Developing story is the process of transforming an idea into a structured narrative, complete with characters, plots, and themes. This essential step ensures that your script will capture and maintain audience attention, as well as support the intended themes of your project.
The heart of any story are the characters who populate it. Creating deep, believable characters with whom readers can empathize is a challenge not to be taken lightly. It’s what keeps them turning the pages of your book or watching your film or TV show.
As you dive into your character’s backstory, consider how they could react to different plot points in your story. This will help you create a more dimensional, realistic cast and ensure your story has organic progression.
A good character arc requires your protagonist to sacrifice their Want in order to fulfill their Need by the story’s climax. This can be a dramatic shift, or simply an incremental change. Either way, it must be a significant enough shift to keep the reader interested in your protagonist’s journey.
Incorporating subplots into your story is an effective way to add layers and complexity, while also showing how your key characters interact with each other. However, it is important to make sure that any subplots are serving a purpose and are not simply there for complexity’s sake. It is equally important to develop your secondary characters, as they will be just as crucial to the success of your story as the main protagonist.
