Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters - Good Ideas for Stories
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea generation and then the use of structure to extrapolate that idea into a coherent story.
Sources of Good Ideas
a) Ideas that push cultural boundaries work well. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, The Defiant Ones, On the Watefront and so on were all controversial in their time and still very watchable movies.
b) Ideas that tug at the emotions and arouse passions. Imagine the worst thing you would want to happen to you. What are you most embarrassing moments? What causes the most pain?
c) Cathartic events. Protagonists engage in conflict and challenge but the final act is always cathartic.
d) Aspirational and self-actualising events. Make the audience move toward their ideal selves.
e) Fantasy and escapism. Take the audience to a new place, we're tired of this world today.
f) Humour. What are the funniest, most ridiculous, most hypocritical, incongruous, bizarre, irrational moments of life.
g) Education and morality. Teach them something or show them how we should be.
h) Special people. Take us into the world of people we fear or admire. Show us the lives of people who have travelled to places we dare not or cannot go.
i) Romance and love. How sweet it is when we can get it.
j) Different people. Show us how different people live. Compare and contrast.
k) The power of the group. Show us how we are more intelligent, able and greater together than alone.
l) Ambition. Is it pleasure or poison. Does it fulfill or corrupt.
m) Friendship. How real are our friendships. Do we know who our real friends are. What happens when they betray us.
n) Intellectual cross pollination - search the media, information sources...
o) Simply choose a story and write a screenplay. Good ideas will come to you during the project - make sure you capture them.
Structural Templates
a) The classic template is the HERO'S JOURNEY, consisting of 106 sequences with more than 30 in the final act.
The Hero's journey can be reformed in an infinite number of ways:
b) The THREE KINGS, where the three rivals battle it out.
c) The LONE WOLF, where the Hero succeeds without he aid of allies, the Goddess or the Shape Shifter.
d) NO WAY BUT DOWN, where an anti-hero falls from grace and does not recover.
These topics are further discussed and Story Structure Templates and other Managing Creativity and Innovation products are available at http://www.managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
 Film School Rejects (blog) | 'Underworld 4' on the Way With 'Shield' Scribe Writing Moviefone According to the Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog, the task of writing the fourth film falls upon John Hlavin, best known as a writer and story editor ... Underworld 4 being scripted by John Hlavin |
Parting Shot: Writing In Alexander for Biletnikoff Award Kansas City Star By Mike dearmond - Posted on 20 November 2009 Danario Alexander is not a finalist for the award given annual to college football's best receiver. ... |
 Film School Rejects (blog) | Mike White Writing New Christmas Comedy Called Santa Wars Fused Film Paramount and Scott Rudin are teaming together for a new Christmas comedy that will feature battling Santas. ... School of Rock's Mike White Writing Holiday Comedy Santa Wars |
Analysis: Darwin vs. Genesis, a literary smackdown Toronto Star Genesis, it has to be said, is tough to beat as a piece of writing. It contains both the best of the wilderness, emerging over several generations from the ... |
Late mail on writing The Age He credits his mother for his love of reading and writing. She bore three sons in three years, and as her belly grew so did a line of Russian novels on her ... |
Mpls. Teams Needs Help Writing Cinderella Story KSTP.com An inner-city youth football team that helped revitalize a Minneapolis park now needs the help of the community to write the ending to a true Cinderella ... |
 New York Daily News | Martha Stewart pans Rachael Ray's cooking - and cooking writing New York Daily News Stewart told ABC News' Cynthia McFadden that Ray's approach to cooking - and cookbook writing - is "not good enough for me." In her first TV interview since ... |
 MTV.com | Lauren Conrad Is Writing A Book On Style MTV.com And when Conrad isn't busy writing books or working on the "LA Candy" movie, she is spending her time designing her clothing line, LC Lauren Conrad, ... Ex-'Hills' star Lauren Conrad is writing a style tips book. Chapter 1: Hire a ... Lauren Conrad is writing a style book Morning Round Up: Lauren Conrad to write a style book PLUS Leighton's latest ... |
Writing project gives Rainier students some new perspectives Longview Daily News Kirkpatrick's class, along with the other classes at Hudson Park Elementary School, have been working on a special writing project, learning to see stories ... |
 New York Times | Madison Ave. Sees the Writing on the Wall New York Times Jim Wilson/The New York Times The British advertising agency Mother will sponsor an exhibit next month in New York of the work of the ... |
Writing Tips For Novice Authors
If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author?"I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.Characteristics of Authors1.
Writing Without Style
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact, highly desirable for newspapers. The average reading level of newspaper readers is the sixth grade.
Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)
Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of late; "Just do it!" runs through my mind like a mantra. Although my dreams have nothing to do with athletic shoes and little to do with athletics (unless you count the long list of ideas I have developed which revolve around my sons and their activities), I have spent a long time avoiding the one thing I've always wanted to do - write.
Write Possibilities
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time.
Write Strategy: Think, Believe, Attack
Think of writing like karate..
3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book
Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you're just starting out, but it does get easier when you understand various plotting strategies.Here are 3 quick tips that could be all you need to get you started: One: You'll find it useful to analyse published books.
How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn't a Turkey
When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through.
Have You Tested Your Theme Against Your Plot?
Creative Writing Tips -How we usually begin the preparation stage in the writing process is?We think of an idea for a storyWe think of a suitable themeWe plotOnce we come up with a theme and we begin plotting, we have to see how the theme and the plot match up. Sometimes as we plot we find that the theme we had initially chosen won't do.
7 Journaling Tips
Set your journal or diary where you will see it everyday, i.e.
Publication Road
The journey to having my first novel for children published has been riddled with road blocks and shonky bridges. The good news? At every rickety stage I've picked up tips (and anti-tips) which I'm happy to share with everyone.
Starting a Local Writers Group
My husband is no poet, so when I offer my carefully pruned poetry for him to review, I get the usual and unsatisfying reply: "That' nice sweetie." Furthermore, he could care less about whom the Poet Laureate is and why I love his smoke pit conversation type poems.
Applying KISS Principle in Writing
I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea.
You Can Be An Author
"You should write a book." For years, I had been hearing this comment.
Italics Part 1 - Do You Need to Use Italics?
Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis..
Understanding Editorial Guidelines
Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the rules set forth by publishers for contributing authors. In order to have your article taken seriously you must review the guidelines prior to submission.
How to Write Funny -- Its All About Timing
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the most important thing about humor?" After a short pause, he interjects, "TIMING!"I've rolled my eyes many a time over this joke.But here's a new version for writers: "What's the most important thing about writing funny? .
From Book Notes to Book Reports
Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane of high school and college students' existence. It seems that no matter how hard you work to stay caught up, there is always a paper due tomorrow.
A Single Technique
Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one tries to avoid it if possible. Yet writers feel the urge to write, the need to write, and the inspiration to write, but these are not what produces.
Boost Your Income With Trade Journals
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't the topics are dry? Don't they require specialized knowledge? Not necessarily. You may want to consider trade journals to increase the potential market for your articles - and for the money.
Writing Secrets You Must Know
Writing better is critical for students. But it's even more important for business communicators.
