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Chapter 1 The Kernel of the Idea
Weâre going to kick things off by spending what perhaps might seem like an inordinate amount of time looking at the source of story ideas. Why? Because it really helps to clear away a bunch of the weeds if you can articulate the source of your inspiration.
By that I mean the more you can categorize or classify your story, the easier it is to identify its genre along with its attendant conventions and, in so doing, avoid duplication, derivation or triteness (weâll go into much more detail on this stuff later).
And finally, it also helps to know what has come before in terms of similarly sourced stories, so you can watch and learn how they treated their subject matter. Sometimes the learning comes from seeing what not to do from unsuccessful movies.
Screen pundits pontificate that ideas are âa dime a dozen.â What theyâre saying is that writing is all about the execution, and I completely concur. Nevertheless, one canât start writing anything without an idea, preferably one with some originality.
On that latter point, youâve probably heard that there are only twelve basic plots. Or maybe nine. Or fifteen. Whatever the number, the notion suggests that every story has been told already many times over, so what can you contribute to the canon?
Yourself. No two people will tell the same story the same way. Your life experience and your voice, authentically shared, will ensure your material is original. Write what you believe and feel, not what you think others might want to read or screen.
Avoiding clichĂ©s is another tool in the kit, but weâll get into that in more detail later. Right now, weâre addressing what I call the âkernel,â meaning, simply, the germ of your story idea. The thing that got you going. The thing that first got you excited.
Hereâs the good news about kernels: they can be anything and come from anywhere. Thereâs no correct or appropriate source for ideas. Inspiration knows no boundaries. So donât ever think your idea is unworthy because of its humble or obscure origins.
I would quickly provide one caveat, and that is when youâre dogging a trend. By that I mean youâve noticed that a certain genre or type of film seems to be in vogue, so you conceive or develop a similar idea with the intention of mining the same vein of ore.
Donât do it. Why? Because those movies were green-lit two or three years prior, and by the time you detect any sort of trend, it will already be passĂ©, as trends by their nature are fleeting. Decision-makers will have already moved on to the ânext big thing.â
The other reason to forgo an âindustrialâ approach is that you likely wonât follow through, either abandoning the screenplay or not starting it at all. Or if you do manage to complete a draft, it likely will be uninspired. The reason: you didnât really care about it.
Which brings us to the âP wordâ: passion. I know you hear this word so often that you want to vomit, but the fact is, if youâre not passionate about your idea, youâre doomed. In the dark timesâand trust me there will be dark timesânothing else will sustain you.
Without passion for your idea, youâll fold at the first negative critique. Usually that first negative critique will be your own. The only thing that will enable you to push through is belief. You may not yet believe in yourself as a writer (emphasis: yet), but you must believe in your idea. Only then will the kernel have a chance to sprout and grow.
Based on the notion that ideas can come from anywhere, in this section weâre going to look at common sources of inspiration, illustrated by examples from contemporary and classic movies. Specifically, weâll look at character, situation, arena, genre, and adaptation.
Whether youâre initially inspired to write about a particular situation or in a specific genre, or you decide to adapt an existing work or true story, ultimately your characters will drive the story, so weâre going to spend a bit more time on them than the others.
Character
One great place to start is to create a character, either imagined or based on a real person, or some combination of both. First, ask yourself these questions:
- What is it about this character that fascinates me?
- Why do I think a story about this character will captivate others?
Youâll note that Iâm talking about a person, singular, not a group. With very few exceptions, stories are driven by a single central character known as the protagonist. The protagonist has also been called the âhero,â but this might be a misnomer in stories where theyâre unlikeable. Or evil. Or tragic. So letâs stick with protagonist.
While there are plenty of examples of ensemble films with multiple story lines and/or central characters that seem to be given equal weight, I suggest that upon closer analysis, these films actually provide a slightly greater focus on one of the story lines and its protagonist. Or alternatively, within each story line thereâs one clear protagonist.
Weâll delve deeper into the role of the protagonist in chapter 4. For now, letâs just consider protagonists as characters that are so interesting you want to fashion a story around them. I intentionally use the word âinterestingâ because we donât actually have to like them; we just have to give a damn about them, that is, be interested in their plight.
Think about that for a moment. âCaringâ about them doesnât mean âlikingâ them. Of course it could include liking them, but at the end of the day, liking them isnât actually necessary or important. Being interested in them is the only thing that matters.
So what makes a character inherently interesting? Letâs take a look.
Characters with contradictions
These types of characters immediately pique our interest because we know that two incompatible traits ultimately cannot co-exist in the same person. We know something will have to give and, like a slow motion car wreck, weâre compelled to watch.
FILM EXAMPLES OF CHARACTERS WITH CONTRADICTIONS
CONTEMPORARY FILM
Matchstick Men
Roy Waller (Nicolas Cage) is a con man with OCD, rendering him a neat freak whoâs afflicted with facial and vocal tics whenever heâs under stress. When he learns he may have fathered a preteen daughter (Alison Lohman) and then meets her, his symptoms worsen as he soon finds himself caught between his âworkâ and his responsibility as a parent. These two worlds are bound to collide and the outcome is both unexpected and inevitable.
CLASSIC FILMS
Good Will Hunting
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a genius whoâs squandering his brilliance. We question why anyone who has such natural gifts would willingly forgo t...