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Could you have the same protagonist in your subplot as in your main story? - Question/Answer Now Playing


Could you have the same protagonist in your subplot as in your main story?

Mar 29, 2011

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Could you have the same protagonist in your subplot as in your main story? - Question/Answer Q & A Discussion


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melody123: Next Step
at Apr 03, 2011 - 12:09 PM
I'm re-learning how to write scripts (after spending the past 25-30 years writing books).  I've now committed to writing scripts, and it's been a goal since I began writing (to write scripts the end-part of my career).  However, I under-estimated how much I need to learn to create anything but a mediocre piece.  I'm writing a story "inspired by" my bestselling book (about 8 million copies).  The chalenge is that it's a didactic, teaching book.  So I'm going to the drawing board of my life and imagination to create a story that implements the ideas I teach in my book.  Any suggestions other than to know the difference between my life and a good story?  I've read your book three times now.  I believe I know the story.  So my next step is the notecards -- one for each sequence --with a sentence or two on the back essentially describing the sub-text or sub-story?  Then do I write a treatment based on that?  Or if I'm pleased and the cards appear to work, do I move forward and write a card for each scene, with a couple paragraphs (again in subtext and no dialogue) on the back?  This method of writing varies greatly from the way I've been taught. I've been taking online classes for the past five-seven years while I finished my book commitments. This method of writing from the inside out makes a great deal more sense.  But I want to be clear about the next steps as I'm on extremely shaky ground.  It's been my goal to write well as a newspaper reporter, then an author. (I've written and had published 18 books.)  I want to continue that commitment to excellence to the screenwriting years.  I've not been able, until now, to figure out why we have 1200 or more tv stations and it's almost impossible to find one good movie.  Reading your book, the light when on.  A movie will only be as good as a script, and a script will only be written as well as the writer's commitment to excellence, which seems to be a rare commodity in any area of life now.  Thanks for your book and any advice you can give about the next steps.  I've been fighting with this draft for almost a year and had two producers interested, but the script did not feel right or good to me.  Then I found new books and mentors.  Instead of working with the draft I created and trying to fix that (which is like going back to our government and trying to make a few changes here and there), I've gone back to the beginning and started from scratch.  I think I'm happy with the story and structure but if I use your method, I'll see.  Just wanted to know what my next step should be.  I have the title, premise, protaganist, goal, antagonist, and the beginning and ending.  I have a feeling for how I want to present the material and what events I want to show.  I'm surrounded by hundreds of notecards where I've scribbled and fought with the structure (it's the most challenging one I've encountered yet).  I think I have it dialed in.  Unless you poast differently, I'm going to start with sequence cards now -- aim on one side and one or two sentences about how to accomplish that on the back. The specific question is:  Is that the right next step, and do I follow it with a treatment based on those cards, or if I'm happy with the cards do I move on and make cards based on each scene?  Thanks for the site and the excellent book.

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