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DRAFT ZERO
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Damon Young

Guest

"It’s an almost a kind of aggressive waiting, if that makes sense. So whoever has the kind of nerve to live with that tension long enough will be the one who wins. It’s a great character beat to have someone who is impatient, foolhardy, furious, angry, slighted, to show them really wanting to act. Just, they have to just do something, but what they actually have to do is wait. And they hate it. And that’s a nice little — yeah. That’s a nice way to develop character."

— Damon Young  |  DZ-100: Scenes through Swords

2023

DZ-100: Scenes through Swords

What scene-writing tools can be learned from martial arts?
DZ-100: Scenes through Swords
Listen if you want to know why the distance between two characters matters more than what they say.
▶ More Info
In this slightly unusual episode of Draft Zero (but also incredibly on brand), Stu and philosopher-swordsperson Damon Young discuss how the lessons they have learned from martial arts can be applied to scenes. In particular, they discuss how approaching an opponent in a sword fight can be analogous to how characters approach conflict, such as: the distance between the characters, who chooses to engage first, how to feint, how to lure an attack by leaving yourself vulnerable, etc… →

"In some stories it’s really fascinating to watch how maybe one of the characters doesn’t really understand the situation they’re in. They don’t know they’re in a negotiation. They don’t realise they’re actually in an argument. They’re not aware they’re being broken up with, or literally, they’re not aware that they’re in a fight. And it’s watching how those different expectations are in conflict, not just the two people."

— Damon Young  |  DZ-100: Scenes through Swords