If You Can't Answer This Question Don't Write The Story - Daniel Calvisi
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
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DANIEL P. CALVISI is a Script Doctor, Writing Coach and the author of Story Maps: How to Write GREAT Screenplay and Story Maps: TV DRAMA: The Structure of the One-Hour Television Pilot. He is a former Story Analyst for major studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax Films and New Line Cinema. He coaches writers, teaches webinars on writing for film and television and speaks at writing conferences. Many of his clients have worked with the top networks and studios in the industry, such as Netflix, HBO, Warner Brothers, Disney, Sony, ABC, Showtime, Apple TV+ and more. He holds a degree in Film and Television from New York University. He lives in Los Angeles.
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"Bravo Darling... Bravo"
EXACTLY... This man KNOWS what he is talking about.
Love listening to him...
Eh. Good writing makes you care about the journey, regardless of how predictable it was. I read a series a few years ago that was discontinued (5 total novels); the author posted the endings of the character plots, but it was unsatisfying. The readers already knew what ending she intended to write, but we wanted to be taken on the journey. There was one very broad overarching theme of family. Everything else was arc themes. Its not about knowing what you're writing before you write it; it's about knowing how to write a cliche in a way that makes people care about it again. A great writer can write a cliche and make it interesting or entertaining.
What is the title?
In that case it would be a trope and not a cliché. Every story ever has some form of trope. A cliché is an overdone element (visual or narrative) that cannot be given any unique or refreshing spin to it. A trope is an element found in many stories that can be given a unique take.
Yep I tend to agree....I think the broad strokes of most stories are predictable - in most action/adventure or drama narratives, we know that the protagonist (or group of protagonists) will (after many ups and downs) very likely get what they deserve at the end (either a long awaited reward of some kind in the case of heroes.....or maybe a long awaited comeuppance in the case of anti-heroes/villains). Even when you read great stories/classics from the past - you probably knew (even if no one told you the ending) - how things would generally turn out because most stories need to follow a similar narrative arc to leave a reader feeling satisfied at the end. But like you said - it's traveling along that arc that's the fun part. Don't get me wrong, I really do think writers should try to tell original stories that we haven't heard before...but like you pointed out - I also don't think it is strictly necessary. - i.e. even if a story has been told dozens (or hundreds) of times before - if it's told well, and includes elements that can surprise us, and (importantly) is populated with well-written/developed characters we actually care about (i.e. characters we love or hate...but are not indifferent to) .... then we will very likely "enjoy the ride" even if we know exactly where we are going.
@@Anonymouse007Republic Commando (1st 4; stop here if you want closure) and Imperial Commando. Karen Traviss was the author.
@@philswiftreligioussect9619It is good writing that creates a satisfying trope from a cliche trope. The only difference between the two is writing skill. I've been saying this for decades.
The best way to learn to be able to make good plot points is this: write down your ideas, then go back and revisit them over and over as you make more and more ideas, and you will start to get a sense of which of your ideas you like better than others. Then, you will have that baseline of comparison to help you know whether or not your current idea stacks up. Now, all your new ideas will have to be that interesting or exciting to you. Then, you just keep revisiting all your ideas that meet that new baseline, and you compare them to each other just like you did before, and you will be able to pick out how some ideas are better than others, just like you did before. Eventually, hopefully, you will have a few ideas that stand way out of the pack as being clearly way more exciting. If the idea is truly good enough, it will always stand equal to, or above, the others, no matter how many times you revisit it. The more you do this, the closer you will get to being able to tell immediately if your new idea is good enough or not.
Good writing is the ability to pay attention to 3 things:
1. Your own emotions and communication of what you want to say
2. How this would look from a hypothetical audience's perspective
3. How the real audience /beta reader is actually reacting
It takes practice, self-awareness, and the humility to admit when you're going in a bad direction, but it's so so so important.
Write the story, if it's coming from the heart and you feel like you need to write it, WRITE IT, YOU DESERVE YOUR WORDS THE SAME WAY YOUR BRAIN THOUGHT OF IT
GO FOR IIIIIIIIIIIIIT
Yeah, you need to say it. Also, I like to have folks laugh. Life is dismal enough. Laughs help.
@@scottslotterbeck3796Ha ha. I’ll pin this to my laptop😂❤
Absolutely not. If something comes from your heart and you can't explain what it is, if you can't specifically and clearly express the reason why you're writing a story, then it's just a therapy session, not story writing. You have to understand the theme of what you want to say, you have to have an idea.
A good story isn't just an uncontrollable train of thought. Yes, you can figure out the theme of your work while writing, but if you can't find the answer to that question even during the writing process, that's a very bad sign.
Great talk! I could definitely see some of myself in that last example as someone who adores science fiction, but who hasn't quite figured out what he is trying to say.
I probably _can_ describe why I made my own "Star Wars-esque sci-f romp" ("Quinn Redshift", it's called; very pulp space opera in style), but it's difficult to articulate.
*ONE:* I was raised on that stuff.
*TWO:* that stuff _really_ grabbed and inspired me.
*THREE:* I wanted to explore the boundaries of typical sci-fi tropes and even break the ones that often annoy me. Yet hit the same rhythms of the sci-fi properties which inspired me.
*FOUR:* I've always loved sharing my imagination with others, hoping that they'd dig it, too.
*FIVE:* the story is actually prequel-esque, meaning that it's actually the lead-up to a much larger story (which I'll be telling in graphic novel form).
*SIX:* much like with Star _Trek,_ the larger story deals mostly with ontological ideas, the brain and the origin of the self, which I think people don't get _wrong,_ exactly...but I think they miss things which seem obvious to me. And there is exploration--Quinn boldly goes, so to speak--and will be presented with moral dilemmas much like Trek or The Orville.
*SEVEN:* I've always loved the idea of the lone space explorer, a la Buzz LIghtyear, Spaceman Spiff, Flash Gordon, etc, and that's what my animation sets up for the graphic novel.
*EIGHT:* I just plain love to animate!
*NINE:* Pancakes! (Wait...not sure that one's relevant, actually.)
And I'm _sure_ I'm missing something, and a lot of the reasons in my head defy my ability to articulate; the English language is inadequate to the task. All I know is that I wish I could watch what I made for the first time, without spoilers. I made the story that I wish _someone else_ had made, and from start to finish, it was almost exactly what I'd wanted to make for decades.
Sooo....whatcha focusing on now? Very cool stuff by the way. I'm with ya 7/9 on your list.
@@yorkipudd1728Thanks! :)
As for what I'm working on now, the "Quinn Redshift" graphic novel, yes. But I have so many ideas for projects that it's hard to pick just one to focus on.
I have an idea for a kind of comedy variety show thing; picture an animated "You Can't Do That On Television" with a slightly older target demographic.
I've been toying with the idea of making a space-based 4X video game, but with more focus on story than micromanagement of your colonies, trying to give the player more of a "Babylon 5"-esque experience.
I've also been toying with the idea of telling the story of an intergalactic war seen solely through news reports in an episodic format, a few videos at a time.
Or maybe making a video Choose-Your-Own-Adventure kinda thing, with links to the videos that correspond to your choices.
Or I could continue my "Headmeats" series...or fold that into the variety show.
...like I said, too many ideas, not enough time. But I'll probably focus on the graphic novel; I have a story I really need to get outta me. :)
@@BionicDancewoah! You gotta keep that stuff under wraps. Giving screenwriting gems away.
Same single idea for...28 years ish now. I replay it in my head and write down the good bits. The world changes, so does the story. Rewrite. Fun.
@@yorkipudd1728Oh, I know _exactly_ what you mean.
I'm actually glad I waited until I finished the animation before _really_ writing the first episode of the graphic novel. I had a few plot-holes I didn't know how to plug at first, and taking that time showed me how to shore them up and even made the plot a ton better, fitting in with the larger plot-arc.
So, I get it. :)
@BionicDance space-based 4X with colony management is the one type of games I usually buy (especially these days)
I can't code, but man, I would help you with the story writing if you ever wanted it? I've always wanted to write a game, but I've never been able to do anything more than adding mods to an already existing game 😅
The audience MUST ALWAYS like the hero, but the hero doesn’t have to be a GOOD PERSON. If we don’t feel sympathy for Scrooge or the Grinch, we won’t feel bad when bad things happen & celebrate his change of heart at the end.
I think 'care about' rather than necessarily like.
Don't let this stand in your way of your story being recorded. Meaning can come later. Watch this video as food for thought if you don't understand meaning, but if you enjoy writing as a hobby then don't let anyone tell you not to write.
The word "hobby" is an insult in itself...
1:45 Surprise the Reader
2:45 Chemistry & Writing
4:05 Cliches
4:45 X Factors & Techniques
6:45 Topics & Genres
How often do you write a story without knowing why you are writing it?
Every time I sit around a D&D table. There's a time and place for both.
Nice!
I still don't know why I am writing, that is, aside from getting my thoughts out there to free up some space in my brain.
I write for the same reason i breathe.
Never. If I start a story, I always know why I'm writing it. I want to go on a journey with my characters. I wrote one about a science experiment gone wrong (trite), but I loved seeing what happened.
Does that sound weird?
Write your truth! Just think. If a writer has the money to make a movie, he or she can just make. They don't have to worry about some other producers opinion of the story. Just write and make the movie. Then put it to world. Let the people judge it. 8:07
Exactly. Just do it.
I don't understand what you mean by this. Can you give some examples? What ARE good answers to why you want to write this story? What are bad answers to that question?
predictability isn't really an issue, but i do agree that the story needs to have a point..
like some of my favorite cartoon reviewers like to say "if you as a writer don't care about your story, then why should i?"
Write everything. Eff these suggestions.
Great wisdom as always.
I do like asking yourself, why are you writing this story. For me, it maybe it just comes out and I need to say it.
I like writing humor, so the purpose is to spread a bit of cheer. There is no greater thrill than having an audience laugh. And it's hard if they don't.
Karen and Dan, this video was great. As I'm working on the midpoint of a story, the timing of this is a little eerie...lol 😂
Cheers Jim! Best of luck!
Old Saying,
"When the Student is Ready (you)
The Teacher will Appear (this video).
Nice wisdom ❤ keep it up
I wonder what his thoughts are on using instinct or gut feelings for writing.
You can do that, but you'll spend a LOT of time wandering in the weeds.
I think it's better knowing where you want to end up.
Daniel Clavisi ...
First, "Thank you" so much for this video with "Film Courage"...
(Love this Channel)
I was wondering ... Do you read screenplay or scripts and if so How much do you charge?
Great content im learning a lot from you 😊
So many screenplays I have read working for a production company fail in those two basic areas. First, there is no real reason to make this movie. This is especially true in action and horror genres. These scripts are mostly about scaring the audience or shocking them with cool action scenes. And almost always have no deeper meaning or subtext. Second, the main characters are either unlikeable or they are just there, with no reason for the audience to care about them or root for them to win.
Do you still Read Scripts and if so... How much do you charge?
@@JudiChristopher Yes I still read scripts. I do it as a favor to a friend who has a production company in Thailand. I dont charge anythimg. In return he champions my spec scripts and hires me to write some of their projects.
@@JudiChristopher I read scripts for an Asian production company. Most of them are those they consider for production. And most are awful. And no, I do not charge for reading a script. I do it as a favor for a friend who is a producer who helped me get work in the business. In return he takes any spec scripts I have and tries to get them made. So far I have gotten a nice option out of it for a TV show idea and I have written 7 work for hire scripts for him. And two of those were made.
Solid interview. Which comes first, the theme or the first draft?
Or does it matter?
Eh... Sometimes you just need to write. You have an idea and you work what the story is, what it means, why it needs to be written as it forms.
Whats he written ?
Not a fan of that advice he gave the asian writer. The story might be more authentic, but will it have the same passion in it as one the writer wanted to write? I don't want to write about my background, I want to explore something otherworldly with a thread running through it that anyone can grasp. You know. That advice just left a bad taste in my mouth.
I guess it’s a fair point if the Navy-type stories were junk, as he said
But yeah, it’s better to be passionate than trendy, provided you have the skill to chase that passion. It sounds here like he pushed the demographic angle only because it’s a hot market in Hollywood studios nowadays🤷♂️
In this vid, he contradicts his own assertions in other vids, particularly with writing not being something you're born with.
Not sure Jack Grapes would agree with you
Should be noted that Jack is a poet and Daniel has a screenwriting background.
@@filmcouragepoetry is one talent I do not have. I'm too literal.
We all have our talents, don't we? I can often distill and idea into basic terms. I'm a decent teacher
@@scottslotterbeck3796 I do believe you are. Its just that there seems to be so many ways to teach writing skills, because each professional writer have their own way of teaching, that sometimes, these lessons contradict themselves and then it becomes hard for me to understand. Like, you say to explain what your story is and explain why you re telling it, whilst people like Jack Grapes and Jorden Petersen say that if you have to explain your story, you dont have a good story. Or at least this is what i have come to understand.