Screenwriting : Screenwriting Tip by Maurice Vaughan

I recently finished my latest feather titled "Bobby Goodall"

Congrats on finishing, Colin Carroll.

Or watch a movie you think might inspire you.

I was just thinking of doing this Maurice... I had a two unestablished ideas that have been swirling around in my head but couldn't gain traction with them. Then I thought "why don't I figure out a way to combine them?"

Great, Brian Lajeunesse. I combined three ideas to make a script once.

Ooooooo, I LOVE this idea! I do feel like I'd like to see an example - can you share one with us?

I'll see what I can come up with to share, Karen "Kay" Ross.

I didn't know there was a name for that technique, Rebecca James.

I've done this in the three screenplays I have on here.

I had a few concepts but wasn't comfortable going ahead as I was scared i couldn't make them into feature length screenplays. So I combined them, two concepts for each of my screenplays.

Now when I'm writing I feel comfortable with one, or even none in my latest, just letting it play out.

Definitely a confidence building exercise.

That's great, Gen. What genres do you write?

Difficult to really label them, I think they're crime thrillers with a mystery and comedic edge.

Multiple, intersecting & tangled story lines, simply doubles & triples the anticipation & suspense. And it's simply easier and more fun to script three short stories in the same once upon a time than one long, who cares bore. Pulp Fiction the obvious example.

Sometimes, when I'm struggling to come up with a viable story premise, I'll take a completed scrabble board and do a freewriting exercise where I try to fashion a story based solely on the words on the board. It helps to get the creative juices flowing so I can begin working my way from silly and absurd ideas to viable concept. I'm weird that way.

Like "Fargo," Gen?

That's a great exercise, Sabrina.

Karen "Kay" Ross, here are two ideas that could be combined for a script:

Idea #1) Parents buy a big dog to protect their teenage daughter.

Idea #2) The dog is a secret agent.

So, "After overprotective parents buy a big dog to protect their teenage daughter from bullies, the dog, which is actually a secret agent, takes the family on a secret mission to save the world from a mastermind."

That's just a rough logline.

"Beethoven" meets "Mission: Impossible"