The Hero's Dilemma: Drama at the Heart of Your Story

'The Hero's Dilemma' by Jeff Kitchen is a remarkable resource for anyone looking to hone their storytelling skills. This book masterfully breaks down the process of conceptualizing and constructing a narrative from scratch, offering invaluable insights into how to dramatize and develop a story as you go.Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, 'The Hero's Dilemma' is a must-read. It's packed with practical advice and thought-provoking concepts that will elevate your writing to new heights. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about mastering the art of storytelling.

The Hero's Dilemma will transform your writing from mundane to mesmerizing.Jeff distills your story to the hero's core dilemma: two compelling choices at every turn, creating a constant push and pull—the heart of any great story.Most screenplays drag along, bloated with exposition. Jeff shows you how to keep your audience spellbound, needing to know what happens next.Readers will no longer send back notes about unclear story details and lackluster scenes. Instead, they’ll be captivated, flipping each page eagerly. A friend recently gave me script notes, starting with, "Was so caught up in this I didn't pick up my phone for over ninety minutes!" An awesome compliment.Jeff's work builds on the foundation laid by early 1900s playwright William Thompson Price, a pioneer of playwriting education. Impressively, twenty-four of Price’s twenty-eight students penned Broadway hits.Learning and applying the tools in this book will always be time well spent. As a professional TV writer, I can confidently say that Jeff's book is a storyteller’s best friend. The Hero's Dilemma improved my writing more than four years of film school ever did. Over the past thirty years, I've devoured every screenplay book out there. The Hero's Dilemma is the best one.

Like other aspiring screenwriters I know, I've read most of the scriptwriting books out there. This one is different, it focuses on closing that "knowing-doing" gap that most people struggle with in a very simple way. It's as if the reader has been invited to pull up a chair alongside Jeff Kitchen's desk and watch him work. It's pretty amazing.As a former corporate training consultant, I am aware of "the knowing-doing" gap where the knowledge exists, but the organization or individual struggles to translate that knowledge into actions that produce desired results. This book made me think of that concept immediately as I was reading. Kitchen bridges that gap by doing the "doing" right in front of us. We get to see exactly how he does it and hear how he thinks. He carefully explains each decision so the reader is learning the tool and his process.We watch on as he wrestles to dramatize a simple story idea where his protagonist Mercer is "damned if he does" and "damned if he doesn't" by using the tool Dilemma. To use Jeff's own words he literally shows the reader an "... unvarnished record of this story's growth." That is exactly what he does as we wait alongside his desk to watch as he wrestles with his thoughts, his questions, and how he deals with elements that inevitably pop up in story creation. We watch on as he struggles, as writers do, to create compelling drama that will keep the reader, or the audience, on the edge of their seats.All aspiring writers, and screenwriters, should read this book and allow the author to coach you to success in understanding the value of Dilemma, and how to utilize it in your writing, or maybe I will just delete this to narrow my competition! All kidding aside this has been a valuable read, that I will certainly read more than once.

Jeff Kitchen's newest book is a powerful in-depth look at the enormous potential of Dilemma and how it can elevate your craft of storytelling. Jeff's guidance and instruction is clear and inspiring because he opens you up to seeing story construction as a deliberate and thoughtful act versus a haphazard or even rigid traditional approach. Using practical examples, he shows how this is accomplished and further guides you with a complement of additional tools that display how a fully distilled yet rich Dilemma lays a solid foundation for your entire story. Moreover, with this detailed process of construction, Dilemma allows the writer to have clear focus on connecting elements to the story that serve it best and more quickly remove those that do not. This book is a most excellent purchase and provides high value proposition for the professional dramatist!

The only dilemma screenwriters have about this book is whether to buy the hardcopy or the Kindle version. It guides you through the process of developing your story from the perspective of the hero. For me, this gave me a greater awareness of the strength of my story. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Tell a story with Authentic Character with Unique Personalities.mixes this with an Emotional Compelling Story told though Dramatic Action.Jeff Kitchens book "The Hero's Dilemma:" gives you all the Quality Benchmarks Standards on all the Critical Story Components, so you can see all the Story Alternatives that are Available to you.This takes the Anxiety away from Story Creation so you can make Intelligent Choices.How do I know all this? I was a student of Jeff Kitchen's when he was writing this book.I also recommend Jeff's other book " Writing a Great Movie."His Student's Nomination for Academy Awards and Emmys speak for themselves.

This book brings amazing insight into the hero’s internal drive through the lens of Dilemma. While this is more of a cinematic concept, as a novelist it is truly a game changer that has significantly enriched my writing.

A strong dilemma is Titanium armature for my story. It is a secret writing tool used as far back as Aristophanes. For me, dilemma is impossible to design but “The Hero’s Dilemma” breaks it down. Jeff’s book is one of a kind. I see his thought process step by step. I use Jeff’s method to hook my readers.

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