So, I imagine most people who like to create stories will also like to watch movies. Or read books. Or play videogames with good narratives.
Why not make that useful on top of fun?
THis way you can improve as a writer while you enjoy yourself. To do that, all you have to do is sit down and think of 1 storytelling lesson you can take from the thing you just enjoyed. Then, you note it down for future references.
You can use notion.so or an Excel sheet to do it. Just note down the name of the work of fiction, what rating you give it, when you finished it and then note down the lesson. Here's a template that I use with the most recent movie I finished, Captain America Brave New World:
What’s it about?
Sam Wilson’s first movie as Captain America where he must uncover a conspiracy that framed Isaiah Bradley, the first Black Cap, before war breaks out.
How I watched it
Went to the cinema
What storytelling lessons did I learn?
That even if there are world-ending stakes at play, the story must have an emotional core so the audience can relate. The movies deals with the start of World War III, but at its core it’s about Ross struggling to prove he’s a better man than he once was.
Keep doing that and in time you'll have learned a lot just from enjoying what you love. Anyway, if you read it all, thanks a bunch and please check out my Fantasy series The Ascendant's Path.
