Free Tips For Writers. Book, Screenplay.

Book or Story Concept SourcesAnother source for book or story concepts is historical fact and events. 
      This is like adapting news stories, except older :)
If all your characters are already dead in the past, then you might not 
      need to acquire the rights; it's always best to check with a lawyer, and 
      get "it" in writing. 
Be advised: Hollywood does Not like historical pieces very much, due to 
      perceptions of cost, distances from characters and settings imposed by 
      time, and the (believed) lack of audience interest. But Hollywood is more 
      often wrong than right, it may seem, from what they choose to produce or 
      not produce.
The way to popularize such a story--in an alien setting--is to use some 
      contemporary theme, such as _____ (fill in your own obsession.) This is 
      what made the original Star Trek so popular, and still better today than 
      any of it's spin offs: it dealt with contemporary and eternal themes, and 
      how we'd like to see ourselves. 
Headlines are a source of ideas for writing your screenplay, just 
      ideas, not stories you will have to acquire rights to. An example might be 
      a screenplay about a boy who gets picked on in school, but learns karate 
      and kicks ass. Or a group of mislead teens commit murder. But, just once, 
      I'd like to see a new kid at school be a cool, handsome football player 
      who gets picked on by the nerds and falls for the nerd leader's chick. 
      See, he wants to join the nerds, but first he's gotta pull off a hack into 
      the Radio Shack inventory database, and, you know, prove himself, and 
      then, see, well...never mind.
Or, maybe a group of demons inadvertently stumble upon a high school 
      and are picked off one by one by horrible, terrifying students with their 
      hats on backwards?
A final source for a story concept could be a personal experience. For 
      this one it helps if you lead a spectacular life. Also, being too close to 
      the story can ruin or skew your perception of it. To sacrifice art for the 
      facts can preclude a structured plot. However, you can always use your 
      personal experience and knowledge to enhance a piece of fiction 
      you're writing. This way, you can still be creative.
In searching out ideas, keep your mind open to all possibilities, 
      whether from events, headlines, history, songs, jokes, mythology, and 
      whatever; when it hits you, you'll know.
Picking The Best Book or Story Concept For YouSo, what story concept will you pick, how will your ideas energize it, 
      and how will the concept energize your ideas. Also, let's be real; sure, 
      it needs artistic value, but even more, it needs commercial 
      value, or there's no point in sending it out to be read, right? It 
      should make more money than it costs to make it a movie, right?
Artistic value involves opinions, what others think of the screenplay's 
      literary merit--or not. Artistic value in Hollywood devolves to terms of 
      awards, reviews, acceptance: marketing.
 

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Writing Screenplays With Thanks To Michael Hauge
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Book, Novel, Screenplay

There Are Four Components To A Screenplay or Book

A.) Concept

B.) Plot And Structure

C.) Scenes

D.) Characters

Book or Story Concept Sources

Picking The Best Book or Story Concept For You

2012 Book and Novel