Screenwriting : Write what you don't know by Aray Brown

A delicate subject worth exploring :)

Even if you write what you know, you need research. I write both what I know and what I don't know, and the latter merely demands more research than usual. I feel confident Aray either knows of AIDS from others as well as has researched it. Important concept, Aray, and it's also a good logline - one sentence. Very clear. You may already have answered the question of why the protagonist's disease got to full blown without an HIV test ever being recommended by a health care practitioner. Absence of health insurance, maybe? Cultural mistrust of health practitioners? And did her husband also end up with full blown AIDS? Lots of potential for conflict. Excellent story concept!

A lot of films that have a science or some other technical aspect involved have no need to present any type of hard-core science stuff. That's not what your premise is about, anyway - it's not like you're writing a story about the researchers, or the story of HIV/AIDS. You probably would need to know and present some of the basics, though, like symptoms; treatments; the points of advancement of the disorder; and some basic medical jargon/doctor dialogues. I'd imagine your story is more about all of the complex and profound emotions. You really need to nail the stages of coping with grief, and the stages of a terminal illness (if you're going that far). And your story has a double grief - the actual illness, and the actual betrayal. And maybe even the POV of the secret lover's emotions, too. That probably has a lot of dramatic value, too. That's a lot of emotiion, and I'd say it needs to be addressed in the right orders to be really authentic and true to human nature. It sounds very interesting and very ambitious. Good luck, Aray!

Well said, Bill, regarding Aray's story. Adequate research, but not excess research. Good thoughts about the emotions. Sounds like potential for a feature film. Writing the short film first will get you started. Great, Aray!

Thanks for the input guys! i have not studied the condition but i plan to do extensive research on it. I'm only two pages in and that's probably why I'm stalling to actually write it. this story is more about the emotion and about a woman who realizes her life is unraveling before her eyes. I want the story to be as authentic as possible. I feel so out of place with this topic

Yes I agree with the others, you'll need to do SOME research but unless your story has intricate medical/scientific details needed,you should be able to tell a good story without making yourself crazy over the research! I'm working on a screenplay about a transsexual, which has required me to research the medical process for gender re-assignment. Fascinating stuff!

As you are formulating the concept, do the research at the same time. If need be, do on site research. See what you want to write in person. The more emotional tie you have to what you write, the better you can visualize it and describe the emotion you want to convey.

@Jody Good luck with yours! Hopefully after I do my research, I won't feel so insecure

Write what you know merely means bring your voice, emotions, and personal take to the story. You don't need to be a JPL scientist to write science fiction, for example. Spaihts came from a science family and went to Princeton before writing "Promethius," sure. But Lindeof rewrote it... for 2 million.