In an article for ScreenCraft, Jo Light identifies three writing lessons from the crime dramedy The Sticky. “Brian Donovan has turned one of Canada’s most bizarre true crimes—the maple syrup heist of 2011, during which thieves siphoned syrup worth over 18 million Canadian dollars—into a series that might be television’s most deliciously unique caper comedy,” she writes.
- Cut the clichés. Donovan says his goal is always to “write something that no one has seen before.” This means reading extensively and watching lots of film and television, while also avoiding becoming stagnant or comfortable. When a scene feels familiar, cut it.
- Study acting. Even if you’re not writing for film or television, a bit of acting experience can help you become a stronger writer. For Donovan, that means creating characters that actors want to play and writing dialogue they want to say. “The second I’m writing dialogue that is to accomplish a story task, like trying to set up backstory or trying to get out some information that the audience needs to know, if it feels like backstory, you’re doing it wrong,” he says. “Because people don’t talk that way.” Dialogue should also convey how the lines should be read, so that your actors – or your readers – get the story you intend to tell.
- Don’t force the humor. Donovan advises never trying too hard to make something funny. Instead, lean into your characters. Natural humor will develop out of conflict and personality. “Try to find characters that may have humor to them that you understand, and put them in humoring situations, and then just let them be honest and let them act the way they would, and the humor will come,” Donovan says. “So just tell the truth and the fun will be there, but the drama will be there too.”
