July’s Buzz:

HOW TO COMMIT
(Copyright 2003)

by
Kathryn McCullough

Inevitably in the writing process, there comes a time when you begin to fear that this story idea is not the right story idea for you. Sure, it initially seemed like you and your idea were perfect for each other. But as time went on, and the hard work began, doubts crept in. Suddenly, other ideas begin to pop into your brain. An overwhelming urge comes over you to abandon your current idea and move on to a brighter, better, newer one, certain that this one will not let you down.

The key to writing a good screenplay is not in continually picking up and dropping new ideas in the hopes of finding that unattainable “perfect” film story, but to find a way to re-commit to the story you’ve started and see it through to the end. Here are some suggestions on how to accomplish this.

1. Flattery will get you everywhere.

Spend an afternoon writing a glowing review of the future movie made from your screenplay. Praise the complex and compelling characters. Note the clever and original plot developments. Compare your screenplay favorably to films you’ve admired.

2. It’s the little things...

Make lists of original, inventive elements you’ve come up with for your story -- and think up some more: interesting settings; inventive use of sound, costumes and art direction; imaginative character quirks. Type out your favorites lines of dialogue and the clever turns of phrase used by the lead characters.

3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Don’t abandon your screenplay but do take a brief break of a week or two from it. Distance will give you time to forgive and forget the flaws, so you can remember what initially grabbed you about this idea and made you want to pursue it.

4. Believe in Fate.

You came up with this idea for a reason. There was something you were trying to say, some character whose story you felt compelled to tell, some setting or arena you found evocative. Remember that moment when your brainstorming clicked and suddenly a full-fledged story idea flew through your head. Bring that passion back to the page.

5. Marriage counseling.

Forget about the plot. The easiest way to commit to your story is to fall in love with your characters. If they are distant, superficial figures, your attraction to them won’t last, because you won’t be emotionally involved. Therefore, get to know them better. Write up character biographies; come up with your ideal cast. Study other fictional characters you’ve loved or people you’ve known, and bring the complexity of those personalities to your characters. Make your characters active in their lives rather than passive observers. It’s easier, for the writer as well as the audience, to root for someone who wants something. Write down qualities in your characters that you admire. Figure out what their potential for growth is, and determine what they need to accomplish in order to achieve their dreams. List your characters’ flaws as well as their strengths. While their strengths make them heroic, their flaws make them sympathetic.

6. Look but don’t touch.

Sometimes the new ideas that keep popping into your head can’t be ignored. Although you don’t want to become a promiscuous writer with a file cabinet full of brilliant opening sequences that peter out around page 40, a little flirting won’t hurt. Go ahead, take an hour and indulge the new idea. Write out an outline for it. Then put it in a folder, put it in a drawer, and get back to work. When you’ve finished the script you’re working on, you will have one or more new ideas ready to choose from for the next.

7. A trial separation.

If, even after writing up an outline for it, one of those other “better” ideas keeps nagging at you, give it a try. The odds are, you will get hung up around the same page of the script or at the same point in the development process as you reached before abandoning the last idea. If this is the case, then the problem is not your idea, but your inability to commit. Then it is time to start again from the top of this list.

8. Divorce.

However, if you feel more confident and committed to this new idea, even after problems crop up, then you probably did need to move on. Perhaps you started the other story because you felt it was “commercial” or something you “should” write, but you never really had a deep connection to it. Sometimes a story is ultimately not right for you. You can’t change the kind of writer you are to fit a certain type of story. You have to find the story that you are the best writer to tell.

9. Reconciliation.

Do hold on to any screenplay beginnings that you feel have merit. It may just be that you’re not in the right place in your life for the story, right now. But five or ten years down the road, you will have grown as a person and as a writer, and you might find that the story you once abandoned is now perfect for you.

Sticking with your story, even when the going gets tough, is one of the hardest parts of writing. There will always be rough patches, but often these struggles will bind you more strongly to your story, and will help you bring out the depths that were there waiting for you to discover. Don’t give up. With every draft, you and your story are moving closer to your creative potential.