"Why is this day different from any other day in the character's life?" I wish I could remember where I first heard or read this. I think about it every time I begin to make notes about a protagonist and I ask it again as I write the first scene.
The day begins the same way it always has and then something happens; the character's life can never be the same again.
I think I heard the words during one of Syd Field's lectures. I've never taken a class from him but I responded to an email that the Master of Professional Writing office sent to the writing students in the program. He was updating his book "Screenplay," and needed someone to transcribe lectures he'd given at USC and during a 3-day seminar he'd held in the U.K. I responded and eventually transcribed audio from classes and the U.K. seminar into about 400 typewritten pages. It was an amazing experience for a beginning screenwriter.
For my friend, the doctor, the moment happened during an ordinary workday as he admired the skill of an older construction worker. It shocked him into redefining his life and he applied to med school. For me, it happened one afternoon while working on a monthly newsletter for a dental school. Deadlines were always hectic; many issues were completed with the help of Starbucks w/double shots of espresso. That afternoon a nursing student was working in the office asked: "Is this what you're going to do for the rest of your life?" "No," I replied. ( story: http://bit.ly/NYbio )
The protagonist feels content and then something happens; the adventure begins. His life will never be the same. This will continue to motivate me as I finish that short story.
Note: Syd Field's books are in my library; they were helpful as I struggled to learn the structure of those 120 pages.
These entries are inspired by the final assignment for The Business of Writing for Screen and Television, a School of Cinematic Arts' course taught by Frank Wuliger. Hoping to help his students become working screenwriters, he asked us to create a personal, five-year road map into the industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment