CS Daily Archive > The Big Picture > 01/07/05

The Big Picture:
Creating Your Personal
Character Arc in 12 Months

by jim mercurio

The thing I hate about New Year's resolutions is that they are often unattainable or, worse, simply nonsense. What? Am I going to make a list of things to which I adhere that will magically transform me from A to Z? If you are going to make New Year's resolutions, make ones that make sense, that organically evolve out of your personality and best qualities.

If you want help in finding resolutions that make sense for you, consider the concept of character arcs in screenplays. A character arc is the transformation a character goes through that culminates in the final act. If character arcs resembled our New Year's resolutions, they would seem like non sequiturs. Take a character whose ability to love so strongly has caused him to be hurt so that he is afraid to risk love. What are we going to do, transform him from the a wounded romantic to someone who is more organized, goes to the gym every day, and promises to keep in touch more? "We'll always have Paris, Ilsa, and my office is a wreck, so I'm meeting with an ergonomic consultant…Here's shopping at Staples, kid."

Character arcs are, with a little bit of perspective, usually a simple binary change where a character taps into his hidden self, his other half, and becomes whole. There is usually a clean, concise and organic turn from, say, self-hate to love/self-love (hey, get a room), selfishness to altruism, etc. However, in life and in writing, even if there is one corner to turn, it's hard to find it and sometimes even harder to navigate around it.

Den asked me to write a plan to help all you writers have your own little personal character arc this year with your writing. I don't know all of you, so I have tried to build a series of exercise and goals that will apply to everyone. Like character arcs, each exercise revolves around a concise little dialectic concept that I think measures one aspect or another of all of us: introversion vs. extroversion, left-brained vs. right- brained, practice vs. theory, private vs. public, and low- brow vs. high brow. Each exercise should either exercise a strength or help to exorcise a weakness in your writing.

Right now you have a screenplay you're working on, or one you want to work on. So besides each month's exercise, you have one other thing to do: write ten pages of your script. Doesn't matter which ten pages -- can be consecutive scenes or not, all action scenes or all character scenes. But it has to be at least ten pages, in screenplay format. They don't have to be perfect (yet), but no dashing out the pages at ten till midnight on the last day of the month. If you already have a partially completed script, then you can choose to either write ten pages or rewrite ten. Either way, at the end of the year, you'll have a complete first draft. Besides finishing a draft of a screenplay, you may also grow as a writer by stretching your mind with new concepts from these exercises.

And no worries, none of these exercises involve going to the gym, being more organized or staying in touch more.


January - A Happy New Year

Den stole a batch of my good ideas in last week's editorial. He suggested watching one of your favorite movies, watching a horrible movie to gloat over what you would do better, meeting a friend and talking about a movie you both saw. He even had this zany idea of making a calendar where you set monthly goals. Well, steal some of Den's ideas. Do something from his list for this month. Consider it as stretching before you exercise. Keep working on your first ten pages and I will see you in February.

This month's ten pages: Come on. The first ten are the easiest.


February - Be your own Valentine

February is an easy month. I don't want to start losing people already.

Rent and watch four or five of your favorite "important" and/or ambitious films. My films might include On the Waterfront, Chinatown, The Bicycle Thief, Scenes from a Marriage, Last Tango in Paris, and Sophie's Choice.

And then watch a batch of your guilty pleasures. Mine would include 48 Hours, Can't Buy Me Love, The Breakfast Club, Valley Girl, Peggy Sue Got Married.

Make a quick list about what the two groups have in common and what's different between the two groups. Immerse yourself in these films. I'm not worried about this being a long list, but I want you to get in the habit of making movies and this 12-month plan of ours a priority.

And if anyone could tell me which category Annie Hall belongs, please email me.

This month's ten pages: Write another ten pages of your script. Now you're up to 20 pages. Only 100 more to go.


March - March Straight to the Library or Bookstore

If you've never read a screenwriting book, oh my God, why not try it? It can be a breezy tome like Richard Walter's The Whole Picture, seemingly obvious like Syd Field's Screenplay, dense like Lajos Egri's Art of Dramatic Writing or Robert McKee's Story. It can even be a hybrid like William Goldman's classic Adventures in the Screen Trade.

And if you have read screenwriting books, take a different tact: read either (a) a highly recommended book that you've never cracked before (you might even have it on your shelf but have never gotten around to reading it yet), or (b) a screenwriting book that you always wanted to read but never could find the time (or maybe just an excuse) for.

But here's the catch: as you are reading it, apply, challenge, and test every morsel of purported wisdom with the idea for your current screenplay. Almost any paradigm (even Viki King's How to Write a Movie in 21 Days) will be helpful if you use it as a tool to filter your idea through. Think of it as an exercise where you stretch your story idea around the book to give it strength and flexibility.

During and after this exercise, feel free to revert to the party line: "Like I still read screenwriting books."

This month's ten pages: This brings you up to 30 pages. One-quarter of your script. I should have called this article "How to Write a Screenplay in 365 Days."

April - April's Fool Brings You Writing Tools

If you are writing the next Oscar-winning screenplay, then try this for fun. Write a two- to three-page treatment/outline/synopsis hybrid where you tell your current story in each of the following genres: action- adventure (or thriller), romantic comedy, sci-fi, horror film and a film with a magical conceit (examples: Freaky Friday or Big).

If you are writing a film that clearly falls into one of the Hollywood genres, then write two one-page essays. (And yes, they can go longer, but they better be at least one page each.) The first essay should be entitled, "What deep and meaningful ideas, themes, and emotions can be incorporated into my story without sacrificing any of the action, comedy, suspense, or thrills?" And the second essay is called, "What am I bringing to this script that is special and that makes it stand out from all of the other scripts in this genre?" And if you are writing the sequel to Un Chien Andalou, you can write a third essay entitled, "Cheese Priests Red Sex Cow."

This month's ten pages: Now your next ten pages makes it a total of 40 pages. One-third of your script. Buy yourself a latte to celebrate.


May - May is Mental Health Month, but Don't Drive Yourself Crazy

If you tend to be more left-brained and won't write a word without a structure in place, then today and today only (if it will make you feel better), I want you to grab a piece of paper and pencil (no computer) and write the climax of the script you're working on. (If you've already written the climax, then write the scene you're most dreading to write. Come on, it's only a draft…) And if you have the time, write three other scenes in random order that take place at different points in your screenplay. The dialogue might be on the nose, the action might be clunky, but if you stumble upon even one small idea, then it will have been worth it.

If you are more right-brained or you rely on your intuition to "discover structure" by writing until you find it, then you might not even know what an outline or treatment is. Well, today, just for the heck of it, twist your brain 180% so that the dial is on Left Brain and try to plow your way through a three-page outline of your current script. Or if you are halfway done, outline the rest of it. Use (yikes!) logic to try to plot the rest of your story.

When you are done with these exercises, throw the scenes away. You don't want to cling on to something or try to weave the rest of your story through this exact outline or scene. Seriously, delete it. Crumple it up. Your unconscious will cling to whatever it needs to. Trust yourself on this one.

This month's ten pages: Now you're on page 50 -- almost halfway there. Not bad, eh?


June - School's Out, But You Still Have Some Homework

If your shelves are full of more screenwriting books than your own screenplays or even other screenplays, then you've read enough books. Now you have to get away from theory and into the real world. Buy, borrow, or download ten current screenplays. Pick a few scripts in the genre that you're writing in and pick a few that haven't been made yet. As much as writers gripe about agents, execs, and the lowly threshold guardians known as the $60-per-script reader, ten scripts is one weekend's reading for them. You're the one who's supposed to be the screenwriter. Shouldn't you know the format, look, tone, and feel of scripts in the marketplace? Don't wait around for Michael Lent to do his "Spec Check 2010". It's your responsibility to know what a professional script looks like.

This is something all screenwriters should do. It's not just about learning format; it's about having an instinctual understanding for where storytelling is in 2005. As much as I love Three Days of the Condor and reference it in my classes, if you look at modern- day thriller specs, there are probably more set-piece action sequences, shorter sequences, more explicit resolution and…. Well, that's what the exercise is for.

This month's ten pages: You officially have half a screenplay done. Make that latte a double! Or get a pint of Häagen-Dazs vanilla and IBC Root Beer…oh, wait, nevermind… I said we wouldn't need to go to the gym.


July - Give Yourself some Independence

Some people are introverts. Some are extroverts. This month has a little for each of you.

If the thing that you like about writing is that while doing it, your only company is a monitor and a keyboard, then try something new. Write in a coffee shop, or a library, or in the park or in the lobby of your local theater while waiting for your movie to start. Just make sure you spend a couple good writing sessions (two hours, minimum) in a crowded place with your laptop or notebook or pad and pen.

And if you are the extrovert who gets more pleasure out of telling the world about your script than actually working on it, then this month is alone time. A time out. Plan a weekend where you'll do nothing but immerse yourself in a script. If you can afford to, go away somewhere where there are no distractions. If you're a charter member of Gambler's Anonymous, don't rationalize that rooms are free in Vegas. I went to Palm Springs once in the summer time, where you have to take a hot shower to cool off from being in the pool. I was literally trapped in my air-conditioned room. I would write for half an hour and then take a break, and the four-pound cockroach would take over for a bit. It wasn't a lot of fun. But we and I got a lot of work done. Problem is, he keeps bugging me about shared credit.

This month's ten pages: Seventy pages now. Can you feel the momentum carrying you along?

August - The Dog Days of Summer

Join a writer's group.

Even if you only go once.

Even if you have to form it yourself.

Even if you have to join an online group.

But do it. You might like it.

And if you're in a writers group, then ask to lead the August session. Ask politely at first. If that doesn't work…bricks and baseball bats. 'Cause this is your time.

This month's ten pages: Hey, it's summer, so if you need some time to play, go for it (after your ten pages, of course). Or if you're a little bit behind, use these lazy days to catch up to page 80. We want everyone on track for the rest of the year.


September - Back to School

Move out of your comfort zone. Put yourself and your work out there. Get some feedback from a professional who can assess your work and point to where you need to grow as a writer.

Take a class, find a reading partner, workshop your screenplay in a writer's group, or hire one or two of those low-priced reader/coverage services. If you can afford it, hire a script consultant. Ever had a favorite teacher? Wouldn't you benefit from one-on-one time with that favorite teacher? Do a little research. A consultant hasn't been making a living in the profession for years, charging $500-$1,000 a script, without a base of satisfied customers.

Or get creative. If you know an agent or exec, offer them the same amount of money you might offer a consultant to read your script. You might even start a relationship. Warning: Don't try this in Nevada.

This month's ten pages: You're at page 90 and heading for the final act. You go, girl. Or boy.


October - Tricks and Tweaks

This month you get to dress up and pretend to be someone else.

Okay, forget the costume, but on paper, I want you to be someone else. Write a three-page monologue in the voice of either your mother or father or your best friend. In fact, to assure authenticity, write the monologue as if he or she is talking to you. The subject is irrelevant. What's important is that once you start writing, don't stop. Write in the rhythm and voice of this person. One catch: you don't get to respond.

Reread your monologue and see if you can articulate patterns in the speech. Then go to your current script and find the function (there is one for all screenwriting software) that allows you to extract the scenes and dialogue from only one character. One at a time, take a look at -- no, better yet, listen to -- how your characters talk. See if you can't do some trick or tweaking to define and refine their voice.

The real reason this is a monologue is because of a bad experience I had in my twenties. I was doing this exercise in my father's voice. He was talking to me like he did when I was eight years old. But I made a mistake of saying something myself. I asked him why I was chunky and couldn't sleep at night. He shushed me, "Hurry, finish your ice cream and Coke. It's past your bedtime."

This month's ten pages: Page 100! You rock.

November - All the World's a Stage

Plan a staged reading of your screenplay. Call up six friends or, better yet, a theater troop. For the price of five pizzas and some soda, you can hear this or another one of your scripts read aloud. Besides helping your dialogue and inadvertently getting feedback from the actor/readers, there is no better motivation to polish your work. By picking a date for the reading, you are creating a deadline. It's a little bit scary, but I promise when faced with the distraction of Celebrity Poker Showdown or an AMC showing of Mystic Pizza, the fear of the embarrassment of having your unpolished screenplay read aloud to a group of people will always lead you back to your writing chair.

This month's ten pages: Some of you will finish your draft this month -- not all scripts need to be 120 pages, and execs prefer scripts around 110 anyway. If you're done this month, congrats! Now you can start rewriting ten pages at a time.


December - Take a Holiday

Send us your success stories. Tell us how much you have accomplished. Tell us about the response at your reading. Tell us about what you have planned for next year. We'll bundle all these personal anecdotes up (successes and failures -- you really can learn from others' struggles) and next January we'll do a sequel: "Creating Your Own Personal Character Arc: The Rewrite."

This month's ten pages: Your last ten pages. Print your script, wrap it up and put a bow on it. You just gave yourself the best present you could ever think of.


There, you've written a draft in a year. Some of you will have written more, some less, but all of you will hopefully have a draft that you can start polishing next year.

Take the holidays off, you deserve it!

If you can't wait an entire year to write your screenplay, join Jim Mercurio in his private workshops starting next month in Los Angeles. You can also check out more of his writing at his website.

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