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DEVELOPINGSTORYIDEASThisPageIntentionallyLeftBlankDEVELOPINGSTORYIDEASSecondEditionMichaelRabigerAMSTERDAM•BOSTON•HEIDELBERG•LONDONNEWYORK•OXFORD•PARIS•SANDIEGOSANFRANCISCO•SINGAPORE•SYDNEY•TOKYOFocalPressisanimprintofElsevierAcquisitionsEditor:ElinorActipisProjectManager:DawnmarieSimpsonAssociateEditor:BeckyGolden-HarrellAssistantEditor:RobinWestonMarketingManager:ChristineDegonCoverDesign:EricDeciccoFocalPressisanimprintofElsevier30CorporateDrive,Suite400,Burlington,MA01803,USALinacreHouse,JordanHill,OxfordOX28DP,UKCopyright©2006,ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.PermissionsmaybesoughtdirectlyfromElsevier’sScience&TechnologyRightsDepartmentinOxford,UK:phone:(44)1865843830,fax:(44)1865853333,e-mail:permissions@elsevier.co.uk.Youmayalsocompleteyourrequeston-lineviatheElsevierhomepage(),byselecting“CustomerSupport”andthen“ObtainingPermissions.”Recognizingtheimportanceofpreservingwhathasbeenwritten,Elsevierprintsitsbooksonacid-freepaperwheneverpossible.LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataRabiger,Michael.Developingstoryideas/MichaelRabiger.—2nded.p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.ISBN0-240-80736-7(alk.paper)1.Motionpictureauthorship.2.Playwriting.3.Plots(Drama,novel,etc.)I.TitlePN1996.R162005808.23—dc222005051340BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationDataAcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.ISBN13:978-0-240-80736-2ISBN10:0-240-80736-7ForinformationonallFocalPresspublicationsvisitourwebsiteat||“NothingisrealuntilIhavewrittenaboutit.”ThisPageIntentionallyLeftBlankThisPageIntentionallyLeftBlankviiContentsIntroductionixPartI:OVERVIEW1Chapter1:ThisBook,ItsGoals,andGettingStarted3Chapter2:YouandtheCreativeProcess15PartII:SELF-EXAMINATION,OBSERVATION,ANDIMPROVISATIONASSIGNMENTS21Chapter3:ArtisticIdentity23Chapter4:IntroductionsandPlayingCLOSAT29Chapter5:AutobiographyandInfluences39Chapter6:ObservingfromLife43PartIII:USINGTHETOOLSOFDRAMA51Chapter7:DevelopingYourCharactersandtheDramatist’sToolkit53Chapter8:AnalyzingaScene61Chapter9:AssessingaCompleteWork73Chapter10:TestingaStoryIdeaandDecidingPointofView81PartIV:CREATIVEWRITINGASSIGNMENTS85Chapter11:ATalefromChildhood87Chapter12:FamilyStory101viiiContentsChapter13:AMyth,Legend,orFolktaleRetold113Chapter14:DreamStory129Chapter15:AdaptingaShortStory141Chapter16:Ten-Minute,News-InspiredStory155Chapter17:ADocumentarySubject163Chapter18:Thirty-MinuteOriginalFiction173Chapter19:FeatureFilm187PartV:THEEMERGINGWRITER199Chapter20:RevisitingYourArtisticIdentity201PartVI:EXPANDINGYOURWORKINTOITSFINALFORM207Chapter21:Story-EditingYourOutline209Chapter22:ExpandingYourOutline221Index235ixIntroductionIfyoulikewritingbutgetfrustratedbycharacterswhorefusetocomealive,plotsthatfizzle,orstoryideasthatallfeelsecondhand,thisbookwillproveexhilaratingandfreeing.Usingminimaljargonandspeakingdirectlytoyouasacolleague,itsadviceandmanypracticalassignmentswillhelpyougen-erateafundofyourownstoryideas—andhavegreatpleasuredoingit.Thoughaddressedtoprospectivescreenwriters,thebook’sworkisfounda-tionalandcanleadjustaseasilytoprojectsinprosefiction,theater,radio,orjournalism.Thestorydevelopmentworkalltakesplaceinoutlineform,socritiqueandfurtherworkreallybearfruit,forthisisaworkoutmanualinideation—thatis,infindinganddevelopingthecoreideasandthepersonalconnec-tionsthatunderpinallgoodstoriesandlendthemimpact.Abooklikethisisnecessarybecausetellingstories—sonaturalandeasyfortheveryyoung—getsmoredifficultaswegrowup.Webecomeself-consciousandself-critical.Academiceducationcompoundstheproblembyherdingusintolarge,competitive,andimpersonalinstitutions.Mostschoolingconcentratesonfacts,objectivity,androtememorization,andthismakesself-explorationseemindulgentandirrelevant.Butwecomeintopossessionofourselvesonlyifweconnect—emotionally,imaginatively,andspiritually—withothers.Humanshavealwaysdonethisthroughtellingandlisteningtostories.Storiesaretheoxygenofcivilizationandtheelixirofsanityandwisdom;wemustbothhearthemandtellthemifwearetosurviveandprosper.Myhalf-centuryofprofessionalinvolvementwithstorytellingandstory-tellershasconvincedmethateachpersonisdeeplymarkedbykeyexperi-ences,andsoeachhasmovingstoriestotell.Doingthiswellmeansfirstlookinginward.Inordertodevelopyourcreativityandindividual“voice”youwillneedtoaccess,value,andbuilduponwhatyoucarrywithin.ThisxIntroductionbookisaboutthemidwiferythatmakesthishappen.Alltheconceptualtoolsandassignmentsaresimplyexplainedthrougheverydayanalogiesandaminimumofjargon.Youwillalsolearnsomethingofastoryteller’scapacityforactingandshowmanship,forasuccessfulscreenauthormustbeabletochangerolesatwillfromsubjectivetoobjective