Tom Vaughan’s Post

Big picture story structure: Act 1: I have a problem. Act 2A: I think I'll solve it. Act 2B: This is harder than I thought. Act 3: The sacrifice. Keep it simple. Great story structure is necessary, but it is not thing itself. It is just the framework. The scenes, characters, and surprising moments are where your screenwriting will shine. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

Don't write a story where the protagonist changes at the end. Write a story where the protagonist changes throughout, and that change is what allows a satisfying end. My screenwriting improved dramatically when I realized the difference -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

Consistency in your screenwriting is about processes and experience, not talent or inspiration. It's what you choose to work on, how you develop it, what you value, and knowing how to rewrite it. The habits you embrace today dictate what kind of progress you achieve in your screenwriting tomorrow. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

The three most fundamental elements of narrative drama. 1. ) Someone wants something. 2.) They're having trouble getting it. 3.) Something will happen if they fail. If you can't identify all three in your screenwriting, you did something wrong. Rework whatever you're doing until you can. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

Whenever I've struggled with my own screenwriting, I've found one of these is to blame. 1. I've lost track of the story and/or emotion. 2. I've lost confidence. 3. I'm over-complicating what should be simple. The fix? Figure out which area it is that's broken down, and then double my effort into the other two. This tends to do the trick and get them all back to normal. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

I say to myself at least once on nearly every screenplay, "This is not working. I am wasting my time." Usually around page 35. 👇 This is so expected with my screenwriting now that as soon as it happens, I think, "Here we go again..." And then I just... carry on. ------ Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 4,900+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

If you're struggling with the subplots in your screenwriting, structure them out just like the main storyline. The more important the subplot, the more of those story points you will see. - Ordinary world. - Inciting incident. - Dramatic question. - Midpoint. - Crisis. - Resolution. A minor subplot might just have a dramatic question and a resolution. If it doesn't have a dramatic question, I don't treat it as a subplot. Just flavor or maybe a runner. I feel much more confident about the structure when I see them mapped out along with everything else. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

After screenwriting for 28 years, I'm convinced the two most important factors in selling a spec are: 1. The quality of the logline. 2. How well you fulfill the promise of that logline. Yes, there's space outside that (thank goodness), but that's what gives you the best chance. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

Three character questions that clarified so much for my screenwriting: 𝟭) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁? This is who they are in Act 1. 𝟮) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁? This is who they are in Act 3.👇 𝟯) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗥? This is what keeps them from realizing the difference. If I am stuck, these questions can map out an entire character journey. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

That need to "get started" before I knew where I was going hobbled my screenwriting for years. The three sins of the outline phase for your screenwriting: 1. Impatience (I want to get to the fun stuff!) 2. Laziness (It's easier to just write it!) 3. Indecisiveness (I can't make a decision.) Do the work. You can’t tell a story if you don’t know what story you’re telling. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc