Roger Ebert once called movies “empathy machines” because they let us walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. So before we throw in the towel and accept a future of apathetic scrolling, let’s dig into why empathy is on life support and how we scribblers can bring it back from the brink.

Like many artists and storytellers, I’ve often felt a deep connection to artifacts. It’s like they held some creative energy I could tap into when needed. But lately, I’ve been questioning whether they’re serving me or silently weighing me down.

As a scribbler often working in science fiction and genre entertainment, sometimes I hear writers shrug off the value of their work as just stories. A bit of escapism. Nothing serious. Kind of like the protagonist in Preston Sturgis’ classic “Sullivan’s Travels.” But history tells a different story. Fiction doesn’t just entertain. It builds blueprints for reality.

False flag operations - those carefully crafted deceptions that blur the lines between reality and fiction. As a scribbler immersed in espionage thrillers, I can't help but see the familiar beats of storytelling woven through these real-life covert acts.

Luck gets a ton of credit in the scribbling racket, but it's way less random than people think. Most folks who "get lucky" are already out there grinding. They're in the trenches, honing their craft, building their network, watching how the game is played.

You know what's weird? No matter how many TV shows, movies, and video games I've scribbled, I keep getting pulled back to the same damn story.

For years, I’ve been following the video game development game for tips and tricks I can apply to my screen scribbling. Recently, I saw a pipeline for game design and thought I’d take a crack at re-skinning it for the screen trade.

Screenwriting is often a collaborative commercial art. What if you could build your own virtual room of “specialist scribblers”? They could punch up your dialogue, tighten your structure, or finesse your action scenes without ego or creative fatigue.

I've spent countless hours in scribbling rooms, from network shows to streaming series, and even video games. There's something magical about how different creative minds come together to build stories. Now, imagine having that creative support system available 24/7, powered by AI.

Filmmaking can feel like juggling ten jobs simultaneously, especially if you’re working solo. You’re the director, the scribbler, editor, sound designer, and sometimes even the one crafting storyboards at midnight. But what if you didn’t have to wear all those hats alone?

You know what's wild about being here in 2024? I'm deep into playing with AI, really getting how it works, while most folks are still trying to figure out if it's Skynet or snake oil. Reminds me of when I first got into games and tech back in the day - that same gap between the folks making stuff happen and everyone else standing on the sidelines.

Let me geek out about what I call "Rolling Reveals" - it's that engaging story engine where each moment feeds into the next, building momentum like a snowball tumbling downhill.

After spending decades writing everything from video game scripts to TV shows, I've learned that sound might be the most overlooked weapon in a writer's arsenal.

I had a ChatGPT convo regarding public speaking best practices, sales psychology, the science of cognitive load, and job interview strategery. The LLM used our observations to design a structured methodology for pitching that is compelling, persuasive, and memorable.

My ADHD brain sees writing like Cooper in Interstellar's tesseract - infinite threads of narrative possibility surrounding me, every moment and choice visible at once. But after decades of adapting my style for different showrunners and mediums, I lost sight of my own timeline, my own voice.

Engaging in hobbies isn’t just a fun distraction; research shows it actively improves mental health.

When I worked on serialized TV shows like Alias, Lost, Heroes, and Hannibal, we often started with significant storytelling tentpoles. Still, much of the richness emerged organically through collaboration and discovery. Storytelling, especially in television, isn't solitary. It evolves from the collective creativity of writers, directors, actors, and the audience.

Something shifts when you turn your passion into a paycheck.

Let me walk you through what a modern story universe could look like when you combine AI tools with a passionate fan creator.

What if we could create story universes where fans and indie creators don't just consume content - they help build it? Not in some Wild West free-for-all, but in a structured space where AI tools help maintain quality and consistency.