[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: Where does our desire to write come from?
Alan Watt, Author/Screenwriter and [Founder of L.A. Writers’ Lab]: I think the desire to write is really the desire to evolve or resolve an inner dilemma. I think that the purpose of story is to reveal a transformation and a transformation really involves the resolution to a dilemma. I think of a dilemma as a problem that can’t be solved without creating a new problem.
There’s two ingredients to a dilemma, powerful design and a false belief. Think about that for a second, you’ve got your protagonist, they’ve got this powerful desire but they’re also struggling with a false belief. At the core of every story is a protagonist that wants something that’s impossible to achieve based on their current approach, their current identity does. I think the desire to write is really the desire to resolve our own dilemma.
I’ll give you some examples of dilemma, let’s say for example faith.
The dilemma of faith:
Powerful desire – I want to believe.
False belief – Give me proof, then I’ll believe.
Success:
Powerful desire – I want ambition. I want to be successful.
False belief – I will be successful when I make a million dollars.
Or whatever it is but what we want is always outside of ourselves.
–Success is something that happens outside of myself.
–Belief or faith is something that happens outside of myself. I need proof in order to believe.
What makes story so powerful is that story is about reframing our relationship to that powerful desire. In other words:
True faith will only occur when we let go of our false belief that I require proof in order to believe.
True success will only occur when I let go of my false belief that success is incumbent upon some outward or some external validation…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
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