You've probably had the experience of suddenly having a seemingly great idea pop up in the middle of the night, while you're in the shower, or just walking down the street.
Eureka! This idea is going to make you a fortune, save the world or, ideally, both!
Then you revisit the idea later and most of the time you wonder what you were thinking.
But once in a while you still believe it might be a great idea, but you're too close to it to know for sure. What criteria can you use?
That's the question addressed in a book I've been reading: Chasing the Monster Idea - The Marketer's Almanac for Predicting Idea Epicness, by Stephen Mumaw.
Despite the author's fondness for puns and his annoying practice of pointing them out just in case you didn't notice them, the book has some excellent tips for evaluating ideas in terms of their likelihood of succeeding in the marketplace.
Of course, that's not the only criterion for a great idea; you may decide to pursue one that isn't likely to take the world by storm because you believe it's worth doing even if it reaches only a small number of people. Either way, though, you want it to be as good as possible.
THE CRITERIA FOR A GREAT STORY
One of the topics the book considers is what makes a great story. Mumaw identifies these six qualities:
- A well-defined, singular theme
- Clear characterization
- A well-developed plot
- Stylistically vivid
- Dramatically told
- Audience appropriate
Yes, I know--each of these is a huge topic in itself. But at least this list is a useful starting point. Here are a few ways to address each element.
THEME
Can you identify in one sentence the theme of your story (or product or service, for that matter)? Plot is what the story is about, theme is what the story is REALLY about.
CHARACTERIZATION
Is it clear what your protagonist wants, as well as the personal qualities that help them and the weaknesses that work against them? Is there a solid reason that the antagonist is opposing your protagonist?
PLOT
Does the plot have a beginning, a middle, and an end that comes from the actions of the protagonist? Have you made sure that the middle doesn't sag? If your character changes over the course of the story, is that change lined closely to the events of the plot?
VIVID STYLE
In one way, "stylistically vivid" applies more to novels than to screenplays, since the style of the movie owes a lot to the way it's directed, but even the screenplay should be an entertaining reading experience for the people who will decide whether to buy or option it. One good practice is choosing vivid verbs: Instead of "George opens the door, obviously excited" try "George slams open the door, bouncing off the walls with excitement." (Note: use strategically--a script or novel written totally that way would be annoying).
TELLING DRAMATICALLY
Have you considered whose point of view will be most interesting? Have you piqued the audience's or readers' interest, then doled out the information they want, one piece at a time in a way that keeps them interested? Have you included some surprises?
AUDIENCE APPROPRIATENESS
Deciding what is audience appropriate is trickier than it used to be. There used to be pretty clear definitions, for instance, of what was a kids' film and what was an adults' film. These days the kids' films that are successful are careful to include content that may fly over the kids' heads but will keep their accompanying adults entertained. And when I go to the cinema, I often see kids in the audience even for films that have guidelines suggesting they're for adults. I asked a cinema manager about this once and he shrugged and said, "If the parents don't care, I don't care."
It's possible for a story to have all of these elements and still flop or to have delayed success, but if your idea or story does have these six characteristics, there's a very good chance it will succeed.
