EXCERPT - Shaping True Story into Screenplay
From Chapter One
Do you have an idea from your own life experience that you think would make a great movie? Fabulous! But where do you start? Do you rush out and buy some software and then just write down everything that comes to mind? Do you meticulously plan it out into a three-act structure, and then stare at the outline, waiting for inspiration? Do you just keep thinking about it and hope that someday it will be clear enough in your mind to write itself? As you've probably guessed, each of these approaches is a bit flawed, and none of them are sure to produce a well-crafted, engaging screenplay.
What's missing in many people's approach to writing a script based on their own life experience is an organic, intuitive element to the process. This involves clarifying a story, identifying its themes and creating a relevant metaphor as we structure a plot and develop characters to contain and shape the nebulous clay that is our own lives.
It's hard to know where to start. It's hard to know how to proceed. Even if you have a clear idea of what you're doing, it's easy to get lost along the way. How can you be objective when you're writing about yourself? How can you avoid narcissism and self-indulgent writing? Somehow, we need to move beyond pure self-expression, dumping, venting, and mere reminiscing. Somehow, we need to rise above and tell a great story.
If telling a great story is your goal, then you've come to the right place. The goal of this book is to help you transform the raw materials of your memories into a great movie script. What you will discover will surprise you, because you will be taking a journey of personal exploration as you write.
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