Film Courage: If a writer has three ideas, how do they know which one to choose?
Naomi Beaty, Writer, Screenwriting Teacher and Consultant: I think it depends on what they want out of the writing project. I think there are a few criteria you can look to and it’s a really personal decision. I also think you don’t ever have to throw an idea away. If you have three that you want to write, that means you’re really just choosing which one you’re going to write next and then you can always have the other two on deck. I personally think that you should gauge the concept and make sure that each idea you’re weighing is a strong enough idea to be a screenplay, that’s the first thing. But if all that’s equal I think you should look at what you want to get out of the project. Is it helping you learn a new skill in your writing toolkit? Is it helping you advance your career in a particular way? Is it filling out your portfolio of writing samples? That is helpful to gauge What do I want this to do for me so that no writing is wasted? It’s not wasted time but so that you’re getting the most out of the project that you’re going to write. Then also if you know the ending, I think that’s very helpful because sometimes if you start a writing project without knowing the ending that can be a longer, more frustrating process to outline. But if you know how this story ends, the outlining of it, the figuring out how the plot progresses, all the steps in the plot and everything that’s a little bit easier because of what destination you’re headed toward, so that’s interesting.
Film Courage: When you said that you’ve actually outlined for people once you see their finished script. If you see someone who’s hung up on the ending, do you get them to that point? I realize you’re not figuring out the ending for them but do you outline up until that point and then maybe that helps them through it?
Naomi: I’m making an outline from a finished draft that someone’s given me to read. I outline exactly what they have in the draft so if their ending isn’t working or if it isn’t complete…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BIO:
Naomi Beaty is a writer, screenwriting teacher, consultant and owner of WRITE+CO., along with the author of LOGLINE SHORTCUTS: Unlock Your Story And Pitch Your Screenplay In One Simple Sentence and THE SCREENPLAY OUTLINE WORKBOOK: A step-by-step guide to brainstorm ideas, structure your story, and prepare to write your best screenplay.
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