Screenwriting : 99% Of Screenwriters Don't Tell Stories? by Imo Wimana Chadband

I see what she’s saying. A lot of people start with an idea and it fails to evolve into a complete story. That follow-through is huge. It’s not just filling 90 pages but letting the narrative lead you to its natural end, whatever that may be and through whatever hoops are necessary to reach it.

I saw that the other day and to be honest it made me re examine what I was writing.What she had to say is a little paranoia inducing.

Script Consultants often say about a badly written logline that it does not tell a story, it just describes a situation. So with much sweat and pain you wrote a good logline, describing a clear story, hitting all the keypoints it needs. Job done! From now on it's easy to write a coherent story -- being your screenplay. I wonder? You still need to link every single plot point to the next, serving the overall story, letting your protag slowly take contole (or fail at the end). Confusing for me is "The Departed" ; everybody has their hidden agenda, has it figured out - step by step - how to win the game. At the end nobody wins the game - except this character called Faith.

I guess she is right. She has a platform and people pay her for her opinions

I once read something similar

Story (for me) are people trying to achieve something to get what they want and need. If it not focused on people then it is not a story, it is a series of events. A flaw can be a virtue in someone’s eyes.

I'm not sure about her 99% statistic, but of the scripts I've read during the past 10 or 12 years - I'd say that she's not off by much.

It really did play on my thoughts. I don't categorize it as a bad thing per say. She really created a new perspective for me in terms of how I tackle my scripts. I started another script today, and I found myself really thinking through things on a deeper level, you know. I embrace the new view I now give on my ideas as I continue writing.

Well if most of us are really not telling stories than please tell us what a good story contains. Perhaps recommend a movie or two that shows a great story.

She gives an example: Tootsie. And explains why. What she describes resonates to me as "the soul" of a story. No soul, no real sense of a story. Just a series of events or a situation. There needs to be cause-and-effect, agency, not a bunch of things just happening to characters. She talks about, and I'm paraphrasing here: "the unique journey of a particular character for a particular story; if you can swap protagonists, plug someone else in, and that change does not affect anything, then you have a problem." Tootsie is a great example because it is a story about a sexist who treats women terribly, has a lack of respect, and becomes "a woman" himself in order to get an acting job. Why? No one will hire him because he is difficult to work with. He willingly does this through his own choice and agency, and because he doesn't see women as having value he feels he could easily do this as the arrogant actor that he is. And in doing so, his sexist view is tested as he himself experiences the same disrespect that he has treated others with. And boom, there's the story. ;)

I agree that Tootsie is an excellent example of what's in a 'story'. I use juno as an example, I like The Hurt Locker as a tri-story example. The Hunt for.Red October is an example and there are many more. I suggest steering clear of the abundance of present day popcorn movies.

Great summary, Beth.

I watched a really great film the other night - Searching. It's about a man who searches for his daughter, who has disappeared. Nearly the entire film is seen through computer monitors, video cameras, and tv and phone screens. It's pretty visually unique in that regard.

All of the main characters have ironies/contradictions/flaws that enable the story to transcend from a "situation" to what is described as the "soul" of the story. The father, his daughter, her uncle, the lead police investigator, and a couple others. I won't detail any of it and don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but it's a great film and you should see it if you haven't.

But that's another reason why it's so important to plan/outline a story, and to really "know your characters," and their ironies, contradictions and flaws. Those elements help to deepen characters, stories, and themes; help to create external and internal conflict; and help to make a story more relatable, compelling and satisfying.

Best fortunes to you all!.

Lance Ness Beth gave a great breakdown of the point Jill was bringing across.

Bill Costantini I came across that film a while back and I loved it! I actually think back to it now and then at times, analyzing the story.

Thanks for mentioning it for those who may not have known of it.

I haven't seen Tootsie in years. Perhaps I'll revisit it.

A story is a unique protagonist with a goal, which is unique to that protagonist. Anything else are situations.

A provocative character with a goal (better, an internal and external goal) who is motivated to reach that goal and faces a series of building conflicts (internal and external) in pursuit (eager or reluctant) of the goal, which when ultimately attained (or lost) changes the character in some key way