3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Envisioning the Future
The 3-2-1 is back. If you caught my last post, you know I've been building some new things behind the scenes. Now we're settling into a rhythm again. Show Up & Write (formerly NoonWriters) has a new name, a soon-to-be-launched new look, and the same daily writing sessions keeping writers accountable. More on all of that soon.
On with the show -
3 TIPS FROM ME
I. Honor the Promise of Your Premise
Your opening pages are a contract. They tell the reader: this is the kind of story you're about to experience. A comedy promises laughs. A thriller promises danger. A story about imagining a different future needs to promise that on page one. Look at your first five pages. What promise are they making? Is it the promise your story actually keeps?
II. Let Theme Live in Action
Your theme shouldn't be stated in dialogue unless you want it to feel heavy-handed. Check: does your protagonist's final action EMBODY your theme? If your movie is about forgiveness, does the climax literally require the protagonist to forgive someone? If your story believes a better future is possible, your protagonist has to build one through their choices, not just talk about it. Theme lives in what characters DO, not what they say.
III. The Climax Test
Does your climax force your protagonist to make the HARDEST choice they could possibly face? Not a hard choice - THE HARDEST choice. The one that costs them the thing they care about most. If the answer comes easily to them, the stakes might not be high enough.
2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I. "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
- Toni Morrison
II. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit."
- Aristotle
1 QUESTION FOR YOU
Think about the story you've been telling yourself about why something isn't possible yet. Is that story still true, or has it simply become familiar?
Until next week,
Kate Gaulke
P.S. Happy Aries Season ♈︎🌑
