The way in which Aaron Sorkin describes Intention and Obstacle in the early bits of his Masterclass is so simple, so easy to comprehend, and most importantly, so easy to test [1]. In just a few minutes, he offers a simple way to detect whether there is an appropriate level of conflict in any story. You can apply this lesson to any screenplay or script that you read, including your own. Sadly, that sort of simple clarity is a rare thing these days. I recall when I was getting into…

Parents consider lawsuit after daughter loses valedictorian spot – latimes.com : “Regardless, the family has already written a letter to the California Department of Education and spoken with district officials about what they perceive to be an ‘injustice.’ The parents allege that because Elisha was not in the school’s magnet program, she could not take AP classes as a freshman. They also take umbrage with district policy that does not consider students’ final semester grades in the valedictorian GPA calculation. ‘They’re robbing the students of the credit,’ Nelson said.…