Six research-backed traits that separate the scribblers who command the room from those who fade into the furniture.

How to Steal Like an Artist (and Actually Make Something Cool)

Growing up obsessed with science fiction and fantasy, I learned: stories don't just entertain us - they literally rewire how we see the world. Narrative entertainment can build walls between people or build bridges to connect them.

One of my sons attends Renaissance Faires dressed in metal armor and fights others with blunted swords and shields. Another son is obsessed with turning his college dorm room into a Tiki Bar. What’s up with the recent hunger for immersive IRL experiences?

We've trained audiences to expect simple villains and violent solutions because that's what gets hearts racing and tickets sold. But if we're entering an era where people desperately need positive outlets, maybe it's time to rethink how we create compelling conflict.

Tom Sachs doesn't believe in scribbler’s block. His advice? "If at first you don't succeed, give up immediately."

We scribblers know our words have power. But we don’t always stop to ask who’s reading or watching our stuff, and what crazy shizz our stories might inspire audiences to attempt.

AI is the ultimate research assistant who never sleeps and has read everything. Like having a super-powered intern who can crunch patterns faster than my ADHD brain on its most caffeinated day. But it can't feel the weight of a character's choices or know when to break the rules for emotional impact. That's still our gig. For now.

Can you direct movies by describing feelings to very smart robots?

You're a screen scribbler staring down something new. Something tempting. The blank page of short fiction.

While everyone's freaking out about AI taking over creative jobs, Gen Z is doing the exact opposite of what you'd expect — they're flooding into art schools like their lives depend on it. Maybe they aren’t running away from the age of SkyNet, but chasing what machines can't touch — that messy, unpredictable, deeply human act of making weird stuff with our hands.

If you haven't yet considered Gen X as a key audience for your genre story, it's time to open that toolbox.

It's not about streaming. Cost is the single biggest reason theatrical attendance keeps sliding into the trim bin.

Screen scribbling isn't solely about clever dialogue or dramatic monologues. It's about the space between words. The silences, cuts, and gaps where the audience leans in, adding imagination.

How Anthony Potero Uses 50-Year-Old Psychology to Build Obsessed Audiences (And What Every Scribbler Can Steal)

Reframing creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Warren Spector, creator of the original Deus Ex has talked about how his team decide what elements to protect during development. They use a tiered priority system - a quality bar - that helps them make tough calls when time and money get tight.

“I used Google LM to generate an audio podcast to help me grok some insights from an LLM-generated deep dive into the current state of transmedia storytelling.” JA

A Scribbler’s Survival Guide to Avoiding LLM-Induced Cognitive Decline and Pre-Dystopia Depression

I'm deep into Joe Abercrombie's new book, The Devils, and it's reminding me why I fell in love with his writing in the first place. His characters are always razor-sharp, damaged, stubborn, and impossible to forget.