STORY IS...

              ...how we make sense of the world. 
What triggers that sense of pleasure we feel when a story hooks us?  It's not lyrical language, great characters, realistic dialogue, or even vivid images.
              No! CURIOSITY is the trigger.

In other words, it is the desire to find out what happens next. Often we are led to believe that having a way with words is what hooks readers. In fact the STORY is what captivates the brain.

           It is imperative to understand what a story is. Without knowing what a story is and how it works, you won't be able to write a screenplay.

THE DEFINITION OF STORY

 A story is:                                                   - In Screenwriting terms it refers to

- how what happens                                    - THE PLOT

- affects someone who                                 - THE PROTAGONIST

- is in pursuit of a difficult goal and          - THE STORY PROBLEM

- how he or she changes as a result.           - WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT

From the very first sentence, a story must revolve around how someone solves an unexpected problem that, no matter how hard they try, they simply can't avoid. What rapidly escalating problem will the protagonist have to deal with? This is something the reader/viewer needs to sense from the get-go. And nothing grabs the brain quicker than a surprise. That's what ignites our curiosity. So the question is how do you convey this from the very beginning? The answer is by providing the three things that the reader's brain instantly hunts for. 

                  -   Whose story is this?

                  -   What's happening here?
                  -   And what is at stake?

                  

Based on Lisa Cron's teaching

HOW CAN I KNOW 

THAT MY SCREENPLAY IDEA 

IS A GOOD STORY?

    Let me tell you a story about story. Many people think they already know a good story that will work for a movie or screenplay, but most of the time the idea does not even include a real story!  The “good story” they think they know is just a description of what happened with someone but unfortunately that doesn't necessarily work as a story.   

    I remember when I was studying screenwriting and one of the guys in the class was trying to pitch a screenplay idea about a group of US soldiers who were left in Vietnam after the war was over. The US Government organized a secret rescue mission to find these men, who were lost somewhere in the jungle to bring them home. They found them and did bring them home. Our teacher said “that is very interesting to know about, but it’s not a story”. Why? Well, if the soldiers were simply rescued, where is the story in it? But if the guys found in the jungle decided to stay rather than go home – then, that has potential to be developed into a story!

“If you tell me, it’s an essay.            

 If you show me, it’s a story.”     

Barbara Greene