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What Is Your Big Idea?
Still, a good story needs more than interesting characters and dramatic
moments in order to work. It also requires a big idea. A good story makes
a point. It says something.
Imagine that you are listening to a friend go on and on about the latest
problems with her boyfriend. The problems are dramatic-the two of them
fight like cats and dogs-but the drama doesn't go anywhere. They fight,
make up, fight again- all for no good reason or purpose. Soon you get
tired of listening. What's the point of these stories?
On the other hand, another friend tells you about a date that she had
with a guy she didn't expect to like. He was too short, too nice, too
nervous. And yet, in conversation she finds that he likes her favorite
baseball team, the Cleveland Indians. That he cooks a terrific risotto.
That he loves Russian novels. None of these details are terribly dramatic,
but her story has a point: you can't judge a book by its cover. Love lurks
in the most unexpected places. You listen to her story from beginning
to end because you feel that she is going somewhere with it. Her story
is satisfying because it makes a point.
Consider the movies you like best, and why you like them. Think about
what they "say" to you. Love conquers all; love doesn't conquer
all. War is necessary; war is waste. Anybody can be a hero; the world
needs a hero. All of these ideas are familiar: in fact, we've all heard
stories that make these points. And yet, somehow, without a familiar point,
a story just doesn't seem like a story. It seems like a rambling, pointless
waste of our time.
In fact, all story ideas come from a handful of structures. Different
people have different ways of defining these plot structures, but for
our purposes we define them as follows:
* Coming of Age Plot: The young character matures to
understand something about the world he lives in, and his role in it.
* Redemption Plot: The character is saved, or saves someone
else.
* Punitive Plot: The character is punished for his wrongdoings.
* Testing Plot: The character is tempted or challenged,
but retains his values.
* Education Plot: The character makes a deep change in
his view of life, almost (but not) always from the negative to the positive.
* Fulfillment Plot: The character achieves his heart's
desire.
* Moral Plot: The character learns a moral lesson.
A good story will use one of these plots to get to its big idea. The "big
idea" is your own particular point-it's your "take" on
one of the common plot structures above. For instance, if you are writing
a coming of age story, your "big idea" might be that coming
of age means coming to terms with the fact that your parents are imperfect.
Or you might be arguing that coming of age means finding your purpose
in the world. Or you might say that coming of age means finding out that
you can change nothing in your world except yourself. When you have your
"big idea," you can begin to work out the particulars of your
own unique story.
What's Your Story?
While your "big idea" may be archetypal and familiar, your story
has to be unique. When you combine your big idea with your character,
you've taken a big step in making your idea a story - in short, you've
taken an age-old issue like "redemption" and put it to work
in a very particular moment in a very particular person's life. The story
of redemption will be different depending on your character's gender,
socio-economic class, point in history, and so on. Different forces will
be at work, and these forces will play out in different ways. The more
vividly you portray these forces, the better your story.
Task 1- Blog Assignment- "Plot's that Kill"
1. Choose one of the plots above for your "Big Idea"and reflect on what 1 or 2 films you have seen that have used this to develop their story.
- Identify the genre used in the film
- List some of the genre conventions that operate in the film's narrative, story and character.
2. Describe a potential story that relates to the plot you've selected that you have concieved, experienced or is in the news.
- How is your idea a unique take on the plot? What major issues or ideas will your story grapple with?
- Who could your story be about?
- What major plot/theme is your story and main character influenced by or dealing with?
- How does your character change or react to the challenge in front of them and what does that say about the theme or idea you are exploring?
- How have you tried to be unique in character, conflict, setting, and theme?