



If your protagonist comes off as too vague or too stock or simply too bland to carry your movie, try this: On page one of your screenplay, create a situation where your character has to choose between two options with clear consequences. These can be everyday choices in the beginning of your script or, as the plot takes off, choices made under increasing, relentless pressure. Strong, clear early choices get you in the habit of showing your character making actual decisions.
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But it gives the audience an immediate sense of how to relate to the main character. It’s all about what’s right for your story. Right off the top, I want the audience to be able to make a decision-either “This character is like me” or “This character is not like me.” But if you, like many of us, are a little short on lifetimes, here are some quick ideas for the struggling scribe.Īs early as possible in a screenplay, I try to write a scene where the protagonist has to make a decision between two clear choices. That’s a writing lesson that can take a lifetime to learn. Getting un-stuck is about rejecting cliché whenever you can, by always grounding your story in the realistic, authentically human choices your characters make. But I don’t know if you can teach someone to be curious and observant about human nature, which is what makes writing come alive. I disagree - you can teach someone to write. We’ve all heard people say that you can’t teach someone to write. Writing is tough even when you’re being completely unoriginal, let alone when you’re actually trying to do something unique. The less time you have, the more likely you’ll fall back on some stock trope to get you through whatever narrative obstacle you’re facing. Usually, the main challenge isn’t imagination-it’s time. Of course we all want to write the most original, unexpected, vivid version of our story. And when you get stuck, it’s natural to reach for something you know has worked before: a cliché. At some point, all writers get writer’s block.
