THE SCRIBBLERS TOOLBOX

“A collection of tips, tools, observations, and ephemera for like-minded scribblers. Peruse, share, or disregard at your leisure.” Jesse Alexander

Scribbler vs. Fitness
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Scribbler vs. Fitness

Let's turn the key and get our creative engines running smoothly with scribbler-appropriate fitness and nutrition.

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Bring the pain!
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Bring the pain!

One of the most effective ways to humanize a protagonist, especially one highly skilled or nearly superhuman, is to show them struggling and in pain.

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Scribble & Flow
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Scribble & Flow

You're scribbling in the zone where your skills and the challenge of writing are in harmony. You’re so wrapped up in your writing that everything else fades away. Welcome to the flow state.

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Action w/o Irony!
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Action w/o Irony!

The time has come for Western action movies to evolve! It’s time for us to HALO jump into a new dawn that will marry spectacle with humanity and unify artistry with authenticity!

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Generation Filmmaker
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Generation Filmmaker

Let’s wander the winding path from Super 8 to smartphone, acknowledging how generations of filmmakers launched their careers with the tools of their moment.

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Creative Differences
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Creative Differences

Hollywood's tumultuous world of creative differences is a topic as old as the La Brea tar pits.

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HAL is my copilot.
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

HAL is my copilot.

As if writing wasn’t an insanely competitive profession without steady paychecks or career longevity, AI's joined the game. So, when the music stops, it just might be a GPT who steals your chair.

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Beginner’s Brain
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Beginner’s Brain

Have you ever felt that rush of excitement when you find yourself in an unfamiliar place? That vibe is called the "Beginner's Brain" – a state where everything feels new and your creative instincts get a boost.

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Dressing The Part
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Dressing The Part

Clothing is more than fabric—it's a catalyst for creativity and a statement of personal and artistic identity.

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The Complexity Curse strikes again!
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

The Complexity Curse strikes again!

Complexity theory, which studies how components within systems interact to create the whole, can offer relevant insights for scribblers in need of managing unwieldy narratives.

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Project Planning
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Project Planning

When planning a creative project, such as writing a screenplay, book, developing a game, or starting a business, first principles thinking can help ensure the viability of your endeavor.

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Is toxic fandom inevitable?
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Is toxic fandom inevitable?

Fandom is not inevitably toxic. But handling feedback, both positive and negative, from a large and vocal online fanbase is a nuanced challenge.

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I am Nerd! Creator of worlds!
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

I am Nerd! Creator of worlds!

Whether you’re crafting a new show, game, or movie, the more thought you can apply to the consistency of your make-believe world, the better.

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Opposing Emotions
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Opposing Emotions

Love versus hate, fear versus courage, and truth versus deceit are some of the emotional dichotomies scribblers use to craft compelling stories.

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The Scribbler’s Snowflake
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

The Scribbler’s Snowflake

The Snowflake Method, developed by novelist and screenwriter Randy Ingermanson, offers a structured yet creative approach to streamline your process, from crafting a compelling one-sentence summary to expanding your story into a multi-page synopsis.

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Scribbling Age
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Scribbling Age

Change is inevitable. Consider your writing goals, deadlines, and lifestyle constraints when designing your ideal writing routine. Flexibility and adaptability are keys to successful writing at all stages of life.

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Robert Mckee, screen story OG!
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Robert Mckee, screen story OG!

Back in the day, any aspiring screenwriter looking to craft work that would captivate audiences and sell for millions of dollars on the spec market needed to hear what Robert Mckee had to say about storytelling.

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Two if by pen, one if by key.
Jesse Alexander Jesse Alexander

Two if by pen, one if by key.

The debate of longhand versus the keyboard is more than a choice between ink and digital; each method shapes our scribbling.

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