Time to Write

Is your screenplay structure strong enough?

In a previous post, I shared some questions that Hollywood script readers ask in order to tell whether the big idea of a story will work. In this post, we look at the questions that apply to the plot and structure of your script:

1. Does the first scene grab our attention?

Often this can be done with a strong visual image or an unusual action. What question will be in the audience's mind when they watch the first scene or two? It doesn't have to be something epic. For instance, if we see a child crying, we immediately wonder why.

2. Do the first couple of scenes make it clear whose story this will be--and is it someone we can relate to?

Occasionally it may work to start with someone other than the protagonist, but usually that's who we want to see first or at least very soon.

Your protagonist doesn't have to be likable, but they DO have to be interesting and we have to be able to relate to them in some way. For instance, the first scenes in the classic, The Godfather, introduces us to the title character on the day of his daughter's wedding. We may not be able to relate to him in his role as a mobster, but everybody can relate to him as a doting father.

3. Does your protagonist have a strong goal? What's at stake?

Not every story has to be life-or-death, but it has to feel that way to your protagonist. For a nerdy kid, winning the contest to be Prom King can feel as important and desperate as a rock climber's quest to save their life as they hang from a cliff. 

The goal should be one to which the audience can relate, and If there's no strong consequence if the protagonist fails, we won't care. 

4. Does the story feature a series of obstacles that get in the way of the character's goal?

Sometimes there's a villain who is trying to thwart your protagonist, but the obstacle can also be a force of nature (fire, floods, meteors), or aliens, or something else. If the main obstacle is internal (like an addiction) you have to figure out how to represent it externally (or write a novel instead).

5. Do the obstacles escalate?

Each new hurdle should be harder than the last, otherwise there's no sense of momentum. If the obstacles could occur in any order the events will feel random rather than motivated. As much as possible, keep them linked by cause and effect.

For example, let's say your story is about a poor couple that wants to get married. One obstacle is that her parents are opposed. They throw a few roadblocks in the couple's way, but the lovers get in a car and leave town.

They think they're in the clear when suddenly they hear a police siren. The police arrest the guy for stealing his own car because the young woman's father reported it as his stolen car. 

While he's in jail waiting for the mistake to be corrected, the guy meets a sympathetic guard who says his brother in another city will hire him if he goes there. What the guy doesn't know is that the guard is corrupt and has hidden something illegal in the guy's possessions when they're returned to him. Of course, this leads to more danger. It's not the greatest story but the point is that you can see the logical chain of cause and effect.

Naturally, there should be variations in pacing. At times your protagonist should seem to be winning--only to encounter an even bigger obstacle. 

6. Are there surprises along the way?

Audiences have seen a lot of movies. If they're consistently one step ahead of the plot, they''ll get bored. The surprises have to make sense in the context of the story, rather than being arbitrary.

7. Is the ending logical yet unpredictable--and a consequence of the actions of your protagonist?

If the ending comes out of the blue--for instance, as a result of the actions of a peripheral character--the audience will feel cheated.

The same is true if your ending depends on coincidence. A good rule of thumb is, "You can use coincidence to get your characters into trouble, but not out of trouble."

Sometimes you can't get around the ending being predictable: it's not likely that Lex Luther will succeed in killing Superman, for example. In that case, you have to come up with a surprise in how the ending comes about.

RELATED: IS YOUR SCREENPLAY STORY STRONG ENOUGH?

How Albert Einstein can help you rewrite your book or screenplay

Do you get stuck when you set out to do another draft of a screenplay, novel, or other creative project?

Albert Einstein allegedly said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them."

He wasn't talking about writing, but I think it applies.

When we write fiction, we're in a kind of dreaming state. We imagine what might happen and what people might say. It's a highly intuitive state, unless we are slavishly following a formula or template (not recommended if you want your work to be original).

If we stay in that state when we try to figure out how our first draft could be improved, often we'll either draw a blank or come up with something that makes the work different, but not necessarily better. 

The trick (thanks, Mr Einstein) is to move to a different level. In this case, the critical level.

The creative level vs. the critical level

The writing process is subjective, the critical level is analytical.

When you write, you're on the inside, in the moment with your characters. When you critique, you're looking at them from the outside and you can take a step back to assess the big picture.

How to switch levels

One way to change your mental state is to change your physical state first. 

• To snap out of the creative state, do a bit of movement--a brief brisk walk or a few stretches
  
  
• Move to a different location, even if just across the room from where you write
  
  
• Change your body position. Instead of sitting upright in a chair, lean back in an easy chair

Another strategy is to make the material seem less familiar, more like it's something someone else wrote since it's always easier for us to be objective about someone else's work.

• Print the script rather than viewing it on a screen
  
  
• Print it on different color paper
  
  
• Print it using a different font from the one on the screen
  

Remember you're a critic now, not a creator.

• Just like a professional critic would do, start by considering the totality of the work and identify any big problems. Read through the entire script and consider whether it has any major issues that will impact multiple scenes. Jot down your conclusions. For instance, a review I read recently said that the film couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a comedy, a satire, or a drama with amusing moments.
  
  
• Next, go through the script scene by scene and note weak points, inconsistencies, or other issues. For instance, when I go back to the first scene in a screenplay I ask myself whether it immediately creates a question in the minds of the reader (and, later, the audience). If they're curious, they'll want to continue reading or watching. 
  
  
• Don't try to solve these problems. A critic's role is to point out the good and bad points of a work, not to fix it. If a solution occurs to you, go ahead and note it but do not make any changes in the script--doing so will flip you out of the critical state.

Time to go back to the creator's state

When you've finished making your critical notes, go back to your usual work station and get back into the creative state. You'll have a list of things to fix but not how to fix them.

For instance, maybe one note is that the opening scene, an argument between the protagonist and his father at the dad's apartment, is too talky and doesn't make a visual impression. Now you can imagine how it would play out if, for example, it took place in public, or if the father showed his anger physically. Because you'll be tuned back into the characters, you'll think of options that are what they would actually do, not an arbitrary solution.

Keep shuttling back and forth

You don't have to wait to make all the changes before you go back into the critical state. You can take a printout of an individual scene to your critic's easy chair and assess whether the problem has been solved. This back-and-forth continues until you've made it the best you can.

Warning: don't do this just in your head!

Resist the temptation to think that it's just as easy to make the mental switch without the other changes I've suggested above. Yes, some people can do it, especially after years of practice, but it's difficult and often trying to create and judge at the same time leads to writer's block.

 

Is your screenplay story strong enough? Five questions that will reveal the answer

It's hard to be objective about your own work, but a good start is knowing what questions to ask.

A few years ago I came upon a Hollywood script reader's checklist--the questions they used in deciding whether or not a screenplay is worth recommending. In this post, I'll share the questions that relate to the basic story of your screenplay. I think they'd be useful if you're writing a novel as well:

1.   Imagine the trailer. Is the concept marketable?

Of course, nobody really knows what will be successful, but it helps if you can imagine how it might be marketed to catch people's attention.

2. Is the premise naturally intriguing? Does it make people want to know what happens?

A good way to test this is to tell people your premise. If they don't ask you questions about it, the idea may not be interesting enough.

3. Who is the target audience? Would your parents want to see it? Your children?

It's not that your script has to appeal to everybody, you just have to be clear from the start who you are targeting. For one thing, if it's an epic that's going to cost a lot to make, it had better have a broad appeal.

4. Is the concept original?

There's nothing new under the sun, but what aspect of your version makes it fresh and worth telling again? I know, there are plenty of movies that are tired retreads, but that's not what you want for your story.

5. Is there strong emotion at the heart of the story?

People go to movies to feel something--to be scared, or to laugh, or for the satisfaction of seeing rotten people get their comeuppance. Does your story have the potential to transport the audience out of their ordinary lives and give them an emotional experience they will enjoy and talk about with their friends?

Answer these questions as honestly as you can, and call on your gut feelings as well as logic.

Sometimes I've caught myself rationalizing that the story works but knowing in my gut or heart that it really doesn't.

That will catch up with you eventually, so it's much better to respond to it early on. That way you can fix it or move on to another idea.

If you have strong, honest answers to these questions and the ones coming up in the next post, you'll also have all the ingredients for a great pitch.

Post coming soon: IS YOUR SCREENPLAY PLOT AND STRUCTURE STRONG ENOUGH?

A mantra for when you're depressed (or even when you're not)

I'm always on the lookout for tips that can help those of us who suffer from clinical depression--or just bouts of lack of motivation.

One I was reminded of recently is the mantra, "Just do one thing."

In better times, the one thing might be writing a few pages, or researching a story, or contacting an agent. 

In harder times, it can be as simple as getting out of bed.

Focusing on a small chunk of what needs to be done usually creates momentum. Even when it doesn't, at least that one thing will have been done. 

If it may be helpful to you, keep "Do just one thing" in mind. Even better, jot it on a note that's visible by your desk or by your bed. 

If it's not you but someone in your life you care about who has this issue, help them to identify one thing and praise them for doing it rather than focusing on all the things they're not doing.

Most likely, they're doing their best.

 

Which is better--revenge or forgiveness?

If you're writing a screenplay or novel, you may want to opt for revenge.

According to Science Daily, "When it comes to entertainment, people enjoy seeing bad guys get their punishment more than seeing them be forgiven, a new study reveals.

But even though they don't enjoy the forgiveness stories as much, people do find these narratives more meaningful and thought-provoking than ones in which the bad guys receive their just deserts.

"We like stories in which the wrongdoers are punished and when they get more punishment than they deserve, we find it fun," said Matthew Grizzard, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University."

Maybe the best bet are stories in which your wronged protagonists exact revenge...and then forgive themselves.

 

How to Give Yourself a Procrastination Allowance

Once we start to procrastinate, we tend to keep procrastinating.

A common refrain is, "I don't have much time left today to work on that task, so I'll make a fresh start tomorrow."

Of course, tomorrow we may find ourselves saying the same thing, and on and on.

Instead, try giving yourself a procrastination allowance: a certain amount of time you will avoid doing that task, after which you will make a start.

For instance, if you plan to work on writing a report between nine and eleven AM, give yourself a procrastination allowance of fifteen minutes per hour. Use it for anything you want--looking at Youtube videos, checking the news, or staring into space.

You would start the first hour by procrastinating between nine and nine-fifteen. Set a timer to go off when the 15 minutes are up, then get to work.

At 10 you get another 15 minutes to goof off or do a more pleasant task. Again, use the timer so you won't spend more than your allowed time.

Idealists may say, "Wait a minute--that means I'm wasting 30 minutes every two hours!" That's true. But isn't that better than wasting the whole two hours?

Be upstanding for your health!

According to Science Daily, "Studies have linked prolonged sitting with health concerns such as heart disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, and obesity. Research shows that breaking up long periods of sitting with movement at least once an hour reduces those risks, while regular exercise at other times of day does not."

In other words, you can't make up for that long session of sitting by going for a jog or a walk later. 

Since writers tend to spend long sessions at the keyboard, it's a risk particularly applicable to us. Here are some suggestions for how to make sure you get up and move for at least a minute or two every hour:

• Use an app on your phone or smartwatch. Mine reminds me with a silent (vibrating) alarm and keeps track of how many times in a day I get up for at least a minute per hour.
  
  
• Use a similar app on your computer. Some offer badges when you stick to the break schedule, or make it part of a simple game.
  
  
• If you have Alexa or the equivalent, give it the task of reminding you to stand at the start of every hour.
  
  
• Link it to something you do frequently. If you keep a bottle of water handy, stand up to drink from it, or make some of your phone calls while standing.
  
  
• Break down the task you're working on into chunks that you think will take about an hour each and get up and move in between each chunk.

The bonus is that moving around a bit may also refresh your brain. For even better results, when you stand up, take a few deep breaths and stretch.

Three Dark Writing Moments More Common Than You Thought

Most writers would agree that while writing can be a great joy, it also carries its share of dark moments. When we're in the middle of one, it's easy to assume that we're alone feeling that way. Members of a panel of screenwriters discussed some of the darker moments they've experienced:

Noah Baumbach (writer/director, "Marriage Story") said for him it's starting each new project feeling overwhelmed and like he's forgotten how to write.

Rian Johnson (writer/director, "Knives Out") said it's the moment on every project when the initial excitement for the idea wears off.

Taiki Waititi
(writer/director "Jojo Rabbit") said it was when he was pitching "Jojo Rabbit" and nobody understood the tone he was going for.

Hmm, dark moments when you're starting to write, in the middle, and when you're done and trying to sell the script. One for each phase of the process!

So what's the solution?

I don't think it's trying to fight these feelings.

It's accepting that they are normal.

That it's not just us. 

That they'll pass.

...if we just keep putting down the words.