Why This is Good

Before the story gets going, before the adventure begins, the first ten percent must be used to show the hero’s everyday existence, what their daily routine is like prior to the inciting incident. As I discussed in the post on introducing your hero, one of the best ways to do this is to show your hero actively doing something when the story opens. While they are technically active, they are probably engaged in an activity they have done a million times. Most movies do not open with the hero skydiving for the first time, or reaching the peak of a mountain they’ve never climbed before, or winning a prize or a race. By definition, the Ordinary World-the hero’s normal life before the story starts-is normal, boring, and mundane.

At this early point in the story it is okay for them to be engaged in an average everyday existence. The audience and reader’s mind is open and in a learning mode. They are looking for clues and trying to figure the story out, so at this early point they are open to seeing the hero doing a few normal things. That’s not to say that you should spend five pages describing the hero brushing their teeth or getting ready for work, although some films, to set up contrast, do spend a lot of time examining routines like this-Paranormal Activity and Stranger Than Fiction are a few that spend a lot of time setting up a dull everyday existence, but they do this as a technique to offer contrast between what life was like before the story got started, and how significantly it changed after the inciting incident changed the character’s lives forever.

In cases like Shrek, Elf, Daybreakers, Star Wars or Harry Potter, the Ordinary World is something extraordinary and wonderful to us, so it makes sense to dwell in the swamp examining Shrek’s odd takes on grooming rituals, or in the North Pole to take a closer look at what elf life is like. These worlds are ordinary to the characters, but interesting and different to us. In fantasy, future, or sci-fi genres, time needs to be taken examining and exploring the Ordinary World so the audience will feel as comfortable there as the characters are. Examining the rules and the way this strange world works will help orient the audience so that they can fully understand the story, the characters, and the hero.

A big part of the hero’s normal life is the introduction of their friends and mentors. Establishing their relationships helps us understand who the hero is, and often the way they relate to people in the first ten percent will show us how dysfunctional they are, and give us a reference to see how much they have changed and grown by the end of the film. The hero will often grow and learn something while their friend doesn’t change at all, as in Legally Blonde, 13 Going on 30 or Sideways. This offers a contrast and emphasizes the hero’s growth as compared to the friend who represents who the hero was at the start of the story.

Often the hero will evolve out of the romantic relationship they were in at the beginning of the film because they have grown as a result of the adventures they will undertake-as in The Wedding Singer, When Harry Met Sally, About a Boy and most romantic comedies.

Jobs and careers usually change throughout a hero’s journey, and establishing where the hero works and why it isn’t right is an important part of the first ten percent if their career will be a part of the story. In movies about career, like Office Space or The Devil Wears Prada, obviously this is true, but you’ll also see it in non-career based movies like 27 Dresses, Julie and Julia, Fight Club, and 500 Days of Summer. By rejecting the job they had at the start of the story, before they were transformed by the events of the story, the hero is symbolically proclaiming that they have changed and grown and throwing off the mantle of their former life.

The hero’s entire life can and should change as a result of the journey they will undergo, their relationships, their attitude, their perspective, their career, their friendships and their personality will all change. In order to appreciate and understand how significantly the change is, it is important for the screenwriter to spend adequate time establishing what they are like in the first ten percent and showing us why they need to change to really be happy and fulfilled.

For more information on hooking your reader, check out Michael Hauge’s lecture Grabbing the Reader in the First 10 Pages-available on DVD by clicking here.

Taking the reader out of the world they inhabit and into the world of your story is a vital part of good storytelling. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, a stage or a screenplay, you must transport the audience into the world of the story. This is especially important when writing about a time or place that is drastically different than the world your viewers inhabit, but it is still important if you are writing about the present time in a very familiar location.

Stories that fail to properly bring the reader into the world of the story are less engaging and less real. If the setting doesn’t feel authentic, and the story begins abruptly without establishing where we are and what the rules of this world are, the reader will have a hard time relating to the story and caring about what happens. Just as you must create empathy for your hero in order for the audience to relate to them and see the story through their eyes, you must create a world which feels so real and alive that the audience is transported there and forgets that they’re actually sitting in a movie theater, or at home reading a script, and is completely enveloped in the vivid, exciting place you have created. As with character description, the most effective way to do this is to choose the most vivid, visual details that most efficiently convey the image and essence of the place or time you are creating.

After plunging us down into the depths of the world the sunken Titanic now inhabits, the script takes its time to show us what life was like for those who boarded the ship in on its maiden voyage in 1912. The grandeur and richness of Rose’s world was portrayed in the opening of Titanic by showing her clothes and the opulence of her world, as compared to the dull, dingy rough world Jack inhabited. These details not only set the stage for their star-crossed love story, but brought us into the world of 1912 London with stunning realism.

In Daybreakers this future world is examined carefully and much time is spent showing us what life might be like if everyone were a vampire. The different inventions and changes that have taken place to accommodate a population who cannot tolerate sunlight are shown and examined, and the filmmakers take their time drawing us into this new world, with shots of the dead faces of the people, the small changes to everyday life, the fact that everyone smokes, they examine the minor problems of how people get around in the daylight, and the fact that there are kids who will never grow up. By the time the story gets underway, the audience feels immersed in this strange world, and understands how everything works.

In the first Lord of the Rings we spend plenty of time in the Shire with the Hobbits, before rushing into the story. Since this is not only the past but an imaginary realm with different species and types of people, the writers have made sure that everyone-even those unfamiliar with the books-will feel comfortable in this new word.

Shrek opens with the storybook to help emphasize that this movie pokes fun at all of the other fairytales, and to draw attention to the fact that this is a fairytale.

In Sideways, the opening slowly reveals where we are, what Miles is like, and where the characters are going. The drive up the coast is gorgeous and immediately orients the reader in California and offers a wonderful transition from the cities they leave behind to the quiet wine country they approach.
While some who love downtown L.A. and want to imagine it as the next New York City adore the way 500 Days of Summer uses its setting, it felt very generic and un-Los Angeles like to me. The settings were beautiful, and time was taken to discuss them, but the way the characters acted and the people populating this world made it feel very un-Southern Californian and made it evident that the writers were more familiar with a city like San Francisco, where public transportation is the norm, and where people actually walk around at all hours of the day and night.

Not only did the makers of The Box fail to successfully draw the viewer into the story, they failed to utilize the setting they chose. For some reason, the story was set in the 70’s, but aside from the mention of the date and the excess sideburns, one would have never known that it wasn’t taking place in the present. Aside from wanting to adhere to original story, I can’t comprehend why the story was set in the 70’s as it didn’t seem to matter to the story. Like 500 Days of Summer, if no one had mentioned where they were-in this case, where in time-I would have never guessed it was supposed to be in the 70’s.

As you read screenplays and watch films, pay attention to how well the screenwriter or filmmaker draws you into the world of the story. The contrast is sharper in stories set in another time or place, but even contemporary stories set in your hometown can succeed or fail at creating a realistic and vivid world that brings you into the story and makes you want to stay. You’ll know the story has succeeded at drawing you into the world if you feel completely engrossed and do not want to put the script down or pause the dvd. If a sound in another room startles you because you are so engaged by the film that you have forgotten where you are and what world you really inhabit, then the screenwriter has done their job well. If you find yourself getting up, fidgeting, looking away from the page or the screen, getting popcorn or going to the bathroom, the story is not compelling, and this may be due in a large part to the failure at drawing you into a new world in the first ten percent of the story.

For more information on the first 10%, check out Michael Hauge’s lecture Grabbing the Reader in the First 10 Pages-available on DVD by clicking here.

Aside from the physical description, it is important how you introduce your hero to the audience. When you introduce them, what they are doing, and what they say are going to give your audience their first impression of your hero and set up what they think of them throughout the rest of the script.

Within the first ten pages, as reviewed in the last post, we must establish sympathy for the hero by using one of these techniques.You may choose to introduce your hero in the midst of doing one of these things-maybe the first time we see them they are having a birthday party thrown for them, giving cash to a homeless person, or getting fired or kicking butt at work. But you don’t have to use the sympathy techniques right away. As long as you create empathy within the first ten pages, you can introduce your hero in any way you want. Any way that fits in the story, makes sense for the character, and conveys who they are, that is.

Whether you use these sympathy techniques right away or not, it is important to introduce the hero in the middle of doing something. You don’t want to show them sitting around, sleeping, watching TV, drinking at a bar, driving, or any sedentary, dull activity. Showing an inactive, passive hero makes them come across as a loser. Even if the character starts out as a loser, or is going to grow and change throughout the movie, they can still be active when we first see them.

In Being John Malkovich, one of the first things we see Craig doing is performing with his marionettes. We see that despite his appearance, his weird home, and his depressed attitude, he is a true artist with enormous talent. He starts out as an inactive, uninspired struggling artist, but because of the way we see him in the first few scenes, we understand that he is talented and passionate.

If their job is an important part of the story, and is generally is, even if it is something they will stop doing, introduce them in at the job, doing their normal tasks-as in Jerry Maguire or Tootsie. Seeing them while they are working shows us a lot about them and helps draw the reader into the world of the story-in these cases the world of sports agents and the world of actors in New York city-while also revealing what they do and who they are to the audience. If we see the characters at their job or doing what they love most when they are first introduced, you don’t have to go back and explain, or have the characters unnaturally state in the dialogue that they are an actor or a sports agent. We already know and we understand that this is the essence of who they are and an important part of their life because it is the first thing we see them doing, and first impressions stick.

An important part of the first ten percent is drawing the reader into the world of the story, particularly if it is set in a fantasy realm, or a past or future world we might be unfamiliar with. This can be achieved not only through appropriate description of the setting, which is important, but through your introduction of your hero. Showing the hero interacting in this new world can help draw the reader into the new place in an engaging way that also helps them identify with the hero. In Shrek, the opening sequence where Shrek does all of his odd ogre morning rituals helps us to learn about who Shrek is, what his world is like, and get us comfortable and familiar with this new world. It is an active, interesting and amusing opening and is an excellent example of how to introduce a hero.

Ideally, your hero should be the very first major character that is introduced. The audience at this point is looking for someone to identify with and trying to figure out who the important people are. Sometimes it is not possible to put the hero first, and if this is the case with your story, make it clear when you do introduce the hero that he or she is the hero. Take extra time to describe the hero, but please don’t rely on the cheesy gimmick of talking to your reader by stating in the text that “We find our hero…” or “Our hero, BOB, is busy at work,” etc. Those devices are hackneyed and irritating. If your story and your writing are strong enough, it will be easy to spot the hero.

For more information on the first 10%, check out Michael Hauge’s lecture Grabbing the Reader in the First 10 Pages-available on DVD by clicking here.

The first ten percent of the film establishes the character in their everyday life, or the “Ordinary World” to use Chris Vogler’s terminology. This part of the script is often the easiest to write, and because of that, many writers overlook it and don’t spend as much time here analyzing and agonizing over every word. Since the second act is often the most difficult, and the third act contains the climax and the most exciting part of the story, the opening ten percent is glossed over.

This first portion of your script is where you win or lose your audience or your reader, and it is vital to the success of your script. Some scripts open right away with an inciting incident that sets the story in motion. In this case the first ten percent is off to a quick start and the writer will have to go back when the action has slowed a bit to establish who the character is and what their world is like. For the majority of films, and the majority of screenwriting structure paradigms, the first ten percent prior to the inciting incident is what tells us who the character is, what their everyday life is like, and establishes why we should like them and care enough about them to want to watch the rest of the film.

In this short amount of time, you need to accomplish several things:

-Introduce and describe the hero.

-Grab the reader’s attention with an exciting, compelling story and engaging writing.

-Establish the hero’s normal life, what they are like and what they are doing before the story really starts.

-Invite the reader into the world of the story by using vivid detail and visual descriptions to create a realistic and three-dimensional setting, whether the story is set in a real or imagined world, in the past, present or future.

-Create empathy for the hero using some of the techniques described here.

-Show the inciting incident that sets the story in motion.

This is not to be confused with the first act turning point that occurs at 25% and firmly establishes the goal for the rest of the film. The inciting incident is the very first event that begins the hero’s journey out of their ordinary world and into the world of the story.

For the next few days, I’ll examine how to accomplish each of these objectives in depth. First I’ll discuss introducing the hero, specifically, describing them.

While character descriptions must be brief, the description of the hero can be a little longer. Take a full paragraph-at least a few sentences-to really describe the hero. Remember that the character description should not be about hair and eye color, or any physical description that would limit casting, unless specific looks are essential to the story or the character. For example, the hobbits had to be described as short, rotund, and with hairy feet,  that Elle Woods was Legally Blonde, and it did matter to the story that all those nerdy girls who would become hot by taking off their glasses or getting a makeover (She’s All That, The Princess Diaries, Walk to Remember, Never Been Kissed, etc.) looked nerdy. But even when looks matter, you’ll find that the descriptions aren’t so specific-as they often get in books-that only one person could play the part. Any number of blondes could have been Elle, the hobbits casting wasn’t limited to brunettes, and those nerdy pre-makeover girls could have any number of hair color, eye color or height.

What matters in describing characters, particularly your hero, is capturing their essence. Who are they? What can we tell about their personality from the way they act, the way they carry themselves, or the way they dress? And while you cannot get into the character’s head and give us a psychoanalysis of their neuroses and hang-ups, you can and should give us an overall image of what they’re like.

You can also use visual description to imply what a personality is like, it’s all about choosing the right adjectives. You need to pick words that can be acted and shown on screen. Shy is not as visual and actable as timid, meek, soft-spoken or careful. Mean is not as visual as aggressive or hostile. Nice is not as visual as warm, friendly or bubbly. Be careful in your descriptions, and try to choose the most actable, visual words to describe your hero. Throughout the script, make sure that we see them acting in a way that is consistent with this description. As you review your character descriptions, ask yourself how the audience will know that what you’ve described is true, since they won’t be able to see the words you’ve written. If your description is visual and actable, then everything you’ve written about your character will be easily known and understood by viewers watching your film, not just people reading your script.

Here are two character descriptions that say the same things about the hero. The first is an example of what not to do-and what most writers do out of habit in their first draft. The second description rewrites the first in a more visual way that an actor could take to the screen and portray.

JESSICA is 5’8” and 140lbs, thin but muscular and toned. She is 24 years old. She spends all her time outside riding horses so she is always tan, with some freckles on her nose and cheeks. She has long brown hair that she always wears up in a ponytail. Jessica’s parents divorced when she was six and she has always had a hard time trusting people because her father left her and her mom. She has abandonment issues and when she gets into a relationship she always suspects her boyfriends of cheating on her. She gets jealous easily and constantly starts fights with them, and has a hard time being friendly because she is afraid if she gets close to someone they will leave like her father did.

JESSICA, 24, is athletic and outdoorsy. She wears black mud-covered riding boots over dusty, worn jeans and a thin white tank top. Her hair is pulled up out of the way. Jessica is reserved and cautious.

It’s not just the length of the description that has been cut down, it’s the novelistic background details that aren’t visual. How would the audience know that Jessica’s parents divorced? The only way they would know is if she reveals it in dialogue, or if you show a flashback of this event happening. But those things are not part of the character description.

The details about what she does in a relationship are also not something that can be acted on screen when Jessica is first introduced. Rather than telling your reader something the audience cannot see, you will need to show that Jessica does this by writing out scenes in which she acts this way. The details about her looks that limit casting have been omitted, and the overall look is summed up in the general but visual adjectives of athletic and outdoorsy. The important thing about her is that she is athletic.

By describing her clothes, we can tell she rides horses. Even better would be if she were introduced in a restaurant, or at school or work-somewhere where the fact that she was dressed this way was not appropriate and would reveal that she is so into riding she is always just coming from seeing her horse and can’t be bothered changing into more suitable clothes. This is a good way to show that she is a rider rather than novelistically telling us that she rides horses a lot.

To transform the novelistic sentence: “She has long brown hair that she always wears up in a ponytail” to one that works in a screenplay, I have changed it to “Her hair is pulled up out of the way.” No need to limit casting with the long brown hair detail, it doesn’t matter to the essence of the character if her hair is long and brown or short and blonde. We can’t know that she always wears it up because we are only describing what we see here. Her hair is up now, but the audience would have no way of knowing that she always wears her hair in a ponytail, so it’s inappropriate to describe her this way in a screenplay.

By saying she is reserved and cautious, we have transformed all of her background information and hang-ups into two actable, specific, visual adjectives that the actor can use to approach the character and show us that she has all of these issues, the details of which can be revealed through dialogue and later events. The important thing now is giving an overall impression and a visual description that evokes an image in the readers mind, and character traits that any athletic, 20-something actress could portray.

In your first draft, don’t slow down your writing by worrying over every word. Describe the character as you see him or her, but go back in subsequent revisions and analyze whether or not your descriptions are visual or not. Ask yourself how the audience will see that what you have written is true. If the only way to know a detail you have put down would be to read the script, then you need to revise your description to make it more visual and appropriate for a screenplay.

For more information on the first 10%, check out Michael Hauge’s lecture Grabbing the Reader in the First 10 Pages-available on DVD by clicking here.

The best way to explain montage in American filmmaking can be summed up by these lyrics from Team America:World Police:

The hours approaching, just give it your best
You’ve got to reach your prime.
That’s when you need to put yourself to the test,
And show us a passage of time,
We’re gonna need a montage (montage)
Oh it takes a montage (montage)

Show a lot of things happing at once,
Remind everyone of what’s going on (what’s going on?)
And with every shot you show a little improvement
To show it all would take to long
That’s called a montage (montage)
Oh we want montage (montage)

And anything that we want to go from just a beginner to a pro,
You need a montage (montage)
Even Rocky had a montage (montage)

(Montage…montage)

Anything that we want to go from just a beginner to a pro,
You need a montage (montage)
Oh it takes a montage (montage)

Always fade out in a montage,
If you fade out, it seem like more time
Has passed in a montage,
Montage

Watch the sequence on You Tube here.

As the song so eloquently describes, montages are typically used to show the passage of time by using a series of shots. Most montages do not use the actual sound from each scene, but rely on a song or theme music over the shots to unify them into one cohesive piece.

The most common, and now clichéd use of montage is the training montage, which involves someone learning how to do something and as the song says “with every shot you show a little improvement, to show it all would take too long.” This song was used over the training montage in both Team America World Police, and an episode of South Park, Asspen in which Stan had to train to beat an older skier on an intimidating run. The technique, especially popular in the 70’s and 80’s, is in all kinds of movies-as the song notes, Rocky, The Karate Kid, Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters, Footloose , Kung Fu Panda, and amost martial arts movies.

For a silly montage of training montages, check out this video on You Tube.

Montage is often used to show preparations for a journey or a battle, as in Lord of the Rings, or the actual war or battles themselves, as in Braveheart.

It’s also often used in a non-training sense to show people falling in love, as in Groundhog Day, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, etc. Or, to show someone reminiscing about lost love, or thinking about the person they love, as in Casablanca, When Harry Met Sally, and 500 Days of Summer. Even in Toy Story, Woody reminisces about the good times he had with Andy. This device is so common, you might not even notice it as a device, but just watch it as another part of the film.

American montage should not be confused with Soviet montage, which is used to show the thematic connection between two things. Sergei Eisenstein’s Soviet montage theory is that you can create a sort of cinematic metaphor by juxtaposing two images. The technique will feature one shot of something within the story, then abruptly cut to another shot of an image, sometimes even an image unrelated to the story, that thematically ties to the first image. These montages served to imply, and not very subtly, that the first shot was like the second shot.  In Eisenstein’s Strike, we see a shot of the rebelling workers being brutalized, and the next shot is a cow being slaughtered. The cow is not a part of the story, and has nothing to do with the narrative, but it is used thematically to compare the workers to the cattle and create an association in the mind of the viewer.

A good example of Soviet montage being used in American film is the montage sequence in The Godfather, when shots of the baptism are edited together with the different mobsters being killed. This sequence shows the irony of the pure, innocent act of baptism, the hypocrisy of the mob boss pretending to be religious and also represents Michael being baptized – in blood rather than water — into his new role in the family at the same time his nephew is literally being baptized.

Soviet montage wasn’t just about metaphors, this editing technique was used in other ways to elicit emotion and create desired effects. Montage was used to create pacing, by showing increasingly shorter and shorter shots, which gives the sense of an increasing pace.  Shots were cut at different times to create different feelings than the images would have been if traditionally edited.

Although montage is an editing technique, writers can and should incorporate montage into their script if and when it is necessary and appropriate to the story. The training montage technique has become a bit clichéd, but if you can be creative enough in the way you choose your images and what you show, you can use this device without it looking hackneyed. And sometimes it really is the only way to “go from just a beginner to a pro.”

If you are going to do a montage, make sure you understand what it is and what it isn’t. Whether Soviet or American, a montage represents a series of shots-that means that each image you describe should be something that can be shown within only a few seconds, if that. If each of your montage “shots” is several sentences long and involves a lot of dialogue, it’s probably not a montage, just write it out as a regular scene.

When you’re watching movies, look out for montage and note how well it was executed. What was the overall message of the montage? Was it used to show training, time passing, or a relationship developing? Or was it used thematically? If it was thematic, what was the message the filmmaker was trying to convey? What images or juxtapositions did they use to evoke an emotional response in the

We’re now almost three weeks into the New Year-how are you doing with all those writing resolutions? As any good teacher, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that I wouldn’t do, and I have so far not failed in my quest to watch two movies per week. These movies are movies I’ve never seen, sometimes new in the theater and sometimes new to me. I’ve signed up for Blockbuster Online, which I highly recommend. Netflix is also an awesome service, I used it in graduate school when I had to watch 3-5 often quite obscure movies per week. I think both programs are great, a really good value, and a must for screenwriters. The Blockbuster option has the advantage of letting you return a movie you got via mail to the store, which is good when you get an impulse to watch a movie that may not be in your queue-you can still run out and rent like in the olden days without paying any extra fees. I’m currently on the one-movie-at-a-time plan, which is around $12 a month-well worth the price. There are other options available and I highly recommend investing in this service, it’s not only the cheapest way to see a bunch of movies, it’s so convenient you’ll be less likely to skip out on your resolution.

But I digress.

The following are the movies I have watched so far this year with a brief note on each, and something you can learn about screenwriting from them.

Lars and the Real Girl-This was the first movie I ordered from Blockbuster online, I have been meaning to watch it for awhile and was not let down. Michael Hauge highly recommended it and even used it (along with the Bourne Identity) in one of his lectures at the Screenwriting Expo on Creating Powerful Scenes to illustrate his point that character, desire and conflict form the basis of every scene.

The film is very slow and quiet, contained and a little claustrophobic. It is very sweet and heartwarming, and Ryan Gosling is amazing. If you liked Shopgirl, I would recommend this, if you liked this, see Shopgirl. The two films are very different but they have the same small, quiet tone, and both deal with a love story that isn’t perfect, but that prepares the main character to grow to a point where they can finally be ready to love in a healthy relationship.

Daybreakers-see my review

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-It pains me to admit I hadn’t seen this classic until now, but finally checked it off my list. The superb acting is what really made this film work for me-Jack Nicholson, of course, was wonderful, but the rest of the cast was equally great. By treating the other patients like normal people, in a way no one else ever has, he allows them to experience happiness and freedom that. This movie is all about subtlety, and while it is a little episodic due to its literary basis, it still works on screen because of how well the cast is able to convey emotion and passion with the smallest changes in facial expression and tone. The tension and antagonism that develop is interesting when you consider how little physical confrontation takes place during most of the film.

10 Things I Hate About You-Another modern adaptation of Shakespeare, this teen-comedy version of Taming of the Shrew is cute, fun, and easy to watch. It’s not the most amazing film ever made, but it’s a good teen romantic comedy. When you have such a solid story backing you, it’s hard to screw it up, and Heath Ledger fans will adore his performance.

My Fair Lady-Again, a crime that I haven’t seen this until now, but I’m glad I finally did. While, like all musicals, it was a little too perfectly cheery and choreographed, it was an excellent retelling of the classic Cinderella/Pygmalion story that has inspired so many movies and books. Audrey Hepburn is, as always, phenomenal, and it’s refreshing that even in a musical set in such a romantic era, the romance that develops between Eliza and Henry is real, grounded and a touch cynical.

500 Days of Summer-Cute modern love story, structure buffs will find the non-linear storytelling interesting, though it’s not groundbreaking or amazingly original, because the different days chosen to tell the story still follow the classic plot points of the standard three act structure.

The one major critique I have of this movie is that it did not utilize its setting well. Until one of the characters mentioned that they were in Los Angeles, I had assumed they were in New York City. It wasn’t just the love story and the dialogue that reminded one of Annie Hall, it was the settings and the people and their actions-everything screamed New York City.  I was not surprised to find out that the original story was set in San Francisco, and later moved to L.A. and slightly tweaked. Even though the characters talk about the buildings, point out L.A. landmarks, and really are walking around L.A., it doesn’t feel like it’s really set here. The way they act, the places they go, and their huge reliance on public transportation belie the fact that this was originally a story set in a different type of city. The main character owns a car, but only uses it once-he and his girlfriend walk around, take buses, subways, trains. Everything looked like another city-the weather, the other people, the clothing. It was clear the writers had not meant for it to be set here and it bothered me and made the film feel less authentic. I don’t live downtown, so maybe life is really like that there now, but I have lived right outside the city for my entire life and spent plenty of time there, and movies like L.A. Story seem much more like they were actually filmed here than this one did.

“What’s happening now must be inherently more interesting than what just happened.”

-Michael Hauge

Keep this in mind while you’re writing, and always remember that according to Michael Hauge, your ultimate goal is to elicit emotion in the reader, so the interesting thing happening now must be interesting because it causing the reader to feel anxious, happy, sad, mad, scared, etc.

It can be difficult to judge what will or will not elicit emotion in others, as writers we often become so enamored of our characters, our ideas, or our writing that we feel emotion even when others will not-the way all parents think their child is beautiful and gifted.  That is why it is so important to let other people read your script. Whether you pay a consultant or ask a friend, you should get as much feedback as possible on whether or not your story made them feel anything.

Check out his article on Storylink.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself about your characters:

-Where did they grow up? What kind of house or apartment did they live in? Did they have their own bedroom or did they have to share? What was a typical day in their childhood like?

-What kind of relationship do they have with their parents? Are their parents still married? Still alive? Do they speak to them often or only once in awhile?

-What about siblings and extended family? How many brothers and sisters do they have, and are they close? What about cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents? Are their grandparents still alive? If not, when did they die and how did this affect your hero?

-Did they have pets growing up? What kind? What were their names? How does your hero feel about animals?

-Did they suffer from any injuries as a child-broken legs, cuts needing stitches, burns, etc.? How did these injuries occur?

-Did they have any traumatic or chronic illnesses? What about surgeries? Does your hero still have his or her appendix? Tonsils? How do they feel about doctors, medicine and needles?

-What religion was your hero raised with? Do the still believe? If not, what do they believe? Why?

-Where did they go to elementary, junior high and high school? What were their experiences there?

-Did they have a lot of friends in school? What clique were they a part of? Are they still friends with anyone from their childhood?

-What was their senior quote in their yearbook? What about their picture? Do they look the same? If not what did they look like, and why has their style changed?

-What type of music did they listen to growing up? What was the first album (depending upon age-record, cassette, c.d., or iTunes download) they ever purchased? What was the first concert they ever attended?

-What TV shows impacted them as a kid? What was their favorite show? How about movies? What was the first movie they went to without their parents? Did they have a crush on any celebrity? Who? Why?

-Who was their first crush? What happened? What about their first kiss, their first date, their first time? When was the first time they fell in love? What happened?

-What childhood event, memory or moment defined them and made them feel like they had finally grown up?

-What did your hero want to be when he or she grew up? Did they follow that dream? Why or why not?

-What was their first job? What did they think about it? How much did they make? Why did they leave that job?

-Where did your hero go to college? If they didn’t go, why not? What did they do at that age instead? If they went to college, what was their major? Did it change? Did they consider other options? What was school like for them? Did they live in a dorm? A sorority or fraternity? Did they party a lot? Did they get good grades? Sleep around? Drink too much?

-Has your hero ever had a pregnancy scare? What happened? How do they feel about abortion or adoption? How do they feel about parenting in general?

What is your hero’s daily routine (note: you are NEVER going to put all the boring details in your script, right? See my post of getting in late and leaving early)? What time do they wake up? What does their alarm clock sound like? Do they take long showers? Eat breakfast? Drink coffee? Read the paper or rush to work? Do they take a long time primping or picking out their clothes?

-What is their home like? How is it decorated? Is it messy or neat?

-Do they have a pet? If so how did they get it, and why did they choose it and name it what they did? If not, why? Do they want one? Do they particularly not want one? Why?

-What is your hero’s favorite color?

-Favorite ice cream?

-Favorite flower?

-Favorite varietal of wine? Or if they aren’t into wine, favorite beer, mixed drink, or do they not drink?

-What outfit does your hero wear that makes them feel comfortable? What about sexy? What would they wear to impress on a first date? How about an interview? A party? A work party?

-Describe an object that has special meaning to your hero-the one thing they would save in the event of a fire. What is it? Jewelry? A photograph? A childhood toy? Why is it so special to them?

-What numbers are on your hero’s speed dial? Who would they call first if they lost their job? Broke up with someone? Got in a car accident? Got a speeding ticket? Got lost?

-Where has your hero travelled? Where do they want to travel? Are they an adventurous, outdoorsy traveler, or do they prefer to stay in posh hotels? Do they travel with a budget in mind or are they able to be more extravagant? What is their favorite spot on earth?

-What are your hero’s finances like? How much do they make? How much do they have in savings? What about a 401K or a stock portfolio? What’s their net worth? Do they have credit card debt? A mortgage? A car loan? What do they scrimp on and what do they splurge on?

-How do they take their coffee? Steak? Eggs? What kind of bread do they like? What do they like on a sandwich? A pizza?

-How would your hero spend an extra $100? How about $1,000? $10,000? $100,000? What if they won the lottery? What would they do?

-How do they feel about marriage? Divorce? Do they want kids? Have kids? How many? What would they name their kids? How do they feel about day care, nannies, or stay-at-home moms?

-What does your hero listen to in the car? Or on their iPod? What’s on their favorite playlist? What radio stations do they have on their pre-set buttons?

-Does your hero work a lot of overtime? Do they get to work early, late, or right on time? Do they like their boss? Their coworkers? Their assistant?

-What is the first thing your hero does when he or she walks through the door after work?

-What would your hero eat for dinner at an expensive restaurant? What about a diner? A fast-food place? What do they eat on a normal night? What would they eat if calories and health weren’t an issue and they could have exactly what they wanted?

-What habits does your hero have? What would someone observing them notice? Do they constantly apply chapstick? Bite their nails? Blow their nose? Tuck their hair behind their ears? Lick their lips? Sigh?

-How does your hero walk? Quickly? Slowly? Do they take careful, short steps or long confident strides? Do they look up, or keep their head bowed? Do they have a bounce in their step?

-How tall is your hero? How much do they weigh? What size do they wear? What is their body type? Do they have big hands? Big feet? What are they self-conscious about? What would they change? Have they ever had plastic surgery? Do they want it? What do they want to change?

-Does your hero have any tattoos? Why? What about piercings? Would they ever consider getting one? What would they get?

-Has your hero ever been confused about their sexuality? If they are straight, how do they feel about homosexuality? If they are gay, when did they first know? Did they have heterosexual relationships first? When did they come out of the closet? How did people react?

-What has their love life been like? What kind of relationships have they had? How many people have they slept with? What did each relationship mean to them? Have they ever had their heart broken? What’s the story there? Did they ever break anyone’s heart? What do they say they are looking for in a partner? What do they really need?

-What political party does your hero belong to? Are they active in politics or do they not pay attention? Who did they vote for in the last election? The one before that? What do they think about the war in Iraq? Afghanistan? The military in general? What about healthcare? Taxes? The bailout and stimulus plans? What party will they vote for in the next election? Would they ever consider running for office themselves?

Happy Martin Luther King Day! I’m sure he would be thrilled to see how far we’ve come. If you have the day off, consider giving a day of service in his honor, or if you decide to stay home and write, here are some thoughts for the day:

What do you really know about your hero? You probably know what they look like — whether you followed my advice or not about mentioning it in the script — you probably envision them looking a certain way, perhaps you’ve even imagined the perfect actor and picture them when writing about your hero. You probably know how they dress, what they do for a living, and all of the surface things you will reveal in the script. You may even know a little about the hero’s past — perhaps something traumatic that occurred in their childhood, or prior to the beginning of the movie — a wound that has shaped their attitude and created a defensiveness or way of dealing with the world that will be challenged by the events of the story. Aside from this though, you probably haven’t thought about your characters as real, distinct people who existed before and who will exist after the story you are writing. And of course, that is because the characters you are creating do not exist.

But, to make yourself a better writer, and to improve the quality and complexity of your story, let’s pretend that they do exist. Think of your hero, and all of the major characters populating your story, as distinct, real individuals with complete childhoods, families, jobs, and histories as complicated and varied as real people. The more you train yourself to think of your characters in this way, the more vivid your descriptions will become, the more accurate and individualized their dialogue will sound, and the better your story will be.

Writers and filmmakers often rely on flashbacks to reveal something about a character’s past which shows that they have thoroughly researched and studied their character to the point that the character has become real to them. In 500 Days of Summer, the characters seem real because we see so much of their lives in the non-linear telling of their story. There is a sense that this writer knows their entire story, everything about their lives, not just the portion that would fit within the traditional telling of their love story. He understands them and what their lives were like before and after their love story. Even if you aren’t telling a story that encompasses this long of a time period in your character’s life, it’s important that you know as much as possible about them. In Amelie, the narrator reveals quirky details about the characters that give us the sense that they are real people who aren’t just here to entertain us for the duration of the story. In stories that cover an entire life, like The Notebook, The Time Traveller’s Wife, and Forrest Gump, we learn about the past and present lives of the characters, and knowing so much about them makes them seem more real, makes the story more poignant. That is not always plausible or appropriate, but as a writer, you should be the god of your creation and know everything about your characters, whether it makes sense to include it in the story or not.

Many of the daily writing prompts are questions to get you thinking about your hero outside of the context of the story. Keep a folder or journal where you write prose about your hero and any other major character in your screenplay. Get to know them as well as you know your best friends or siblings. Think of the questions you ask someone on a date, and pose them to your hero. Imagine how they would react in certain situations, even ones that would never happen in the context of your script.

Fleshing out the characters in this way is essential for you, whether or not you incorporate their past into the final screenplay. They must be real, independent people in your mind if you ever wish to have their help in telling the story. When you finally know and understand your characters deeply, you may experience that magical moment when the character does or says something you never would have imagined, as if they truly have come to life. Then you know you have a depth and realism that readers and audiences will appreciate and enjoy and embrace.

Tomorrow, I’ll give you a list of detailed questions to ask yourself about your hero to get you started on the path to knowing them better and improving your story.

In the wake of the terrible tragedy afflicting so many in Haiti, it’s important that we all do what we can to help. There are numerous organizations accepting donations, and I urge everyone to do what they can. I highly recommend donating to an established relief organization, such as the Red Cross, as, unfortunately there are unscrupulous people who will take advantage of this situation and set up phony scam charities.If you can’t afford much, do what you can, even a few dollars is better than nothing. If we all gave only $1, think how quickly that would add up. If we all neglected to donate that $1 because we felt it wasn’t enough, no good would be done. If you cannot donate money, donate your time, or give blood. There are many ways to help and everyone should take it upon themselves to find the best way to help that they can.

The devastation that so many are facing is tragic and heart-wrenching, but there is hope to be found in the way the world has come together to help. It is inspiring and lovely how so many countries — countries who normally are at odds with one another, countries who have histories of violence and poor records on humanitarian issues — are putting aside their differences and stepping up to the plate to help out. This is the only positive side of the terrible tragedy and overwhelming loss. It is amazing how seeing our fellow man suffer can bring out compassion in people all over the world.

I hope that you’ll forgive my deviation from the topic of screenwriting, I felt it was important to discuss. As writers, we should all be students of humanity — always learning what we can from watching the world around us, how both individuals and groups act and react to situation. This terrible natural disaster is something we as writers and as members of the human race can learn from. Despite the cruelty, racism and evil that seems so prevalent in the world, we can, when challenged, come together and do something good. Remember this when writing and take heart in noting how much good can come out of so much tragedy.