Desire: NaNo #11

Maria sent us this comic today which got me thinking about the interplay between screenwriting tips and novel-writing tips.

From Michael Hauge , screenwriter, teacher of screenplay seminars, and author of The Hero's Two Journeys among other books. His insights on screenwriting translate well for the popular novelist:
Here's an Excerpt from his article on Desire.
Your primary goal as a screenwriter must be to elicit emotion in the reader and the audience. Whatever else you hope to achieve with your script – money, fame, artistry, a celebration of humanity or an enlightened, empowered audience – you will do so only when you keep the movie or TV audience emotionally involved with your story. And you will only be given the opportunity to reach an audience if the people in power are emotionally involved as they read your screenplay.
This necessary emotional involvement is realized only when the audience experiences the events of your story through your characters. Without giving your hero some compelling desire to pursue, your story will have no forward movement, your audience will have nothing to root for, and your reader will have no compelling reason to keep turning the pages of your script.

He goes on to tell us the deire must be visible, have a clearly defined endpoint, be deperately wanted, actively pursued, within the hero's power to achieve, and the hero must put everything on the line to achive that desire.

To read more of Michael's article click here: http://www.screenplaymastery.com/desire.htm