Developing Story:
Many writers struggle to find the right balance between idea generation and plot development. This is where the process of identifying milestones and turning points that drive the story forward is crucial. It’s also where writers can often run into creative gridlock and lose faith in their project.
Fortunately, there are a few ways to keep your ideas moving in the right direction when you’re developing your story. First, you can use our Story Structure template to pin down your basic outline. This will help you create a clear sequence of events that leads to a meaningful conclusion. You can also incorporate themes into your storyline and character arcs to enrich the emotional resonance of your script.
Next, you can develop your key players. This includes both the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). Ultimately, it’s your characters’ journeys that give meaning to your story and their struggles that keep readers turning pages. Identify key characterization elements and dig into their motivations and goals to fuel conflict and tension throughout your story.
Finally, you can define the underlying moral, philosophical, or societal themes and ideas your story seeks to communicate. Ideally, these will align with your protagonist’s transformation or inner journey, thereby adding weight and impact to your script. You can also use recurring motifs and symbolism to reinforce your core themes and further cement them in the audience’s mind.