’s store. the way he broke down the art of screenwriting in a prescriptive way that was more qualitative than the three acts, or save the cat, really spoke to me. good news / bad news (or maybe weed and speed) is pretty much my favorite screenwriting technique of all time, and i love pointing it out internally whenever i’m watching film or tv. good news / bad news is basically just the technique of getting your viewers or readers high on good news then punching them in the gut with bad news, like an emotional cliffhanger (or hangover), where they now have to keep watching because they need you to cure their state of discontent. learning screenwriting made me a lot more mindful about the media i consume, and also more appreciative about all of the work that goes into production.

by now i’ve almost taken every single one of his classes from his website, which is managed by his partner suzy, as peter passed away several years ago. i found out that peter passed away after i’d already taken several of his classes and i actually cried, because he’s such a great instructor with an interesting point of view.

one day, when static hill is a streaming series, i’ll be calling suzy for script coverage.