Tom Benedek (Guest Post): Writer as Pioneer

A guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek (Cocoon) and co-founder of Screenwriting Master Class:

Stories have endings. Characters may have inevitable emotional destinations. They may start with an internal dissonance — a psychological itch they cannot scratch — something which they need to understand, come to terms with which they may not even know about. Writing teacher Lisa Cron, calls this “the live wire” in her book Wired for Story.

Some writers cannot start a project until they know what their theme is. Others ignore the T word entirely, never it even if readers or audience may eventually see great meanings in the work.

But this “live wire” — a character’s internal dissonance — may be at the heart of why we start to write anything. Even though it is not about the writer, it’s about the characters. Who they think they are? vs. Who they really are? What they really know about themselves? vs. What they think they know about themselves?

As plot moves forward, our characters often do grand battle within themselves. Identifying this “live wire” helps the writer understand how the protagonist will deal with the obstacles you throw at them in the story. So throw the compass and road map into the hands of your main character or characters, but be clear about what is disturbing their inner peace, making them tick in the here and now of the plot. And fascinating things may unfold.

You are a pioneer when you start making notes for a new writing project. A number of things may have popped into your head already. An idea, a place, a situation has grabbed you. No one has told your story before so you probably can’t just tell it. You must discover it. As you edge forward, you build your characters. You learn about their “live wires” — their internal dissonances. Plot and story will unfold uniquely through their unique world views.

We’re starting a new 6-week Prep story outline class this Monday, September 21. Pioneer your new script project. Uncover the “live wires” of your characters.

The Prep workshop is one of the most popular classes we offer at Screenwriting Master Class. Easy to understand why as it offers a dual benefit: Not only do you take one of your original stories from concept to outline, you also learn a prep-writing process you can adopt and adapt for all of your future writing projects. Having an efficient, effective way of breaking a story is a critical capability for any writer who hopes to work in Hollywood, either as a screenwriter or TV writer.

For more information on the upcoming Prep workshop with Tom Benedek, go here.