The only reason I started this blog was because I started consulting a few friends on their screenplays and plays and began to realize that there is a science to this screenwriting thing. Yes, the art of it is complex, often-frustrating yet beautiful, but just the same this is also a science.
What I've learned from working on my own scripts and giving feedback to my friends, the most difficult aspect sometimes of writing a first draft is deciding: What does my protagonist WANT?
It's so much easier to come up with these fascinating characters and dynamic storylines but the basic desire of a character can be very hard to figure out. Why that is? I don't know for sure. But I'm guessing making a very simple creative decision sometimes feels limiting. Knowing what a character wants can feel like you're putting him in a box and limiting his journey. But actually it's quite the opposite.
Once you know the desire of your character, you can really take him/her anywhere. The journey is suddenly boundless and obstacles and plot points are everywhere in sight. Because once we know the want of our precious protagonist, we start to discover the world he/she is up against -- and then we can create it.
John Truby in "The Anatomy of Story" breaks this down brilliantly:
To create your hero's desire, keep these three rules in mind:
1. The desire line should build steadily in importance and intensity throughout the narrative.
2. The desire should be specific -- the more specific the better.
3. The desire should be accomplished at the end of the story.
It sounds very simple but it really isn't. As writers we are usually overwhelmed with exciting ideas for our stories. We see our characters conquering the world and beyond - which is great but we still need to give him/her a specific mission, a goal greater than all other goals to create strong, exciting narratives.
