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How to Write a Summary With thanks to: Swales, John M. And Christine B. Academic Writing for Graduate Students, Essential Tasks and Skills. Ann Arbor: U Michigan P, 1994. Preparing to Write: To write a good summary it is important to thoroughly understand the material you are working with.
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At this time, this ebook is exclusively available on Amazon. International prices may vary. Plot is THE driving force of your screenplay, so it’s essential that you spend time on your plotting skills when you’re writing a script outline. You can create the most interesting character in the world, but without an equally interesting plot, the audience will not want to spend 90-120 minutes with that person. For example, many people find Charlie Sheen’s current 2011 self-destructive spiral interesting to read and gossip about. But would they want to spend an hour and a half of their lives watching him swill alcohol, do drugs, and oogle women? But give Charlie boy a goal–perhaps to rejoin TWO & A HALF MEN, the successful sitcom he was kicked off of–while he overcomes his addiction to alcohol, drugs, & women and that, people might watch because they’ll want to know if he can pull it off.
Maybe not something they’ll pay $10 to see, but as a movie-of-the-week on TVwhy not? (Although I suspect there are some film executives who think CHARLIE: 3D would be quite the blockbuster) Since you want to know how to write a script outline, let me clue you into the dirty little secret about plot: With rare exception, all movies have the SAME structure. Yes, you heard me correctly. A thriller like THE BOURNE IDENTITY has the same structure as a family comedy like TOY STORY. No matter the story or its genre, each one has 8 plot points that you have to hit.
And once you know these 8 plot points, writing a script outline and a full screenplay becomes infinitely easier because it’s no longer you vs 120 blank pages. You’re writing towards a goal instead of blindly.
I strongly recommend that before you write one word of your screenplay, you spend time reflecting on these 8 major plot points. They will form the backbone of your script outline. Plus, it’ll save you time and heartache in the long run. So without further ado, here they are: Your Script Outline — Plot Point #1: Opening & Closing Images The first image introduces your story to your audience, so make it a good one! Ideally, the first image is a visual representation of your entire story. Your closing image is your last contact with your audience, so make it strong.
A good closing image, like the spinning top in INCEPTION, can even change our interpretation of the entire ending. The closing image from INCEPTION is of this dream “totem” It’s probably best to decide what your opening and closing images are going to be after you’ve got a solid draft under your belt and have a clear understanding of the theme you’re trying to convey. I must give credit where credit is due: I didn’t spend too much time thinking about opening and closing images until Blake Snyder mentioned them in his screenwriting book Save the Cat (which I highly recommend). Your Script Outline — Plot Point #2: Inciting Incident The inciting incident is the event that changes the course of your main character’s life. If the inciting incident didn’t occur, your main character would’ve taken another pathand you’d have an entirely different screenplay. For an article on how to use the inciting incident to fix sluggish pacing, read.
If you’d like a thorough guide on how to craft a successful story beginning, click. Your Script Outline — Plot Point #3: First-Act Break The first-act break marks the end of your setup (i.e. Groundwork): you’ve introduced most, if not all, of your key characters.
Audiences know about your main character, his goal, and the obstacles he faces. He’s done his prep work, and now he’s ready to go.
In a lot of movie plots, the main character has to go on a journey in order to achieve his goal. Because of this, oftentimes, the first-act break involves a change in geographical location.
In the action comedy BEVERLY HILLS COP, Axel Foley journeys from Detroit to Beverly Hills at the first-act break. In the rom-com THE PROPOSAL, Margaret and Andrew journey to Sitka, Alaska from NYC. Amateur screenplays are notorious for elaborate first acts that are simply too long. Although there are no hard-and-fast rules, this break usually occurs between pages 25-30 in your screenplay.
Keep that in mind when you’re fleshing out your script outline. Your Script Outline — Plot Point #4: Midpoint The midpoint, as its name implies, occurs (a) at the middle of your screenplay, as a whole and (b) at the middle of Act Two, in specific. It changes the entire direction of your story.
For example, in a “good vs. Evil” type of story, the good forces have experienced setback after setback. But at the midpoint, something happens that changes their fortunes for the better. For the first time, success seems like a possibility. In a romance, comedy, or drama where people of different personalities are thrown together, the midpoint marks the moment where they stop seeing each other as enemies, usually by accomplishing a minor, but important, goal together. To learn about a special midpoint trick, read. To really master the midpoint (and say good-bye to sagging middles).
Your Script Outline — Plot Point #5: Fork in the Road The fork in the road is where your main character reaffirms or escalates commitment to his goal. It’s another plot point that I didn’t think much about until I read Viki King’s screenwriting book, How to Write a Movie in 21 Days. According to King, this point of commitment happens around page 60 of a screenplay. At first I was skeptical, but then I started looking for it–and lo and behold!–it was there, just as she saidusually clocking in 60 minutes into the movie.
I wouldn’t spend too much time on this plot point when writing your script outline, but because I’m personally interested in psychology and human motivation, I think it’s an interesting point to include (especially to reinforce theme). You’ll often discover you already wrote in a point of commitment in your screenplay, even if you didn’t consciously intend to do so. Your Script Outline — Plot Point #6: All Is Lost At this moment, your main character has experienced an extreme setback. He’s the furthest he can possibly be from his goal.
It seems impossible for him to accomplish it. This moment usually marks the end of Act Two.
To learn about the three essentials to crafting the perfect “all is lost” moment, read. Your Script Outline — Plot Point #7: Climax In the climax, your main character has gathered his resources (both internal and external). In this final showdown, he will test his mettle against that have thwarted him from achieving his goal. If he has a tragic flaw, in the climax, he demonstrates that he has overcome it. All the lessons he learned during the second act will pay off in the climax. Your Script Outline — Plot Point #8: Resolution Ah, we’re almost done!
If your screenplay has a happy ending, the resolution is the best part for your main character. He gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor. His world is in balance again. My kind of screenplay resolution If your screenplay has, shall we say, a more European ending, the resolution will be either tragic or bittersweet for your main character.
If tragic, he might not accomplish his goal. If bittersweet, he might accomplish it–but at great cost. Final thoughts on your script outline If you need help to create a script outline of your own, follow one of the suggestions, below: Download the Ultimate Story Structure Worksheet. It contains questions and checklists designed to help you easily construct a script outline of your own. (You can use it to outline a novel, too.) Best of all, it’s absolutely free! Click to instantly access the story structure worksheet. Read Sizzling Story Outlines.
Learn a step-by-step, practical method to outline your entire screenplay or noveland finish your rough draft without freaking out. Includes a technique that Stanford researchers have concluded can make you 60% more creative (on average). Download the ebook instantly: (US) (international) Buy the paperback (free shipping with Amazon Prime): (US) (international) Get on audiences’ good side with my online course, Smarter Story Structure. Dave, I can understand your indignation. It seems like I’m trying to stuff the magic of a story into a segmented little box.
But that’s not my intention at all. First let me say that these are guidelines, not rules of the “thou shalt not kill” category. Secondly, knowing these plot points in your screenplay makes it a lot easier to navigate 100-120 blank pages because you’ve got goals to write towards. They also prevent your screenplay from having an aimless plot, which drives most readers crazy. The point of Scribe Meets World is to help aspiring screenwriters sell their screenplays (without sacrificing their artistic integrity). Since most produced movies and screenplays that have sold recently have these 8 plot points, it makes sense that a spec you’re hoping to sell would have them too.
At the very least, you should be able to identify these points to studio executives because they LOVE them. Now I haven’t seen 2001: A Space Odyssey or Solaris (to borrow from Joseph Conrad, “the horror, the horror,”) but I find it difficult to believe that movies which are such classics lack a climax or a resolution. Both films, “2001: A Space Odyssey” AND “Solaris”, as they are both brilliantly and successfully plotted non-traditionally and more unlike your 8 plot-points, they both do have a climax and a resolution. These brilliant 8 plot points are NOT nonsense AT ALL, Dave, you stupid ignorant half-brained moron!
You don’t even know crap about how to even begin to write a successful movie script, so SHUT THE HELL UP!!! Only a complete jack-ass mindless idiot like YOU would come out and make such an irrationally preposterous and brainless juvenile comment like “What nonsense” to an obviously well-structured lay-out description of 8 plot-points for a movie script!!! You are obviously a complete pathetic ignorant with not the slightest rational sense of comprehension! Your brain cells cannot even process logical and rational information even clearly spelled out for you right in your face that you instead resort to react like mindless African savage baboon! The screenplay expert who posted these well-constructed 8 plot points NEVEr said anything about applying these plot points to every single film there is and has ever been made out there in world! The 8 plot points are a general structure of plots that is commonly applied to MOST films, not an exact blueprint to every single film ever, you idiot! You don’t even have to copy exactly every 8 plots as they are, as you can minus one or add an extra plot and makes certain changes in each plot structure, as well, which is how you get to write and create such amazing non-traditional films like “Solaris” and “The Lost Highway”!
Use your head, at least what’s left of it, before you decide to say or post something so stupid and so ignorant like, “What nonsense!!” YOU are the one who is complete and utter nonsense and the load of absolute ridiculous brainless crap that comes out of your stupid ignorant mouth is what is total NONSENSE!!! To the person who posted the original 8 points.it really opened my eyes. Ive been writing for years, mostly jibberish if u ask me, songs, comedy, lately the beginning of a script that I thought might make america laugh like we all need to some days.but I didnt know hiw to put it together. Im clearer now. And no matter were it goes. Your knowledge was helpful and guiding.
Never let someone like the negstive people who write on the bathroom walls ever chamge whats in side of you.they get what they need in your reply.thanks again. I absolutely love this blog. It is all I have been reading since I found it a couple of days ago. He is one of those ‘artistic’ types who value style over substance. I read one quote from this type that absolutely flawed me, “Steven Spielberg is too audience driven to be a great director.” It’s like saying, “This hospital is too patient driven to be a great hospital.” I am a newbie but it would seem to me that the audience should be you number one concern.
Artistic types don’t seem intelligent enough to grasp that your blog is about great guidance, not set in stone rules. I have read many of your posts and have then analyzed the screen plays I am currently working on. I am seeing a lot of mistakes that I didn’t notice before, thanks to your great blog. Many many thanks Scribe ?. I’m so glad that Scribe Meets World has helped you with your own screenplays!
That’s what this website is all about. Your observation, “audience should be your number one concern” is spot-on. If you write with this as your guiding principle and familiarize yourself with screenwriting basics, your spec scripts will be way ahead of the pack. Your support is very much appreciated, and if there is a particular screenwriting issue you’d like to see addressed in a post, please let me know through the contact page or in the comments. Hi Claraspeak, Thanks for visiting Scribe Meets World! I’m glad you put these plot points “to the test.” While I like to think all the posts here are helpful, they are much more so when you actively engage with them and use to them to analyze movies and/or your script in progress.
One of the drawbacks of being a screenwriter is that you work so hard to cultivate an analytical eye so that you can assess your screenplay and fix its errorsthat you often can’t just sit back, relax, and enjoy a movie. Depending on a movie and how eager I am to see it, I’ll make a conscious choice to turn my analytical mind off and try to just enjoy the movie for its own sake, at the least the first time around. If I think I can learn from it, I try to watch it a second time and look for clues to its success (or lack thereof). Of course, this isn’t very efficient, but this way I get to be a satisfied movie-watcher and screenwriter all at the same time! That does not make those blockbuster movies great just because they contain the 8 plot points. Limiting your screenplay story to just these 8 plot points makes your story become too predictable and reduces many possibilities of it becoming potentially innovative, unique, and original, which is one of the main goals to writing a good script.
Too many of these blockbuster movies are too predictable and lack a great compelling story, because they depend too much on the 8 plot points by revolving the story around the plot points, instead of the other way around, making the story become bland, typical, weak, and boring. At the end of the movie, you go home feeling uncompelled, unemotional, unmoved, and unsatisfied, all because the screenplay paid more attention to mechanical structure than a compelling and artistically creative story, where most of its attention should have been. “But would they want to spend an hour and a half of their lives watching him “SWILL” alcohol, do drugs, and “OOGLE” women?” Oh, I THINK YES!!! As a matter of fact, DEFINITELY YES!!!
And you have to be quite a moron of a human being to actually think NOT!! “Oogle” women!? Yeah, interesting choice and interesting USE of a smarmy juvenile pseudo-terminology that you place such out of context here and one that does NOT exist in the English language. First of all, whoever the mindless idiot who cooked up this preposterously irrational statement about Charlie Sheen, Charlie Sheen does NOT “oogle” women, you moron. That is your ridiculously idiotic and despicable sex-negative media-brainwashed juvenile fake term for pretentiously romancing and seducing women! Charlie Sheen does NOT “pretentiously” romance and seduce women! He realistically, honestly, and maturely, AND successfully romances and seduces women like a true intelligent educated right-minded and mature REAL man does in REAL life, so cut the crap with portraying the idea of romancing and seducing women into sex as some type of bad thing or something, because you sound like a complete brainless idiot, and nothing could EVER be further from the truth!
That’s what differentiates Charlie Sheen from other men. And BTW, romancing and seducing lots of different women on a regular basis every week non-stop or as often as one needs and desires is NOT an addiction, not by any means, whatsoever, and never does it EVER become an addiction! So, do NOT ever place the constant glorious sexual pursuit of many different women into the same category as the constant pursuit of drugs and alcohol, like some despicable sex-negative jerk, because sexually pursuing after women constantly is clearly NOT the same as constantly pursuing after drugs or alcohol! What are you some kind of sick disgusting sex-phobic misogynist religiously perverted creep!?
Apparently, you think you can come out here on public internet and self-appoint yourself as some type of elect who gets to dictate how much sex and how many women people can have sex with, including when is too many women and too much sex!?!? You’re kidding, right!? James, In response to your comments: Oogle and swill are descriptive verbs with “punch.” That’s why I used them. I agree, you don’t want to write a movie whose plot revolves around the 8 essential plot points. Your script shouldn’t be mechanical drivel–but you don’t want to write an unorganized mess either.
If you utilize the plot points correctly, each scene will flow organically into the next one so that nothing comes across as forced. “Heart” is also a script essential. If the audience doesn’t care about the characters in your script, then they won’t give two figs that your screenplay is perfectly structured. I think that a movie focused on Charlie Sheen’s exploits (with alcohol and with women) would be one-note. People would quickly tire of watching such repetition (I’m referring to full-length scripts, not to a 20 minute sitcom). I think audiences prefer to see progress, to see characters changing into someone better (or worse) than they were at the beginning of a film. But that’s my opinion and assessment of audience tastes.
You’re certainly entitled to your own. You clearly have a lot of passion and a love for movies. Use this passion and write a screenplay–maybe about a character like Sheen or a “religious degenerate”–and see if any of the advice here is helpful, Charlie Sheen commentary aside. Hi Haakon, Thanks for visiting Scribe Meets World! I’m glad you’ve found the site to be useful. I’ve checked out — thanks for bringing it to my attention. To further your study of screenwriting, I also highly recommend (to learn more about the craft by analyzing real screenplays) and (to learn more about the industry).
Alex Epstein’s Crafty Screenwriting is also a real gem! Pruning comments is certainly something to consider, especially as the site grows, but for now I’m letting the First Amendment reign! After visiting your own website which definitely has a political slant, I wonder, have you seen the Ides of March? If so, what was your take? Don’t prune the website comments! That might mean I would never have got to read James’ epic response!
Although, at first, I thought the guy sounded like a complete idiot (it never does anyone any favours to launch into a needless personal attack on someone they have never met) as I read, I was surprised to find he had some very intelligent points to make. I had never really thought of holding the likes of Charlie Sheen up as an Alpha Male hero, who goes against our learned social constraints and, far from being immature in his pursuit of sex with many different women, is actually being true to his biological nature. I had never thought of married men as actually weak for turning their back against theirs. Once I had deciphered his special style of writing, I have to say I agree with much of what he wrote – except the manner in which he delivered it.
I think in a perverse way, it kind of highlights the key message of the site about the need for structure, lean writing and sticking to the key points. Great ideas, great content, can be lost when presented in a poor form. Good form is crucial. Hi, Thank you so much for this site! I’ve gotten a lot out of reading it as I tackle improving my feature comedy script. As I’ve been trying to see the 8 plot points in my own film I keep coming up with a few questions: 1. You wrote that at #6 the character has a re-commitment to his goal.
And I was wondering why here? Why would someone right after the midpoint suddenly reaffirm themselves? At the act 2 break”All is lost” and then the next moment after the break is the Climax: I keep wondering, doesn’t there need to be an additional plot point that is very important in between?
How can someone go from losing everything to suddenly having what he needs to succeed during the crisis/climax. I would be so grateful if you could help!
This script might kill me. Thanks, Brooke. Hi Brooke, Thanks for visiting Scribe Meets World!
I’m glad it’s been helping you as your complete your comedy script. Plot Point #6, the point of commitment, is something that I first came across when reading Vicki King’s How to Write a Movie in 21 Days. And after reading about it, I started noticing it in more and more movies–but it’s by no means something essential like a strong midpoint or climax. So if it’s causing you sleepless nights, I wouldn’t worry about it. As to why it would come after the midpoint–a lot of times, the midpoint of a script takes the second act into a whole new direction.
So it actually makes sense for the character to reaffirm his commitment to achieving his goal after the midpoint has shaken everything up. Also, it’s not like the character says right out, “I’m going to do this, and come hell or high water, nothing’s going to stop me.” But he SHOWS it. The point of commitment might be a test to determine whether or not the character will continue on his journey–maybe it’s a temptation of sorts. At this point, it’s like the character has an “easy way out,” and usually, he’ll choose to stay “in.” You can see why the point of commitment is usually built into a lot of screenplays, because it’s a natural extension of the obstacle/goal/obstacle/goal sequence which is the backbone of plot. It’s just one in a series of obstacles, and by overcoming it, the hero shows his commitment to achieving his goal. RE: the climaxyes, there are additional scenes between the all is lost moment and the climax. The essential plot points are like a checklist to follow to make sure that your screenplay has a solid structure.
You’ll fill in the scenes between each one. The plot points make it easier to do so, because it makes your goal more manageable– i.e., okay, I just have to figure out what happens between the first act break and the midpointinstead of, “ohmigod, I have an entire Act Two to write and I have no idea how to fill all those pages!” Between the all is lost moment and the climax, something happens to make the hero rally and not give up on his goal. A lot of times, one of the supporting characters helps the hero experience a realization that he shouldn’t give up (like in Bridesmaids, Megan slaps Annie and tells her that Annie can’t give up when life has knocked Annie down). Then the character prepares for the final climax. Going back to Bridesmaids, Annie prepares by getting her taillights fixed, baking a cake for Officer Rhodes, and by resolving things with Helen.
Bridesmaids is about internal character transformation, so the climax isn’t a face off between good and evil (like a typical action movie or thriller), but about Annie coming to terms with her poor self-esteem. By seeking out Officer Rhodes and making up with Lillian, Annie demonstrates she’s overcome her internal demons. I hope this helps–good luck with your comedy script! Hi, I’m relatively new to this site. But since finding it I have been on it non-stop! So thank you for all the helpful information. Now to why I’m here and my question.
I am a writer slash film maker. Recently I was approached by a major holly wood producer about my work. So he now has one of my scripts. He likes it but said it was too “dense”. This eludes to what you have been saying about amateur scripts being too complicated and convoluted in the first act. I have read over the eight plot points; which was a big one with him. As again you stated that they are with Major Studio types.
And I’m not really that far off. I feel with a bit of “sloughing” and a minor revamp I should be well to good. But my question is.
Do these eight plot points have to stay in this order? I’m mostly referring to #6 All is Lost Can they be shuffled a bit? I’m not opposed to revamping this script. I’ve never been a “It’s my work and my baby” type of writer. Hi Jeurgen, Congratulations on getting a producer interested in your work! That’s a huge step–I hope you celebrated in style ? In traditional three-act structure, the all is lost moment has to occur before the climax and the resolution. It can’t occur any sooner either because the protagonist has spent the entire second act preparing for that moment, but instead of claiming victory, he suffers defeat.
He’s the absolutely farthest from his goal, despite everything he’s done in the second act. Only by gaining new insight can he rally his strength for one last attempt in the climax. If your script has a happy ending, then he’ll also gain pretty much complete victory at the resolution. So I guess the short answer is no–you can’t really shuffle it around. I’ve never been a believer in fixed page numbers, so it’s not like you have to have the all is lost moment on a specific page, but chronologically, it has to come before your climax and resolution. First acts are hard to trim, usually because the writer is so focused on giving the audience background information.
If the characters are interesting and the protagonist has a compelling goal, the audience will still follow alongeven if they don’t have all the background info. Give them some credit–if they’re hooked, they can wait till act two for more details/explanations.
Is there a character introduction you can delay till Act Two instead of including it in the first act? That might be one way to trim it down. Density can also refer to how “lean” your writing is. Using fragments and fewer words will make your script feel lighter. Make sure none of your paragraphs are longer than four lines–and minimize overly long dialogues.
But take this advice with a grain of salt. You don’t want to ruin the voice which hooked the producer in the first place! Hi Nagesh, I can’t give you specific help regarding your project, but I am planning to write a post which describes how to plot your movie from beginning to end. I think this will be helpful for you, and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s completed. In the meantime, you might want to read Alex Epstein’s Crafty Screenwriting or Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat, as they both give helpful advice on this topic. Also, study the plot points for as many suspense movies as you can find.
Isn’t a bad place to start! Carson Reeves over at Scriptshadow has done several reviews of. If you go through these, you can learn a lot, not just from the post itself but also from the comments. Smoke meth much james? Anyways, so I see how these main points relate around a story where the hero is put into a predicament, has a series of setbacks, one setback is above all else, the worst. At this point something changes (I think we can all agree this is very resonating.) And in the end the hero triumphs. So my question to you is what happens if in our story there is a sense of hopelessness and the hero never suceeds and the light at the end of the tunnel never gets larger?
Could the story be appealing if there is a climax but not a summit by the hero? Hi Greg, You always have to do what’s right for YOUR story. That being said, here are three thoughts to consider: 1) Real life can be hopeless enough. People go to the movies in part to escape that feeling.
You might want to reconsider a completely bleak ending–just for marketability’s sake. If your hero fails, the possibility of a hopeful ending should exist for another character (however minor). To quote Syd Field from his book Screenplay, “I once taught a workshop in Germany for some 50 writers, and out of 50 stories, 46 of them ended in death, suicide, mayhem, and destruction. I told the students that there are better ways to end a screenplay than to have your character caught, shot, captured, die, commit suicide, or be killed.” 2) Of course, a bleak ending may be exactly your point. The ending of Chinatown sure is negative–but that’s the whole point of the movie. The rich can–and do–get away with murder. If you can convey your point of view as well as Chinatown did, your script can be a calling card which can get you an agent and possibly assignment work–even if it’s not marketable enough to be produced.
3) People become immune to things the more they are exposed to them. For example, after awhile, if an action movie doesn’t pace its action scenes, audiences will stop feeling an adrenaline rush while watching them on-screen because they’ve become habituated to them. The same principle applies to a movie which leans towards the bleak side. If the hopelessness isn’t punctuated by happier, more hopeful moments, the bleakness will lose its effect and your audience will be numb to it. In other words, there should be some success achieved at some point, otherwise the series of failures loses its impact. Two ideal points for creating a false sense of hope are a) at the end of Act Two and b) in the middle of your climax. I hope this helps.
I really have to thank you for this amazing site! I come from germany so it’s kind of depressing searching for really good german sites that might help you with your screenwriting process. I’m glad i found sites like your’s which have been very helpful!
This article really inspired me and also helped me a lot. But I still got a few questions and hope you can help me! I’m still in kind of a learning process when it comes to screenwriting, but I’m working passionately on a screenplay at the moment and I’ve already outlined every major plot point so I know what the story is about and what my lead character really wants etc.
I also outlined the eight sequences of the screenplay. So my next step is to start writing a treatment. I’ve already done this before and I think it is quite helpful so I totally agreed with your article about treatment’s I’ve read earlier.
But I was wondering how much outlining is too much. While searching for outline examples I found a development for a screenplay of a TV show.
It was just for one episode so it wasn’t the whole story of the whole season of this show. But what really confused me was that every single scene was outlined and written as kind of a treatment. But there’s other sites where I’ve read things like “When it comes to screenwriting, just outline at least your major plot points and then get it done”. Well, I thought maybe it is a good way to outline the whole script so you’ll know what you actually want to write about.
But then I thought if I outline every single scene I want to write in the actual script, I will spend more time outlining than actually writing the script. So it kind of confused me a bit and I wanted to know how you yourself handle those outlining process.
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Because, I think it’s good knowing where your story goes and having the whole plot structured in those plot points, but like you said in another article about the 80-20 rule, the more you research the less you write, I thought maybe it’s the same thing with outlining. Maybe I wont get the script done if I spend too much time outlining. Hope you at least know what my problem is and can help me a bit so I won’t be as confused as I am right now! Hi Julia, I’m so glad that my site has been helpful for you! In regards to outlining, I think it is an essential part of the process. I like to outline as much as possible because I find that this reduces the amount of extensive rewriting I have to do later. You do raise a good point though–you can outline too much and never start writing your screenplay in the first place.
This defeats the whole purpose of outlining! This is how I approach outlining: first, I focus on cracking the 8 essential plot points. Then, I figure out what needs to happen in order for those plot points to occur. I add in scenes to heighten the emotion or to improve the logic, etc. This usually yields a list of about 40 plot points or so. I put each plot point on an index card and shuffle them around until I think I have them organized into a solid structure. Then I think about each plot point–how it should begin, what should happen in the middle, and how it should end.
If any funny ideas or lines of dialogue come to me, I write these down as well. I don’t write much; maybe one side of an index card, sometimes both sides. It depends on how extensive I think the scene will be.
I do this until I have filled out each index cardand then I repeat the process a couple of times. By this point, I’m itching to begin writing! I think that’s a good indicator of when you should switch from outlining to writing. You don’t have to add details to the index cards, but I wouldn’t start writing before I had a list of all the plot points organized in a way which best tells my story. This is, of course, the method which works for me. Some people hate outlining and write “by the seat of their pants.” It sounds though like you are an outliner like me!
To clarify, in the article about the 80-20 rule, I concluded 20% of your research will yield about 80% of the details you actually use or need. So I resolved to research less. By research, I meant time spent looking up factual details, not outlining. In fact, in the same article, I concluded you should spend more time outlining rather than less! (But not to the point where outline becomes a procrastination device.) I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions!
I’m new to this site, but the ideas you post are timeless. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with the world. I especially found your Back to the Future notes very helpful.
As for “James” earlier in this thread, I’ve found there are two types of screenwriters: 1) those who recognize that there indeed is structure to all great films and 2) those who think everything they write is flawless and if people don’t understand it or like it, they become pissed off and blame the world for their shortcomings. (And by the way, using 2001 and Solaris as examples only made your point stronger.
Those movies never see the light of day without Kubrick or Clooney. Who was James kidding?). Hello, I’m also an aspiring screenwriter, and I just started at about this time last year. So far, I’ve completed four movie spec scripts, one TV pilot script (an hourlong drama) and I’m currently working on a sitcom. I think this list is a GREAT help. Anyone who has done anything knows that you ALWAYS want to start off with direction, especially if you’re new to it.
To just “wing it” is almost never a good idea. Just like many others, I understand that these are just some good guidelines to begin with and of course, the better we get, the more we may be able to deviate appropriately.
Some folks turn something like this into an English project and that’s why it drives them crazy, but what they need to understand is that this is just so you can have some structure and know where to begin. This also allows you to break the script down and focus more on doing maybe 30 pages at a time rather than trying to figure all 120 out in one sitting or get to one spot and just be stuck because you have no idea where to go next. Obviously, with more experience, again, you’re better equipped to deviate, and that’s another thing a lot of folks misunderstand.
We as amateurs are not in a good position to deviate just yet. We often want to compare ourselves to seasoned screenwriters and that’s not a good idea. All we see is the finished product and if it doesn’t match closely with this format or similar, then we wrongly think that no structure was used at all. While I’ll admit that it IS frustrating to sometimes see work out there that looks like it stayed FAR away from this and is sometimes just plain bad, the thing for us to remember is that we DON’T want to be remembered for that.
In other words, it’s easy to see that it looks like someone was able to put a halfhearted effort into something, succeed and then figure that that’s all we need to do as well. We want to make OUR OWN names. Sorry to get into all that, but I just wanted to thank you for creating this list.
As I said above, I’m working on a sitcom pilot now and I came online to look up good ways to outline that. I came across this, and I’m glad I did! Hi Robert, Thanks for taking the time to share your observations. You’ve summarized the benefits of outlining quite nicely. Outlines definitely make writing a longer work more manageableand save you a lot of grief in the long run.
It’s interesting to read article by authors who don’t like outlining, but tried to embrace it (for whatever reason). For the most part, they end up concluding that outlining in advance saved them a lot of time during the rewrite process You’ve been enormously productive in the last year.
It sounds like you’d be a great asset to a show’s writing staff. From what I’ve read, the structure of a TV show shares similar principles to the structure for a full-length feature screenplay, but it does have its own nuances. (So you’d have to adapt the outline presented in this article.) For more specifics, read Successful Television Writing by Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin and Writing the TV Pilot by William Rabkin (if you haven’t already!). Best of luck ?. I have a question. So I’ve been trying to get at least a basic outline based on the worksheet you guys have, but I’m confused on what to do if you hero/protagonist’s main goal goes against everything your story is about. For example: Say, your protagonist has an ability that can help people but hates it.
So their main goal is to become ‘normal’ and ‘safe’. Yet there are all these conflicts that lead your main character to do the opposite on their goal–which I’m guessing is embracing their situation and ability. If it’s like so, doesn’t that mean there are no stakes if don’t succeed their main goal? Or does it mean their main goal has changed?? I’m really confused. Hi Bianca, I haven’t seen it in a long time, but it seems to me that the plot of Spider-Man 2 matches the situation you’ve described. Peter Parker wants to reject being Spider-Man and embrace a “normal, safe” life, but, by the end, learns to embrace his superhero identity.
Studying that movie should help you a lot. Oddly enough, studying a movie like About a Boy may help you too because the “push-pull” struggle of the hero is similar, even though he’s not in possession of super powers.
To be more specific, Will (Hugh Grant’s character) professes an earnest desire to live alone, “like an island.” This is the equivalent of a protagonist who wants to be safe and normal. But Marcus won’t let Will alone; he forces Will to change and embrace life “like an island chain.” I hope this helps. Great website. I am recent Directing/Screenwriting graduate of a very hands-on industry-like film school. Being out of school for a while, my writing skills have been slowly dulling out. Planning to go to graduate school this fall for film, I decided I needed to reteach myself many things I have forgotten.
Im film school, we talked about story, how we need a beginning, middle and end. We never went in depth to plot points, 3 act structure, lowest low, etc. When my thesis advisor analyzed my thesis script he gave back feedback with words like, “the climax, things come in 3, lowest lowetc.” I did not really understand what he meant until after reading this (and many of your other links on your website).
I was more of a directing major that took some writing courses. First of all I want to thank you for posting so often – please keep up! You have a lot of fans. Two, in class, we mainly watched movies and then we would analyze them. We would talk about why it worked – the images (i.e. Opening and closing images, how the movie made us care about the main character, etc) It was more film, less theory.
I’m not sure if you would consider your writing theory – since you said this website is for people who want to SELL their script. I went to a more art driven school; but my teacher tried to instill some business mentality as well. I would like to ask you, do you think as a writer who writes from the heart (usually) but also values a movie that has great structure (with suspense); do you think it’s better to first go with what you feel, then tweak it out? Or should I follow the 8 plot point structure, make sure it hits every point, then try to artfully craft it out? Anyways, thanks again and looking forward to reading more! Would love to hear about some foreign films as well. I am working on a story that takes place in China, most of the characters speak Chinese.
But the main is an english speaker; I am almost confused on who I should put the focus on audience wise. I guess that may be a question I have to ask myself! And lastly, can you please do an analyzation on a Woody Allen film? I would like to see how he hits these 8 marks, or how he makes it work. He always has the most “taboo” relationships, yet it always works so wonderfully!
Thanks again!! Hi Stacy, It’s always best to write from the heart. The key, though, is to figure out what kind of process works best for you. Some writers can plot in advance, while still writing from the heart; others feel that that they need more spontaneity (eg “pantsers” who write from the seat of their pants). Choose the process that you enjoy most. Then evaluate your raw material and figure out how to mold it into the strongest story possible.
(And most commercially viable too, if that’s your goal.) If you’re a plotter, you’ll be working with an outline; if you’re a pantser then your raw material will be your rough draft. So, you always have to do some kind of analysis.
But the point in time when you do that analysis depends on what works best for you. Re: Woody Allen–his name makes his movies commercially viable. So an analysis of his films is unlikely to pop up on this site because basically only Woody Allen can sell a Woody Allen-esque movie. If you’re interested, Billy Mernit has an excellent analysis of ANNIE HALL in his book, Writing the Romantic Comedy.
(The book is a great resource, BTW!) Good luck! I just want to say thank you for give us this information for FREE. In this world where people are just out to get the almighty dollar, it is so refreshing to see someone who obviously wants to help the writer.
If I could show you my bookcase of a zillion books on screenwriting you would have a headache. You’ve managed to do what those books have failed to do for me for years. Coming up with story ideas and big concepts were never the problem for me. Structure on the other hand- ughh! Now I finally feel like I can approach structure the right way. When I win my Oscar for best screenplay, I will mention your name. SOLID STORY COMPASS Make your story the best it can be.without paying a pro thousands of dollars for developmental editing or script analysis.
“The knowledge availableis priceless (especially since I don’t have a developmental editor). I don’t have enough words to thank you! You are one of the reasons for me to reach my dream.” C. Lamb, author of Os Mapas da Morte ( The Maps of Death), first in a new urban-fantasy series Download the ebook instantly or buy the paperback (free shipping with Amazon Prime): Amazon (US):. At this time, this book is exclusively available on Amazon.
Writing a Synopsis With all TLC, you are welcome to submit your synopsis and cover letter, and we also provide a submission package assessment which looks at your first 50 pages, synopsis, and ‘Dear Agent’ letter. Our fees can be found, and submission guidelines. Client feedback can be found.
The dictionary definition of ‘synopsis’ (derived from the Ancient Greek meaning) is ‘a brief description of the contents of something’. The purpose of a synopsis is to inform a literary agent or publisher of the type of book you are writing/have written in a concise, appealing fashion, conveying that you are in command of your subject matter. If you want your manuscript to be given serious consideration, a good synopsis is a crucial part of your submission. The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook will inform you that most publishing houses no longer accept direct submissions but those that do (usually the smaller houses) will usually ask for a cover letter, synopsis and sample chapters rather than a whole work in the first instance. The same applies to literary agents. To put it simply, the sample chapters are to show how you write, and the synopsis is to tell the reader what happens when they have finished reading them.
This will help inform the publisher/literary agent whether they think it is worth their while to read more. Then, if they do want to read more, they will ask you. So, the bottom line is this – if you want to have your manuscript read in its entirety you must invest time in getting your cover letter and book synopsis right.
I know from my experiences at TLC that many writers can get disconcerted and nervous by having to produce a synopsis and there are usually two reasons why. First, a writer might have an unwieldy story that they themselves are not 100 per cent convinced by, or a non-fiction project that they do not really know enough about. If this is so, summarising can be difficult because the level of thinking through and planning of the project has not been done in the first place. In this instance, I would urge the writer to question why this process is so difficult. If it is because the story is insufficiently clear, persuasive or gripping, then more work needs to be done to get the manuscript into the kind of shape that would persuade an agent or editor to consider it further. Second, a writer might genuinely be able to write a good book but not be experienced in the art of summarising a work in an effective manner.
A few might even consider the act of doing so demeaning. If this is the case, I would urge you to think not of yourself, but of the reader, and treat the project as a literary exercise which you should try to enjoy: a challenge and opportunity to show your work off in its essential form. It might help to refer to book blurbs, or plot summaries in reference books such as The Oxford Companion to Literature, or online, for example in Wikipedia.
In addition to letting a professional reader know what happens in your manuscript, the synopsis will also let them know at a glance if you have thought about how your work fits in to the market. This is critical in non-fiction, less so with fiction, although with fiction awareness of what genre you have written in is vital. Also, if what you are writing coincides with any major anniversaries for example, or might have a marketing ‘hook’ of any other kind, this is important to mention if not within the synopsis itself, then within a cover letter. FICTION SYNOPSES A fiction synopsis should comprise a brief summary followed by a more detailed synopsis. But before writing either of these, you must clarify which genre your work fits into.
The most important thing to realise about fiction in respect of how you present it to representatives of the publishing industry is that it breaks down into different types, or genres. For those who think that the obsession with genres, or types of fiction, is a modern phenomenon, the lines from Polonius’ famous speech in Hamlet might serve to prove the opposite.
He describes the actors who have come to court as ‘The best actors in the world for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited’. Some of these dramatic forms are familiar and others not. There are always more genres being invented or cross-fertilised. It can be difficult to keep up!
The most popular genres today are, broadly speaking: crime, thriller, psychological thriller, detective, sci-fi, horror, comic, chick-lit, lad’s lit, historical, saga, literary, experimental, graphic, erotic, fantasy, romantic, women’s commercial fiction and literary-commercial crossover – or, as it’s becoming more widely coined, ‘Lit Lite’. Classifying your novel within a genre can be a challenge.
This is largely because when most people start to write a novel they do so without having studied the genre they are writing for. Although, when you start to write, you feel free to explore, practise and experiment without thinking in terms of the defining limits of a genre, by the time you come to submitting your work to be published, it is very important to know which genre your work fits into. In all art forms there are rule breakers, but almost inevitably – as in the cases of Picasso, Virginia Woolf and, more recently, the US writer Michael Cunningham – even the greatest ‘artists’ have studied the traditional forms/genres before taking any risks.
A good starting point is to read books you consider similar to the one you are writing that are already published, and note how they are classified on the back cover. By reading, and sometimes studying literature and writing through other routes, you will also learn the possibilities and limits offered by your chosen genre.
The bad news is if you don’t clarify what kind of book you have written, the chances are it will reflect in the text. If you don’t clearly inform the agent or editor what your book is about and which category it falls into, it may all too quickly be labelled as a work which ‘falls between stools’, is impossible to market and so doesn’t get considered any further. Writing a brief summary Having made it your top priority to identify what type of novel you have written, you can make a start on your all-important synopsis. All good synopses should begin with a brief summary of 30–75 words, the sort of thing which appears on a book’s back cover. For example, had you written Pride and Prejudice today: Pride and Prejudice is a contemporary, literary romance about a woman who falls in love with a man she thinks she hates. Or, Pride and Prejudice, a contemporary, literary novel, tells the story of Elizabeth Bennett, a proud, intelligent woman, one of five sisters, whose mother is committed to marrying her children off as a matter of urgency. Elizabeth meets Darcy, owner of a grand estate, but considers him over proud, arrogant and undesirable.
In time, she learns that he is not all that he appears to be, and revises her prejudice, before they fall deeply in love. Both these examples, one short, one longer, serve to whet the appetite for more detail to follow. An example of an ostensibly weak synopsis, which rambles and fails to emphasise the most important points quickly enough, might be: Set at some point in the nineteenth century, five sisters are looking for husbands. Or is Mary, really? Anyway, their mother is a real fuss pot and annoys everybody. Outside their house there are lots of fields and it is sometimes raining. The girls’ father is gentle and kind, with grey hair but not good at standing up to his wife always.
Mr Bingley is an important character who is very handsome, but is he as handsome as Mr Darcy? It is hard to tell!
Hopefully you can see the clear differences between the two. Writing a detailed synopsis Following the brief summary should be a more detailed synopsis of 350–450 words. Literary agents do not want a detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdown (if they do, they’ll ask for one) as reading them can be tiresome and difficult to follow. The main aim of the longer synopsis is to give a detailed overview which clearly and concisely conveys how the story flows and unfolds, and (very importantly) what is interesting about it.
The longer synopsis should also reconfirm when the story is set (i.e. Is it contemporary or historical?); the setting or background (e.g. Is Thatcher’s government in its last throes or are we in a quiet Devonshire village where nothing ever happens, but there is a sense of impending doom?); inform the reader about the central character (i.e.
What is interesting about them and what happens on their journey), as well as giving brief reference to other characters that are directly pivotal to the plot. The longer synopsis should also highlight the dramatic turning points and tell the reader of any other salient information which will help convey what kind of work it is, how well imagined are the characters involved and how well thought through and alluring is the plot. COVER LETTER Alongside the synopsis should also be an excellent, economically written and confident sounding cover letter. This should simply address a well-researched literary agent by name (never put a generic ‘Dear Sir/Madam’). In this you should say that you are enclosing a novel called ‘X’, which is a thriller/literary/coming-of-age/horror novel (identify genre).
It does not matter if this is repeated on the synopsis page. You may also wish to refer to writers you feel you are similar to, although do be careful not to have misplaced arrogance in this. You might say ‘I write in the genre of John Grisham because he is a writer I read and hugely admire’ or you might say ‘this is a novel in which To Kill a Mockingbird meets Crash’ or ‘Harper Lee meets J.G Ballard’ – but do be careful that you know you have the talent to claims like these. Otherwise, let the agent decide and they will help market you to the publisher, and the publisher then help market you to the public. If you admire an agent for a particular reason, such as they publish a hero or heroine of yours, let them know. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE If you have something interesting to say about yourself, such as that you have won a writing competition or published before in relevant publications, do include this briefly in the cover letter. It is for you to judge what is of particular interest about you, and how much to say, but you should also provide a fuller biographical note which sits well at the bottom of the synopsis page.
This should be between 50 and 200 words as a guide. If you have been published provide a summarised list of publications here. If you have not, or are trying to hide a career you think has gone off track and want to appear fresh, keep it brief and mention what you do, your age and anything that makes you sound interesting. If your career is related to your subject matter, then do say this. For example ‘I worked as a miner for twenty year’ if your book is set in a mining community. Do avoid listing technical publications as evidence of writing ability if you are submitting fiction. There is an enormous difference between writing technically and writing fiction, and if you don’t seem to know this it is not impressive.
This is different for non-fiction. As a rule, err on the side of brevity if necessary.
If the reader loves your work they will be in touch to find out more about you. For help with learning how to self-market read Marketing Your Book: An Author’s Guide by Alison Baverstock. NB: If the work is literary, there may be less emphasis on plot and more on the quality of the prose.
Due to current climates and publishing trends, this is a difficult time to publish literary fiction without strong plots, although things undoubtedly will change. NON-FICTION SYNOPSES A synopsis for a work of non-fiction performs a different function.
The consideration of whether a non-fiction book has a potential market is generally more straightforward than for new fiction. In the case of non-fiction you should certainly have carefully researched your market before submission and ideally list the competitors in the field, outlining why your project is different and why you are the writer best positioned to write the book you have. Also, you should be able to list any marketing opportunities you believe your book may have, such as identifiable, or even guaranteed readers such as students if you teach a course, anniversary tie-ins and so on. A literary agent is often prepared to sell a non-fiction work on synopsis and chapters only. This is an extreme rarity in the case of fiction.
This is because it is easier for people to see if there is a market gap that can be filled by the project, before the work is finished. You may not need an agent for certain, more niche types of non-fiction book. In these cases publishers may well be prepared to take direct submissions from you. Again, this is because in the area of self-help or business books for example, a list will know clearly what its gaps are. It may have a standard format it is looking to sell books in. You should certainly research these formats and contact editors specialised lists to find out if they do have space for your idea, and so that they can let you know exactly how they like work to be presented before forming the project in your mind. I think it best in general for the non-fiction writer to prepare two different types of proposal.
The first would form an initial pitch and the second the follow-up proposal if the editor or literary agent asks to see more. Both documents need to be thoroughly persuasive as these may go directly towards securing a book deal. The initial pitch for non-fiction This should be no more than one to two pages. Include a brief summary (e.g. ‘Flying High is a book about the history of aeronautics’ or ‘My Name was Glory is the biography of Amanda Flemming, maid to Queen Gertrude and unknown holder of the Secret Chalice’) and a description of the contents of the book, with an argument for why it should be published now and why you are qualified to write it. Ideally, you should also include an overview of other work in the field, and argue why yours fills an important gap.
In addition, you should include a chapter breakdown, giving a provisional title for each chapter with a brief summary (30–60 words, as a guide only) of the contents of each chapter to show how the book is structured throughout. Here also, do spell out any ideas you have about how the book might be marketed.
As non-fiction markets are more specific than fiction markets, it is helpful for the author to help the agent or editor know what hooks there might be to help sell copies. As I have said, if you are lucky enough to have any guaranteed markets, such as students on a course you teach, do of course inform the industry of this. If you can estimate a word count for the length of the work do so. For some pre-formatted non-fiction titles, there will be a word-length you will be expected to hit anyway.
You will discover this as you research. The second pitch The more in-depth synopsis with sample chapter should include the initial pitch, but with any added material you can muster in terms of defending your position as author or the book’s market chances.
Most importantly in the longer pitch you need to show that you can write the book. Do provide more in-depth chapter breakdowns (100–150 words each) and critically 5000–10,000 words of polished, irresistibly clear and well-written text to show that you are capable of executing your intentions in a winning manner.
I would always advise writing the introduction and the opening chapter if possible to really show you mean business. Those two together would usually take you to between 5000 and 10, 000 words. Conclusion Whilst it is worth spending time ensuring you have a good, short, confident cover letter, synopsis and it is important to stress that there is nothing as important to an editor than the quality of your writing and your ability to sustain the interest of a reader in the main body of the text. A synopsis is not a magic wand that will influence the real standard of a work.
I have seen perfectly polished synopses followed by poor writing. The net result of this is that one feels excited, only to be let down, which is off-putting in itself. If you have the skill to write a gripping synopsis, do ensure that you have used your energies wisely in advance of submitting and make sure that the book itself is as good as it can be. Focus, particularly, on the fine-tuning of the opening 50 pages. Unless your synopsis and summary are actively off-putting, they should generally serve as a flag to indicate to the reader where they are beginning and then as a guide to the story beyond the extract submission.
If the agent or publisher likes what they see well enough to ask for more well done! Oh and good luck.