An Alternative Storytelling Process

Yesterday, I had the chance to attend an online presentation by LIM (Less is More), the European feature film programme. While the presentation focused primarily on their upcoming year-long training programme for story development, it gave me valuable insights into their overall philosophy. I must say, I’m quite impressed by their humanistic approach to storytelling.

LIM integrates cognitive science into the story development process, emphasizing the importance of body movement in creativity and placing special importance on orality. Personally, I’m a huge believer that long walks are an essential tool for problem-solving. And as human beings, we all come from an oral storytelling tradition. When something interesting happens to us, we can’t wait to share it. We also have the ability to shape our stories as we tell them. This was something I first noticed when I joined a writing room, and it amazed me. I think that’s one of the reasons I love writing rooms: you get to experience collective story creation in real time. You even surprise yourself sometimes with what comes out of your mouth.

Another aspect that resonated with me was their focus on process, rather than solely the end result. They believe that focusing on preparation before writing is key to avoiding many rewrites—or at least the confusion that seems unavoidable during the rewriting process. I’ve seen a similar approach from author and story consultant Clive Frayne, who I had a short online training with last year as part of the Netflix Adaptation Lab. He advocated focusing on the process for this exact reason. The idea of having a structured process to achieve desired outcomes is something I also came across in James Clear’s Atomic Habits, and I’ve been trying to implement it into my writing process for a while now. I’m definitely getting better at it, and I love when these dots connect! 😊

Anyway, I might have gotten a bit carried away due to my excitement at seeing there is an alternative way to this madness. To cut a long story short, my dear filmmaker friends, if you’re developing a feature film, you might want to check out LIM’s programme. The deadline is approaching! Here’s more info about the programme and the application process: https://lim-lessismore.eu/how-to-apply/writers-directors/