Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne

When do you start with the end? Everyone’s writing process is different. Some outline, some do notecards, some just go for it on a blank page. I didn’t used to be an outliner, but more of a go for it note jotter, so I’d have a pad full of things I knew I wanted in the story and I’d cross them off as I went. That was fine for creating my own material, but as I got into work for hire gigs I had to provide outlines and treatments – and I discovered that they are fantastic when on a deadline (I can crank out a first draft in a week with a good outline). Animated features go into production sometimes as they are being written and those pages adjust all the way through the pipeline! MULAN, like many animated features, changed radically from greenlight to final. At one point I was developing a polo match sequence and the director joked that he was glad his department heads were sports fans, I told him that I doubted any of them knew the rules to polo. That wasn’t why he said it -- He was convinced that people loved sports because they didn’t know how it would end. MULAN was probably 80% through production before the end was figured out. There is no wrong way to attack your story. But you can save yourself a ton of time and frustration by following this simple tip. IF resolution tells the story: (ie: we know boy gets girl, but how is the story) Start with the end. What is the final image? What does the main character discover that leads he/r there, where is it discovered, what led he/r to that moment and so on… IF character and plot tell the story: (ie: an ordinary girl faced with an extraordinary situation does this or more interestingly, an extraordinary guy faced with an ordinary situation does this..) Start with the beginning (ideally with the heart of the character). What’s he/r flaw, what do they love or want most and how is that ideal taken from them, what will they do to get it back, what are the stakes… Whether you are at the beginning or the end, take time to enjoy the moment.