I’m making this as brief as possible, which means I’m not explaining the “Whys” of these tips, other than with this preface:
This is the 21st Century. Storytelling, by which I mean plotting, ain’t what it used to be. The contemporary audience has seen and read and experienced at least as much as you have, which means MAKE SURE YOU KEEP EVERYTHING AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE SO YOU’RE NOT TELLING READERS/VIEWERS WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW .
The Good: 
The Not So Good:
Norm Macdonald, who died yesterday of cancer, at 61. was one of the funniest, brightest people I’ve ever met.
If art is what happens when your creations reveal your inner self, then he was an artiste extraordinaire in life as well as on the stage.
RIP, dood. Chill in peace.
New writers often ask the question in this post’s headline, and I always find myself pausing and giving thought to my answer…and sometimes even changing it from what I usually say.
This morning’s email brought two queries on the subject, and I found myself thinking about and changing my answer again. Right now, this very minute, here’s where my head is at:
Your writing is ‘good enough’ when you no longer ask yourself that question.
No, those aren’t my words. Picasso said them first. But they’ve always seemed like genuine Truth to me, which means that when I watch films and TV or read books these days I all too often find myself thinking:
If this is self-revelation, man, are these writers ugly!
And then I remind myself: