How to NOT Preach to Audiences (Writing Advice) 

I think Yellowstone is an exemplary example of weak theme, because the Dutton family frequently steamrolls over every other character when they try to introduce a perspective that challenges their beliefs.

Yes, please. That would be very helpful to many of us. I personally am eager to better understand the differences between theme, genre/motif/trope, and atmosphere - how they differ and how they overlap for more cohesive, immersive storytelling.

Yes absolutely! If you can are you planning on releasing a video on bad examples of how not to incorporate theme?

Definitely a tricky and abstract concept, but you handle it well. I sometimes recall a definition of theme as 'what the story can be said to be ABOUT in the abstract' -- revenge, honor, infidelity, ambition, courage, risk-taking, etc. It's not the plot of the story -- it's the abstractions the movie seems to wrestle with or investigate.

I'm actually really struggling with what my theme is, I think it is somewhere between forgiveness and closure and the link between the two. I wanted my book to be about the contrast of hopelessness and hope but it seems I took my story a bit more personal. I would have to say my fave film for theme is The Last Samurai for the way it questions the aspects of change and while Avatar has the same theme it just seems done in a much less sophisticated way I think. Appreciated video

Even worse when the narrator does it

@@ConserpovWould it count if the narrator addresses the audience early on because the story is told in paste tense as if the narrator is telling us what they experienced? I had a sentence like this, but some readers pointed that out which surprised me.

Yeah, Deadpool always known for being preachy.

@@Conserpov with one exception: Rod Serling.

True. Like, I don't mind if characters are catching each other up on events we already know. But, if they're calling each other by their names and jobs, it's too obvious.

I believe it! Although it helps to lean in on one or two to really give your story that laser focus But it isn't actually 100% necessary for every genre. I am a theme lover, but I also love sometimes deviating

I 100% agree. Found family is a theme I’ve found myself unintentionally applying to my stories.

I do like how found family has been a thing that's been in more media that Iv noticed. Whether it's in a video game like Red Dead Redemption II and more recently Godzilla Minus One

I still need to watch Godzilla Minus One

Question: if a theme emerges, is that indicative of the writer's underlying worldview/philosophy?

That is an amazing example. 100% true.

Princess Mononoke's is about how man and nature coexist, not simply conservation. So I don't find it to be a counter-argument to the theme.

You mentioned Princess Mononoke and its subtext and I am now ready to die for you in battle.

I am often hesitant to call a movie a masterpiece or damn near perfect but Jurassic Park is that. Not just the dinner scene everything leading up the point in which they go through the gates sets up the theme and stakes. It sets up parental nurturing and the playing god with both sides getting an opportunity to issue their point; then the second the group goes through the gates we the viewer are being taken on a ride to see which position is proven to be true through action. Is playing God a bad idea? Does Grant truly hate children?

@@edwardweaver6869 I say the same thing about --- believe it or not --- "Tremors". I consider that to be one of the most well-crafted action movies of all time. It's a case study on how to make literally every shot, every line of dialogue count: you couldn't find a single second of its run time to shave off.

And another great point is that it does this without diminishing the strong characters either, which is very admirable. A bad writer makes their strong characters weak to make their weak characters strong, but LotR didn't need to do that. It wasn't afraid to make the Hobbits weak, helpless, and scared, so when they do find their strength and courage they earn every last drop of it. A bad writer makes their 'strong' characters overpowered, but when you do that they lose their strength because they have no challenges to overcome. LotR didn't hand over victory on a silver platter, they had to sacrifice everything for it.

@@le_fancy_squid Good point

I completely agree, though I'd like to add that another very prominent theme I love in the Legendarium is that, time and time again, evil is a foil to itself. Saruman betrays his friends to join with Sauron, while also plotting to surpass him, and in doing so, he ends up not only ruining Sauron's plans, but losing all of his status and power, causing him to attempt to ruin the Shire just to spite Gandalf and the Hobbits, and is ultimately backstabbed by Grima, who had been the victim of his abuse for months. Sauron's own pride and arrogance is what allows Frodo and Sam to sneak up to Mount Doom, and ultimately, the Ring destroys itself, with its own corrupting influence on Gollum being what causes it to fall into Mount Doom. There are many other smaller examples of this, such as Gorbag's greed causing a fight that allows Sam to sneak into the tower and rescue Frodo. This isn't to show that evil is incompetent or harmless, or that the heroes' actions are pointless, but rather why good triumphs over evil. While good succeeds when it is united, evil will never succeed because it is never fully united.

@@HaythamKenway383 If only good always triumphed over evil in real life.

Ya we had badasscharacters of all sizes in lotr

This is such a great comment

I read that the movies changed a good bit about the characters from the book. Granted it still turned out great. Hammond wasn't a good person. Malcolm died pretty sure. The hunter guy lived and the lawyer was very heroic.

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@gabrielcarrasco9078the book ending was darker too.

@@gabrielcarrasco9078 I read the book a long time ago and can definitely say this is one of those rare cases when the movie does everything better.

They changed some characters for sure. The lawyer in the book was heroic for instance. There are also more characters. This is a great example of how to get an adaptation right. They changed some details and events but kept the theme clear. So if you read the book and watch the movie they are both great. Many adaptations these days lose the theme and it comes off with that “it doesn’t feel right” vibe.

Hahah thanks! Glad you're enjoying my videos

Yeah the best writing advice channel on here. One of only a couple of channels where advice is specific enough to actually be useful.

I thought Godzilla Minus One is the same allegory as the original 1954 Gojira. Not only it talks about the horrors of nuclear holocaust, but it talks about responsibility and sacrifice.

Forgiveness and putting others first. Major to Godzilla Minus One

Uh yeah. Like badly.

But these writers are doing it for a cause, that if they're "crucified" they think they are martyred.. then there's the smugness with the thought that this is the new normal, and we should get used to it.

@@GenJuhru What a load of nonsense.

Most of the examples given in the video are Hollywood movies. Pay attention.

@@davidhoward4715 Yeah from decades ago, pay attention.

Reminds me of breaking bad. Shows how Walt’s life gets ruined but doesn’t have a moment where Hank turns to the audience and says “hey kids, don’t do drugs”

@@adanalyst6925 or scarface. Tony Montana destroys everything around him, but they never say being a criminal is bad.

I've also seen lots of horribly botched redemption stories, especially from writers with religious background, like Evangelical or Mormon. It usually involves lots of weeping.

@@Conserpov My personal gripe with forgiveness is when someone who by absolutely no means earned forgiveness still gets forgiven - usually by the protagonist(s) - and then as the cherry on top the vile character proceeds to do even more terrible things.

Great example is Beelzemon in Digimon Tamers. Just look up his Fist of the Beast King scene and even without full context you can feel the genuine wish to redeem himself for everything he did before.

@@katier9725 It is even worse when the whole "terrible things" part is forced, unbelievable and out of character.

Glad to hear the videos are helping! Keep writing and you'll master storytelling over time. Don't worry about getting things perfect right now. Just write and write.

Good luck with your writing!

I was 14 when I started trying to write a book for real. I promise mine were worse than yours. But I kept at it and got my first book published at 30! You can probably do it sooner. The key is to keep learning always and never give up.

Get to reading more! In order to write centimeters you have to read kilometers!

I watched Coco recently with my family, really good movie.

Love that movie.

​@waverlyking6045 While I love Begins as the best of the Nolan Trilogy, I do like how Pattinson's version changes when he sees what could happen to him if he stayed the course of vengeance (ala Riddler and his gang of supporters). It's a lot less preachy than Begins and in the end, Pattinson's Batman isn't a hypocrite like Bale's (letting Ra`s die rather than saving him)

mine too Zuko is one of my favorite characters of all time. Also Thanos (Jim Starlin only). I like Endeavor from My Hero Academia as well.

Well said. The problem is, if you're a writer who gets his 'truths' from ideology rather than reality, you'll still fail even if you're sincere. (By ideology, I mean any system of thought that falsifies reality for political purposes.)

Empathy is a weak theme on it's own, seems like your story is preaching that empathy good, apathy bad. You need to explore how lack of empathy negatively impacts the individual as well as their community but also need to explore how wallowing in empathy makes you easily exploitable, it can cloud judgment, and can create a weak social structure that collapses on itself. Focus your story on how lack of empathy but also abundance of empathy can be issues and how a good balance in the middle and how personal accountability is important. You should also explore how apathy is self destructive long term but also a useful tool for short term survival.

@@Eagle3302PL true that

Great observation. Also applies to Marty's father who tries to prove his worth to win the love of his mother. And also to the professor who doesn't care about his eccentricities, and achieves great things by focusing on his science.

@@gamer_grl9050 I wish I had Doc Brown’s resilience 🤣

@@billyfarmerii1669 thanks for reminding me of his name! I was too lazy to Google. Doc was the most authentic character, especially in part 3 when despite all consequences he forgoes his own safety to save the teacher woman. He just plows through and finds a way. We could all learn from him. Goes to show what you can achieve if you do the right thing instead of setting you values against what others think 🤔

@@gamer_grl9050 💯💯💯

I thought the Falcon show handled it okay at a few points but was mostly bad. The part where he literally preached to the senator at the end is a prime example of preaching to audiences

Good vs evil is always an interesting theme to work with.

Was gonna say a theme from a story I was working on, but in favorite stories, I’d say the theme of perspective

Relationship between Man and Nature.

Hope in despair

Nightmare Before Christmas has a few: -It's fine to learn about a new culture, but don't put it into practice without understanding it. -Trying something new can be a way to get yourself out of a creative rut. It's also okay to fail at the new thing and go back to what you're good at. -Respect, and how it can have a long-reaching impact. This is one most people might miss, but this theme is actually explored with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They're devious little monsters always looking for a trick, but look at how they interact with/talk about Jack and Oogie. With Jack, they play up their innocence and plan to double-cross him from the beginning, but Jack talks to them like adults and trusts their professional capabilities, despite them being children. Even when he gets angry with them, he's firm, but still kind. He gets clarification on their mistakes, tells them how to fix it, and when they fight, he breaks it up peacefully. Jack NEVER raises his voice or threatens violence with them. The closest he gets is (literally) scaring them straight in that one scene. Now look at their interactions with Oogie. While they don't directly interact with him in the film, they do discuss their relationship during their song. "Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around. If I were on his Oogie list, I'd get out of town." Also, this: "We might lose some pieces, and then Jack will beat us black and green!" Does Jack seem like the type to do this? No. So where did they get *that* idea...? Yeah. A fun song about kidnapping Sandy Claws, while already dark and crossing lines, has some even darker implications when you look at it a bit more closely. Lock, Shock, and Barrel work for Oogie *out of fear* (and this was a lot more clear in the original script, where there's a scene where they taunt Santa, hear Oogie coming, and GTFO before he sees them). A deleted animated scene in the movie also shows Jack scaring them off before he saves Sally and Santa, which shows how they knew he was still alive. What do they do? They don't help or even try to warn Oogie that Jack's still alive. They go get the Mayor. Now, some people might say that Lock, Shock, and Barrel are out for themselves, and they're right. In other extended NMBC media, they'll go to whichever side is more fun to them (and other media also makes it more clear how much they fear Oogie, like the Pumpkin King prequel game). But what makes them fit the respect theme is they have *true* respect for Jack, and *fearful* respect for Oogie. Lock, Shock, and Barrel might oppose Jack half the time, but they will also help him when he needs it. Getting the Mayor was their way of repaying the respect Jack showed them prior. So yeah. When the most rotten brats in town know you're a safe person to be around, and respect you enough to offer their aid, that says a LOT.

Haven’t seen Secret Life, but I’ll add it to my list. Thanks and Happy New Year!

Yep, her books are excellent. Creating Character Arcs was a lifesaver for me

Hi I'm not an expert nor am I the youtuber ofc, but I suggest that you look at the plot events so far and look for patterns. Look for patterns as well as character development, and what the characters are grappling with to make them change. See if you can find several examples of the same ideas about life appearing in multiple scenes, and hone in on those Make a list of theme ideas and keep chipping it down until you find one or two you really like and use that as a roadmap to give you ideas on what kind of scenes you may want to continue with. Just a suggestion, take my words with a grain of salt but hope it helps

Thanks for taking the time to help. I really appreciate it 💙

You don't need to set a theme from the beginning and stick to it. I randomly drop down a scenes I like, some link up and became a story, and from the story I find my theme.

@@tomarnold7284wait, are you saying that you brainstorm scenes and choose from those? Or do you just roll with the flow and write to your hearts content?

My thought would be: abandon the fanfic. Sorry. I know you've put a lot of work into it, but the basic structure isn't there, and you probably can't fix that retroactively. Which doesn't mean you can't use much of the material you've already developed in a new project; you just need to build it differently. First establish a skeleton: the protagonist's flaw(s), where the story needs to go, all the basic structure stuff. Once you've got the skeleton well-established, that's when you can attach muscles and organs and skin -- which sounds like the material you've already developed. I am a nobody when it comes to writing, so if I'm wrong, I'm wrong and you should ignore me.

Thanks! Happy New Year

Thank you! And yes, it’s important to show both sides. That helps with both theme and conflict

Hmm. But if one thinks there are only two arguments for... anything complicated, really, then I can't imagine one could do any of it justice.

​ @DreamersOfReality definitely. The idea of theme as an argument (versus a statement) is the critical insight for me. Saying "both sides" was more about showing the complexity of a given issue, not a literal limit on that complexity. You're absolutely right, as Brandon says in the video around the 7:45 mark, that theme is intricate and personal, and good writing explores that. Thanks.

Seems writers don't know how to write anymore. I'm holding out hope for a renaissance in the future.

Can you give some examples of what you mean?

​@messinalyle4030 no they cannot

all of marvel after endgame

@@messinalyle4030 Barbie's second half, and a lot of The Last Jedi where it feels like entire subplots are just there for anti-capitalist or listen to women messages.

Awesome, best of luck with it!

I've come so close to buying Eternal Sonata on many occasions but never actually pulled the trigger. This reminds me of another preachy JRPG from that era called Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. That game repeated the phrase "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality" over and over and over. It didn't ruin the story (the story was a letdown to begin with) but it certainly didn't help.

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I still highly recommend playing Eternal Sonata. The end credits notwithstanding, the story is fantastic and the characters are wonderful. And the orchestral soundtrack...my goodness, one of the best in video game history. Plus, they intersperse Frederic Chopin's actual compositions before every chapter of the game. Can't go wrong there.

Thanks for the kind words! I actually played Trails in the Sky 1 years ago and remember enjoying Estelle’s character development. Normally I prefer darker protagonists in JRPGs (Squall, Velvet Crowe, etc.) but Estelle was refreshing. Have you played Yakuza Like a Dragon? That’s another JRPG with a likable/charismatic protagonist who starts off as naive and grows from there. And have a great New Year!

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Velvet Crowe is indeed a superb character and Tales of Berseria is, mainly because of her, my favorite modern Tales of. As per Yakuza like a Dragon, I've got the game on steam, I still have to make some time to launch it. I've been busy this early fall with BG3 and this early winter with Disco Elysium. I fell in love with how good the writing of Disco Elysium is. Even its info dump moments are enjoyable. On another note I did try the NaNoWriMo but didn't go further than 25k words. Still I think I got some good story elements. We'll see if it leads to something down the road. Thanks for your wishes. All the best for you !

Hahah thanks for listening

That's a pretty broad question, but... Make sure you understand your characters' goals. Figure out WHY they're engaged in a conversation. What does each character want? Then ask yourself how each character will try to get what they want (demanding info, hiding info, etc.) Also remember that people rarely say what is on their mind. Instead they talk around a subject.

Agreed, love that movie. Only thing I didn’t like is that he ends up getting the girl anyway. I thought it was brilliant when he gets to her and realises he never even asked if she wanted to see him, he was just imagining that their relationship would be the same after so long, which it wasn’t. This was a great, real twist that you don’t really see in many stories, but then it cops out in the end and cheapens it

Watch Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives, or like actually watch movies and not just complain about them

Yeah, that can be tough. Did your characters learn the lesson in the first story? If so, you might want to shoot for a new theme. Alternatively, you can have the characters TEACH the lesson to others in the sequel

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Omg hi 👋🏻 I love your videos!! But yeah they did. Nevaeh, the main character in my story, she learned the lesson. She found inner peace with herself and learned to live life to the fullest by not letting life go by and to stop dwelling on the past. I know she has came a long way and I want to continue her arc. She’s still human and has other flaws. But I still don’t know what route to go on with her arc 😭 The last thing I’m gonna do is regress her growth because that will undo the point of the first story. But I do know she still has lot to learn. At the end of the first story, she finally accepted the way things were and started to live her life around her.

Her books are excellent