Overcomplicating your world-building? | The Brew

Overcomplicating your world-building? | The Brew

May 12, 2026 · 10 min · Season 1 · Episode 59

About this episode

Cole Haddon discusses the importance of simplicity in world-building and shares updates on his latest TV pilot and screenplay.

Are you overcomplicating your world-building? I’m breaking down why the most effective story worlds are built on simplicity — and why I opted (counterintuitively) to instead take a “maximalist” approach to my storytelling with my latest TV pilot script commission . The good news is, I finally heard from my producers what they think about the work I did, which I’m going to be filling you in about, along with an update on my new feature spec screenplay, and what I’ve been watching lately…like 'The Pitt’ . Is it just me, or is it one of the most meditative shows on TV today? I’ll tell you what I mean by that and more in this latest edition of The Brew — an intimate 5AM StoryTalk series on the struggles and successes of life in the arts. JOIN THE COMMUNITY! Join the 10,000+ members of the 5AM StoryTalk community at Substack mastering the craft of storytelling (and the art of life ) together: https://colehaddon.substack.com/ ON THE ITINERARY: THE PILOT UPDATE: What's going on with my latest script commission? After almost five months, I finally got notes from my producers. DELICATE MAXIMALISM: Swinging for the fences with an oversized draft to find the project’s perfect shape. THE…

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Host: Cole Haddon

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Books & works: The Pitt, Star Wars, Jaws

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