The secret of telling a gripping true story

When I’ve got a workshop coming up, I like to post a tip or two about it – it’s a bonus for those who can’t make it, and an appetiser for those who can. Tomorrow night I’ve got an evening on True Stories, so I’ve been thinking about Truth.

True stories can be a massive elephant trap. I know, I’ve fallen in more than once. Like pebbles straight out of the sea, they seem so gleaming and fresh and full of potential – until a few weeks or months of writing dulls the sheen. And then you realise the first tip: Being true is never enough.

A true story still needs to have a strong spine to it. It’s all too easy to be seduced by all those exciting incidents into thinking there’s actually a movie or TV drama there, when all there is turns out to be a series of dramatic scenes with no link.

So, tip number two is:

Find the through line

The through line is anything that hangs the whole project together from beginning to end. That may well be a strong action line, or goal, though true stories tend to be less easily organised than that.

So you may have to find a strong theme to link  it all together. Such a theme might be the Goodfellas line “I always wanted to be a gangster.” In this very episodic story, that sentence, spoken right at the start, underlies everything that happens, although there is no single action line as you’d find it in a more conventional film.

There are other possible through lines. You could centre the whole story on a relationship line, or a character line, on a time (September 11, say), even on a location (Lawrence of Arabia) or prop (such as Enigma).

Until you’ve found that single unifying link, your True Story will be nothing more than a series of nice scenes in search of a script.

If you’re interested in coming to the True Story & Biopic workshop in London – there are just two places left for tomorrow night (6pm November 30 2010)  at £45 each (including three  free scripts to keep)  – click here to find out more.

Tips from Linda Aronson

It was great seeing so many people last night at Euroscript for the conversation I had with Linda Aronson (writer and guru!) – she was in good form and full of useful advice on all kinds of screenwriting, including the importance of breaking the rules and knowing how to do it. If you keep reading, I’m giving two of her thought-provoking tips below. I was also delighted that she sold every copy of her book that she brought along – and the UK publishers are also having to reprint due to the demand. However you can still get the book online at less than the cover price – click here.

Tip #1 – Remember the Spark It’s important to have a great, enticing pitch, Linda said. However she sees hundreds of scripts where the writing doesn’t reflect the underlying idea. “Find where the central “spark” of the story is –  what is it that makes people’s eyes light up. When you’ve found it, make sure that spark is there in the script – all the way through”. If necessary, rethink the plotting or build up elements to strengthen that element. Tip #2 – Don’t be betrayed by your own talent! “Talent can be a big problem” she says. “A talented writer can make any scene, any dialogue, look good – superficially. However that surface may be concealing the fact that the scene actually doesn’t work.” She also knows many talented writers who only write to 40% of their ability – coasting rather than working to their fullest capability. Don’t be fooled by your own ability to write well – make sure that everything works 100% – push yourself, keep learning, training and improving. Like I said, her book The 21st Century Screenplay is selling out everywhere, but you can still order it online at less than the cover price by clicking here. If you’re interested, I’ve got more details about it in my book recommendations.

The Kindest Cut

Here’s a tip that will work for just about every script, novel, short story, short film, movie or TV series.

You’ve just finished your draft. The story’s more or less there. But something’s not quite right. You look at it and you don’t know where to start editing. It’s not ready to send out to a professional script reviewer. It needs work – but what? And where?

Let me tell you in just a few short words. I don’t even have to read your script. I just know:

Cut the start

The opening is too long. You take too long to get into the story. Too many scenes before you establish the characters. Too many things are there to “set up” things that happen later.

How do I know? Because everyone does the same. Beginners and experienced. The difference is that the experienced writers know it and deal with it.

Get into it

Read through your script until you find where your story really starts. Not the bits you think you need to put in – where it actually gets going. There’s where you cut to. I don’t care if it’s page 3, page 30 or page 300.

Good stories dive straight in. Good stories grab you from the beginning with interesting, complex, active characters.

Cut the start of the script. And for good measure, cut the start of most scenes, cut the start of most speeches, cut all the explanation, the setting up, the exposition.

There – that feels better, doesn’t it?

How to create a great structure – and avoid the decoration

Noel Coward was both a great playwright and a great screenwriter. He said, “The structure of a play is as important as the structure of a house. Everything else is just decoration.”

However many people get stuck with structure. They either get fixated on plot points and arcs in a mechanical way and fail to bring the script to life, or they do the opposite and believe that the only way to breathe life into their script is to have no structure at all. Sadly, neither works. Believe me, I’ve tried both.

So, here’s today’s life-saving tip: Good Structure is Good Storytelling.

Don’t get hung up on the Acts and Pinch Points, and don’t ignore them either. The structure of your script is how you tell your story in the most enthralling way – how you make your audience laugh, cry, scream, whatever, in all the right places.

We’ve all sat through stories that rambled so much we gave up the will to live. And stories that held us captivated from soup to nuts. Which do you want for your script? You see, it’s not about the script being at the service of the Three Act template or whatever structure you choose for your story. It’s the tools and techniques of good structure that hold your audience.

Yes, this takes skill and technique. And, yes, it can be learned. It’s like a muscle you exercise, or a language you can become fluent in.

Read scripts, read books and best of all find teachers who have been there, used the techniques and can tell you how it works from personal practical experience. They will save you hundreds (maybe thousands) of wasted pounds sterling and years of toil and give you the short cuts and tools they took years to develop.

If you want to learn more, I’ve got a workshop on structure coming up on April 10 – and there’s a few places still left. We talk about and practise using structure in practical and meaningful ways. I’d love to see you there – find out more at http://www.euroscript.co.uk/structure.html