This is K.M. Wyland, and you're listening to the 61st episode of the Word Play Podcast. I finally got to watch

Director Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece, the psychological speculative

thriller Inception. It's a masterful bit of storytelling, solid at every juncture, and enough brain food to keep

me chewing for weeks.

But the most important thing I gleaned from the movie was the timely reminder to begin a story at the last possible moment.

I've been struggling with the feeling that something is just not quite right in my work in progress the deepest breath.

And as I sat in the dark theater watching the movie unfold, it struck me that I had begun deepest in the wrong place.

In fact, ten years too early.

When I got home I ripped out my 30 pages of progress and started Chapter 1 all over again,

this time much deeper into my character's lives.

And you know what?

It worked.

My character's voices are suddenly much sharper.

Their past is much more mysterious, and their future is much more uncertain.

My supreme thanks to Mr. Nolan for his reminder.

Avoid lengthy antagonist narratives.

The latest post in the video series on my blog explains how to use your antagonist scenes to

maximum effect by keeping your

protagonist front and center. You can watch the video on my blog at

wordplay dash k-m-Yland that's W-E-I-L-N-D dot blog spot

dot com.

New videos are posted every Wednesday.

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