Got the idea... Now what?

[tellis73]

First off let me say "thank you" for all your various feedback. And "thank you" to the creators of this forum. I feel at times that I am in creative solitary confinement, so it feels good to get immediate feedback on things from people outside of love ones who think anything is "very good". On to my question...

Okay, you have an idea and you feel that it's a winner. What comes next? I've always had an issue with following up an idea with an actual script and to be honest I'm getting pretty tired of it.

I want to write a darn script, darn it!

I've taken a stab at the BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET:


1. Opening Image (1):

2. Theme Stated (5):

3. Set-up (1-10):

4. Catalyst (12):

5. Debate (12-25):

6. Break into 2 (25)

7. B Story (30):

8. Fun and Games (30-55):

9. Midpoint (55):

10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75):

11. All Is Lost (75):

12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85):

13. Break into 3 (85):

14. Finale (85-110):

15. Final Image (110):

But I get lost after filling out the OPENING IMAGE and FINAL IMAGE.

I need guidance. I need help.

[patricks]

Some people will tell you to avoid screenwriting advice books, but I've found them very useful in getting started. Save the Cat and Blake's beat sheet are a good place to start when you are just trying to figure out what this screenwriting stuff's all about. Do you have Save the Cat, or just the beat sheet? Because the book will help you figure out what all these semi-cryptic labels mean, and help you see how you can use those mileposts to build your story.

Also, see a lot of films and read a lot of scripts that are similar to your idea. Not to rip them off, but so you're familiar with the genre & expectations (which you can then choose to fulfill or defy).

I often start a new project by taking a legal pad and just listing out all the things that could happen in the screenplay. I don't try to structure it into acts or scenes - it's just a big giant list of stuff. Action, dialogue, characters, comedy bits, whatever comes into my head. Put on some music and just let the ideas flow, free associating or stream of consciousness, whichever. Don't evaluate. Don't organize. Just write down ideas, one after the other.

When I get a couple pages or more of ideas, then I start trying to organize it, paring out ideas that don't really fit the story, etc.

Then it's off to outlining, which is also frustrating for me because by this point I'm eager to write all those cool scenes. The problem is, I probably at this point have enough "cool scenes" for about half the movie. And if I start writing too soon, I wind up stalling out once I get to something I haven't figured out yet or discover a plot hole or something. However, I do start a "flotsam file" while I'm outlining, into which I put partial scenes, bits of dialogue, etc., as they come to me. That helps satisfy the itch to just dive in. Then when I go to "formally" start writing, I pull from the flotsam file as I get to those points and integrate the stuff I've already done into the script.

Hope that helps!

Patrick Sweeney
I Blame Ninjas

[Jeff Messerman]

For me, once the idea hits and I feel it's a keeper, I hit the ground running. Like Patrick, I also have a vomit page, and it's just that - - a single piece of looseleaf paper where I ralph out every single damn thing I know at that point about the movie rattling around in my inner projector.

Pausing for self-doubt, for me, is death.

And Lord knows I've murdered so many fine fine Jeff-scripts with poisonous, paralyzing self-doubt so the best and only way for me to address it is a "shock and awe" approach. (sorry to invoke recent historical events with that hackneyed term but it fits the situation...)

As Patrick also espoused, organization can be key. Once you have every bit of info on that Rorschach blob of a page, start getting things in line. Lay down those acts, those plot points. Best way to find out if you actually have a movie or just a shell of a notion.

Jeff

[adamcarter216]

tellis,

I know exactly where you're coming from. The biggest learning tool, for me, came from reading Syd Field's book. The following phrase forever changed how I approached a story, and in many ways, eliminated most of the reasons for writer's block:

"Know Your Ending"

You have a great idea with a great hook. But before you can go any further, you absolutely have to know how it ends. If you know what your setup is, and you know how you want to resolve it, then you can construct the pieces in between to have your beginning meet your end.

This radically changed my approach to writing, for the better. Every time I come up with an idea I really like, I immediately ask myself, "Okay. So how does it end?" If I can't figure that out yet, then I don't even touch a pen or a keyboard. You have to know how it ends.