Free Tips For Writers. Book, Screenplay.

Story or Book Concept IngredientsYou gotta have at least the first five of the following items in 
      your book or screenplay story concept, for potential commercial success; this is what 
      producers, agents, stars, studio, money people, and others will look for, 
      and will make the way smoother form you:
1. Hero The 
      lead character 
      is the hero 
      or heroine 
      of the quest, 
      and who moves and drives the plot forward. The hero or heroine can be 
      anybody, as long as the audience 
      - reader identifies with them. The 
      hero/ine is the center of the story.
2. Motivation There has to be a reason for the lead character to be going through all 
      this turmoil, a motivation: an objective. It's what drives 
      the plot forward. It's the Grail, the treasure, the missing person, the 
      solution to the puzzle. The Thing, or the "Maguffin" as Hitchcock 
      liked to call it. This overwhelming need to complete the quest, together 
      with its obstacles are the  foundation of the screenplay.
3. Identification with the 
      Hero The audience - reader must identify with the lead character, and 
      experience emotions through them, develop an affecting identification. The 
      lead does not necessarily have to possess completely positive qualities, 
      as long as a connection is made with the audience - reader.
4. Obstacles Something has to present insurmountable barriers to the lead's quest, or 
      there is no conflict, and therefore no drama. Something must block 
      the lead from the goal every step of the way. This should be strong enough 
      to draw the reader - audience in by identification with the lead or the 
      lead's problems, something they know about.
5. Hero's Courage 
      The hero - lead - heroine character has to meet and beat all the 
      obstacles and blockades with courage and grace. The courage displayed can 
      be psychological or physical, but it must be something the 
      audience - reader will relate to on an empathic level. Raise the stakes
      to make it dramatic. The stakes must be high, risky, and 
      rewarding, to enhance the thrill.
* 
      Thus endeth the mandatory first five needs of the story 
      concept *
 6. A High 
      Concept All this means is that the description of your idea shows 
      that the idea by itself is enough to draw an audience. In other words: My 
      screenplay is about a ____ who wants to ____. 
An example might be: My screenplay is about a young farm 
      boy from a distant time and galaxy who wants to become a mystical knight 
      and avenge the deaths of his family by the hand of an evil galactic 
      empire.
The storyline - plot must be conveniently marketable in 
      itself.
7. Originality and Familiarity 
      "originality" in H'wood is a dirty word. All you need do 
      is look into the bottomless pit of sequels, rip-offs, and clones to see 
      what H'wood considers "original." Yet movie-goers always want to see 
      something new. So what the screenplay needs is something old but something 
      new, something borrowed, but something that will make your version of it 
      into a new tasty treat. 
The most successful screenplays draw upon precedent, 
      things that have been done and explained to the audience - read before. 
      But your new twist on the old story has to be more that just a twist, it 
      has to be something that will hook your reader - audience and draw them 
      into the story. 
Maybe something like: A young farm boy in a distant time 
      and galaxy kills his family and grows up to rule an evil galactic empire, 
      but in the end we find out he didn't mean to do it, was only really trying 
      to rescue them, and makes the evil empire be good :)
Yeah, or maybe a group of sexy, yet annoying 
      students venture into a haunted sanitarium where they do NOT 
      say, "Hey. Are you OK?"
Ort maybe a cop movie where nobody says, "Go, go, go, go 
      people, move, move, move, get me a perimeter!" or maybe nobody holds a gun 
      sideways?
8. Second Level Of Sell, Subplots 
      All this means is there's a second level of action, 
      a subplot going on, like, say, a love story, additional motivation 
      for the lead character. A sub plot is always of less importance 
      than the plot. A subplot operates parallel with the main action and also 
      has a visible motivational factor to it, something easily seen and 
      understood.
9. Familiarity Of Setting It is extremely beneficial to your success if the reader - 
      audience can readily relate to the time and place 
      where the story takes place, like New York City, Los Angeles, Florida, 
      Houston, someplace they are familiar with. Dropping an audience into, say, 
      a desert planet named Dune, 10,000 years in the future, in some distant 
      galaxy, can be a bit of a strain on the backstory.
On the other hand, some settings might be weird and 
      exotic, but well-established in prior work: a post apocalyptic Earth, 
      where crazed Australians dress up like S&M village people and scream 
      around on motorcycles or something.
10. Film CategoryStarting with the most "acceptable" (to Hollywood) 
      film category of movie and working down to least acceptable 
      categories:

        
          
            
              Book
Action 
                Adventure
Drama
Comedy
Suspense 
                Thriller
Love Story
 
Musical 
Period Piece
Cowboy
Biography
Science Fiction
Original Horror 

            
          
        
      11. Medium Choose the best venue or medium for your particular 
      screenplay. For instance, you probably should not try for a tv series 
      with your first screenplay. Also, there is a difference in what is being 
      done in tv and movie theaters. Feature films are complex, costly  
      to produce, sexy, and multi-level. Tv is more narrowly focused on issues 
      and structure for tv commercials, certain audiences, etc.
12. CostCostly movies are difficult to sell in Hollywood, for 
      obvious reasons, I think. If you've got scenes where Roman legions attack, 
      sack, and burn Jerusalem in 70 AD, then you've probably priced your ass 
      right out of Hollywood :)
Here are five possible show stoppers to close you down 
      before you even get started (first script sell):

        Historical or period setting
Massive FX (special effects)
A cast of thousands blazing across the screen
Travel to extreme locations
Bad weather

      13. Character GrowthThe character must grow through the quest or search, 
      become a better person, more self-actualized. This gives the story depth, 
      more dimensions, and evokes interest.
14. ThemeThis is the Big Statement, the "words to live by," that 
      the reader - audience will want to apply to their own desperate little 
      personal struggle, everybody's got one, right? 
This is not "the message," 
      which is more of a general statement not immediately applicable to one's 
      own life, like, say, a political statement.
 

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      Free Tips For 
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Writing Book, Screenplays With Thanks To Michael Hauge
Book	Book



Screenplay Software	Screenplay Software
Book, Novel, Screenplay

There Are Four Components To A Screenplay

A.) Concept

B.) Plot And Structure

C.) Scenes

D.) Characters

Story or Book Concept Ingredients

1. Hero

2. Motivation

3. Identification with the Hero

4. Obstacles

5. Hero's Courage

6. A High Concept

7. Originality and Familiarity

8. Second Level Of Sell, Subplots

9. Familiarity Of Setting

10. Film Category

11. Medium

12. Cost

13. Character Growth

14. Theme

2012 Book and Novel
