The Toolbox: Year One
They say every story has already been told. They say there are no new ideas under the sun. They say a lot of things in Hollywood, and most of it is nonsense. The truth is, every storyteller has a unique voice, a singular perspective shaped by their experiences, their passions, their triumphs and failures. This book is about finding that voice and learning to trust it, even when the blank page seems to mock you, and the rejection letters pile up like unpaid parking tickets.
I've been a professional writer for over three decades now, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that the journey never ends. You never "make it," you never have it all figured out. The moment you think you do, you're done. The best you can hope for is to keep growing, keep pushing yourself, keep chasing that next challenge. That's what this blog is about - the mindset, the tools, and the hard-won wisdom that have kept me in the game from the 8-bit era to the age of streaming.
When I started out, I was just a nerdy kid who loved movies, video games, and Dungeons & Dragons. I had no idea those obsessions would one day become the foundation of my career. My childhood was spent huddled around a flickering TV, mashing buttons on an Atari joystick, and rolling 20-sided dice with my friends. Little did I know, I was training for my future profession - learning the rhythms of visual storytelling, the mechanics of interactive narratives, and the world-building magic of speculative fiction.
Fast forward a few decades, and I've been lucky enough to write for some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment. From the intricate espionage of "Alias" to the mind-bending mysteries of "Lost," from the ordinary people with extraordinary abilities of NBC's "Heroes" to the antiheroes of "Hannibal" and "American Gods," I've had a front-row seat to the evolution of televisual storytelling. I've also been fortunate to be part of the video game industry's meteoric rise, crafting stories for blockbusters AAA titles and consulting on narrative design for "League of Legends" and "Valorant."
But this book isn't just a highlight reel of career accomplishments. It's a survival guide, a creative philosophy, a pep talk and a reality check all rolled into one. Because the truth is, for every success I've had, there have been a dozen failures. For every green light, a hundred red ones. The path of a storyteller is paved with rejection, doubt, and the constant, nagging fear that you're just not good enough.
That's where the Scribbler's Toolbox comes in. Over the years, I've developed a set of principles, practices, and mental hacks that have helped me stay the course, even when every fiber of my being was telling me to quit. These are the tools that have seen me through countless pitch meetings, development hell, and the special kind of purgatory known as "studio notes." They're the same tools that have allowed me to pivot from film to television to video games and back again, always chasing the next frontier of storytelling.
So whether you're a wide-eyed neophyte just starting to explore your creative voice or a hardened veteran looking for a fresh perspective, welcome to the Scribbler's Toolbox. Buckle up, embrace the chaos, and remember - if it were easy, everyone would do it. But for those of us crazy enough to chase this dream, there's nothing else in the world that compares.
Jesse Alexander
Los Angeles, 2024
I collected all the blog posts so far. Check it out on Amazon — The Scribblers Toolbox: Year One: — Insights and Inspiration from a Screenwriter's Journey in TV, Film, and Video Games
