Story Therapy: Finding the WHYs behind the WHYs
I had just pitched a timepiece romance to a Hollywood producer, and he asked, “Why do you want to tell this story?” It was a...
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Dream Big,
Map Your Story and
Screenwriters are Story Writers first.
Our job is to combine Words and Images that will
bring life and meaning to the Page and Screen.
Write Your Heart Out!
We must see ourselves as both Planners and Pantsers--creatives who seamlessly blend Imagination, Experience, and Logic, as the Vital and Collaborative components of our well-honed Craft.
We must aim to write Authentic stories by having the courage to unearth personal desires and
hidden motivations for wanting to share a unique and insightful narrative with others.
We must reference time-honored Story principles of those who have paved the road before us,
if only to guide the unified stacking of story blocks within every Plot, Scene, and Act.
Out of reverence for the Masters, we must also strive to please our expectant audiences
and aspire to be Masters of Story and Character Development,
as this is the path toward Mastery of Screenwriting.
--T. Bear Hayes
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If you are serious about being a Screenwriter, then you'll want to take a fresh look at the major elements of storytelling. The Protagonist, Supporting Characters, Plot, Setting, Antagonist, Conflict, and Theme all have multiple facets--with distinct purposes, placement, and impact--all of which expand upon everything you may have learned in primary and secondary writing classes. Harmoniously, these facets will guide your insight and imagination and assist in writing complex and cohesive, forward-moving stories with masterful focus and intention. Taking the time to learn these advanced fundamentals--whether you are a planner or a pantser--will result in more satisfying (and more completed) early drafts that align more closely with your story vision.
"Movies are finally, centrally, crucially, primarily only about story."
--William Goldman (1931-2018), Academy Award Winning Screenwriter of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1971),
All The President's Men (1976), Heat (1986), Princess Bride (1987), Misery (1990), Chaplin (1992), Maverick (1994), and many more.