How to Write a Script that Feels New & Original
There are many screenwriters out there but, the fact of the matter is, that most are just gambling creatively when they write a script. They may not realize it, but they are playing the lottery that they happen to write something of quality that is worth being made.
Some screenwriters are very well-trained and educated as well, but they are still merely lucky if they ever write a script that gets optioned or sold, let alone produced into a movie or television show.
It can feel frustrating because, if you find yourself here, you don’t know how to solve this. You are unaware of what you are doing wrong and no amount of screenwriting classes, books or tools seem to help.
The good news is, this can actually be solved pretty easily when you understand what is happening. It’s really all a product of having your attention and focus on the wrong things.
So, if this is you, if you have found yourself here in any form, let’s tackle how to make your screenplay feel new and original.
Don't Be the Writer with a Cliche Story
Where you look for inspiration is the first thing to consider when you are trying to write a script with originality. If you search in the wrong places you’ll find the wrong things.
A cliché is defined as – “a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.” – “something that has become overly familiar or commonplace.”
As a screenwriter you need to have some awareness of what has already out there in films and television if you are going to create something new. It is easy to find the things that have already been done though.
The question is… “do you know where to look for new story ideas?”
Where Does a Screenwriter Usually Go?
Naturally, many screenwriters look to other movies that have already been made. This is where they end up finding many of their ideas wether they realize it or not.
It makes sense, they love movies, that is where they put most of their attention. Unfortunately, this is one interest that is not going to serve you all that well for being innovative.
Looking to what is already made is actually one of the worst places for a screenwriter to get inspired because it is the most obvious one. It is so obvious that everyone looks there and that is why most script writers have common cliché ideas.
Many script writers end up just piggybacking off of others creatives’ visions and inadvertently copying them, whether they mean to do it or not, and they, in turn, develop unoriginal content.
Sure, look at other movies and television shows to learn and see how they did something, but don’t look at them to get yourself inspired. Don’t look at them to get ideas. That’s a trap you must dodge.
If you don’t avoid this common pitfall, you will inevitably just create something that has already been seen and done.
Avoid Writing a Script that's Common
For a film producer, reading the 17th vampire script in a row, each with nothing new in them, just the same old stuff done over and over again, is downright painful. You can even burn a bridge in some cases getting them to read a script like that.
If someone is busy making movies and helping films get produced they don’t have time to waste on dead end projects that won’t go anywhere. They are looking for something cutting edge, that will sell. They need something that will get noticed and make money.
For someone who can get films financed reading a script is a usually a pretty big deal. It means they are taking a chance on it because they were convinced it might be worth while to make.
How disappointing if they discover it’s just a copy of something else that has already been done. Even if it is well written it doesn’t matter. They need something marketable, that audiences want… and the movies that get crowds have something about them that feels new and exciting.
You don’t want this to be your script. You don’t want people to toss your screenplay in the garbage after only reading only a few pages of it. You worked hard to create that story. What a waste!
You can be better than that. You and your script can stand out!
How to Write a Script that Stands Out
If you want to write inspired, original stories that are full of unique ideas that are one-of-a-kind, you need to look away from film and television. Instead, look out in the world around you and pay closer attention to things that are close to home… maybe right under your nose.
Ask more “what if” questions and be curious enough to explore where your imagination leads you when you do.
Here are some possible examples…
– “what if… someone who was in a wheelchair had to escape a flooding city… and save their child as well?”
– “what if… I woke up and nobody knew who I was… how would I deal with it… what would I do?
Then you can follow up with questions like…
– What would that be like…?
– Where might that go that I find interesting?
– What would have to happen for this to take place?”
Often original forms of creativity are in asking the questions that nobody is asking. It can be pulling from your own life, your own perceptions, your own beliefs. Put a spin on it and see where it goes.
You got to get away from what you have already seen and try to find things that have never been explored before in storytelling. It is your job to bring something unfounded to our attention. It is your job to create something new, not to rehash what has already been done.
Sure, many great, artistic thinkers in the past have suggested that artists should copy, even steal, but they didn’t mean copy or steal others’ visions. They meant to copy the tactics they used.
If you just copy other artists’ ideas and inspirations, you end up with clichés that have been done before. The aim is to be tactically capable and aware of what others have done, but then, to use that ability to develop an original vision and a point of view of your own.
Write Stories that Explore New Things
Most screenwriters will never have their scripts optioned, made or even looked at by anyone with real money because they are doing work that is just “trying” to be cool or look good.
They are just posing as original when, in fact, all they have done is mimicked someone who already was. This is the same as tracing a picture onto a piece of paper. You can copy it, but someone already created it first, and in the film industry, being first matters.
Maybe you can make it better, or add something new, but it better be interesting in a way that has never been experienced before. There has to be a voice or a vision in it, unlike the original concept.
You’ve got to pull from your perspective, your own life, your vision, your point of view. You must find something that has yet to be experienced, that creates wonder and intrigue.
You need to make something that only you see and no one else has yet. Then, you are tasked with the job of putting it on the page and making a story out of it. That is the fun part – bringing it to life.
If you want to be considered a legitimate screenwriter, accept this one truth… Your job is to make the unseen seen!
