After having reached the midpoint of the pulpy adventure spec outline, I’d been struggling with getting to the next plot point.
Not helping was the almost total jettisoning of material from the previous draft. The story had since changed in a drastic way, so there was nothing to salvage.
While I knew where the story had to go, I couldn’t figure out how to get there.
The midpoint sequence ended the way it had to – hero fully committed to achieving his goal, but now on several levels, and the antagonist getting closer to achieving his.
But what happens next?
Exploring several options, something finally clicked and I remembered a very simple rule we all tend to sometimes forget:
It’s not what could happen, it’s what has to happen.
THIS is what the characters need to do to move things forward (with your protagonist being the primary mover), and the more challenging we can make their journey, the better.
There are plenty of options of how things can play out in your story, but it will take some effort (and a lot of rewriting) to find the one that it needs.
Yesterday I came up with a great subject for today’s post. It was going to be fantastic. Poignant. Relatable. Very informative. You would have loved it.
I figured there was no way I could not remember something this incredible.
And of course, just a few hours later, I totally forgot what it was. I can rack my brains all I want, but it ain’t gonna work. Maybe it’ll pop up again someday, but for now, it’s gone forever.
Jump to last evening. I did a little more work on the first quarter of Act Two of the monster spec, so I’m still up to that page 45 twist.
With my next objective now getting to the all-important Point of No Return (where your protagonist becomes fully committed to achieving their goal), the ideas for scenes between those two plot points starting popping into my head.
And I had no intention of letting them get away.
Lesson learned from earlier in the day, I immediately wrote some down, with more likely to be added later.
I probably won’t even use that many of them, but it’s still better to be able to pick and choose from a wide variety of readily-available options than to curse my lack of foresightedness and have nothing to work with.
Since we’re all creative types around here, we know full well that inspiration can hit anytime and anyplace, which is great. But are we prepared to capture it when it does?
Bet you’ll think “Oh, I’ll definitely remember.”
Please don’t, especially if it’s an idea worth keeping.
Pen and notepad in your briefcase or backpack, an app for dictating on your phone, an extra line on that document on your computer, whatever method works for you.
Taking those extra seconds to save an idea now can potentially prevent you from seemingly endless frustration in the future.
It goes without saying that any screenwriter is a movie buff. We have to be. It’s our love of movies that got us into this in the first place.
We’ve all got our favorites. Countless genres are spanned. Writers, directors or performers we can usually rely on for solid, quality work. Who hasn’t claimed to have seen a particular movie “over a hundred times”?
So what is it about them that makes us have no problem with watching them over and over, as opposed to seeing something once and being done with it, or maybe even abandoning ship around the halfway point?
A favorite film motivates repeat viewings. You’re enjoying the whole experience so much that when it’s over, you’re already looking forward to seeing it again.
Consider the films in your home collection. What is it about them that made you go so far as to want to own them?
For as much as I talk about STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and BACK TO THE FUTURE, all of which I could watch over and over, I’m also perfectly content with something that doesn’t involve special effects, like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN or SOME LIKE IT HOT.
What do all of these have in common? For me, it all boils down to fantastic storytelling with well-crafted three-dimensional characters, both of which also motivate and inspire me to be a better writer.
Which is what it all comes down to. The writing, which starts with us.
Not only are we striving to create a story, but we want to make them so amazing that they’re practically irresistible not only to the people who make the movies, but the movie-going public.
While working on that latest project, we imagine what the finished product would look like on the big screen and hope the audience is having such a blast watching it that they’ll want to come back for more.
But imagining is one thing. Actually making it compelling and involving is another.
We must continuously write, rewrite, hone and polish each individual piece of work to make it as involving and engaging as possible.
Not sure if yours is? Ask somebody. Writing group, trusted colleague, paid analyst. Doesn’t matter. Always be striving for greatness, my friends.
Our work is definitely cut out for us. It’s hard enough to write a good script. It’s even harder to write one people want to continuously return to.
So how’s 2014 been going for you so far, writing-wise?
Even if you’re not the type who makes New Year’s resolutions, you probably promised yourself this would be the year you were going to definitely…
-Write every day!
-Read more scripts!
-Connect with more writers!
-Have the script ready for the Nicholl days, even weeks before the deadline!
-Not surf the internets when you’re supposed to be writing! (tough, but not impossible)
Have you done any of this? If so, good for you! It doesn’t matter how much you accomplished; the important thing is you still did it.
Feels awesome, doesn’t it? Keep at it!
If not, why not?
Sure, it’s easier to procrastinate than to do the actual work, but if you want to call yourself a writer, then you kind of have to, you know, write. Even if it’s just a page a day.
So consider this the digital equivalent of a motivational, well-intentioned kick in the pants to get yourself going.
There’s still time to start the year right, so as soon as you’re done reading this (which should include hitting the ‘like’ button and leaving a comment of praise/gratitude), go and do any or all of those things listed above.
Like the saying goes, this thing ain’t gonna write itself.
When was the last time you looked through your idea file?
You know the one. That desktop folder or flashdrive where you keep all those random thoughts and story ideas you’ve jotted down over the years.
You do have one, right? If not, you really should start one. It’s easy. Just write stuff down, hold on to it and never get rid of it. Never.
Chances are a majority of these ideas probably won’t make it past the logline/story concept stage, and it’s even more likely you’ll have forgotten about them after a relatively short time. But don’t let that stop you from constantly adding to the file.
Each idea is a good reminder of the potential you saw within that story. Why else would you have written it down?
It’s also a nice little ego boost/confidence-builder to be reminded of your own creativeness. “I don’t remember coming up with that.”
I’ve mentioned many times about being ready when someone asks you “What else have you got?”. This guarantees you’ll have something ready to go, even if it’s just a couple of sentences that take all of ten to fifteen seconds to pitch.
You never know what’s going to work. That throwaway concept you came up with years ago could end up being your next project.
So the next time you take a break from whatever it is you’re working on right now, open up that file and see what’s in there. You might be surprised, intrigued, pleased or even thrilled.
Maximum Z 