Developing story is the process of taking a seed of an idea and nurturing it into a well-structured narrative, complete with character arcs, emotional beats, and powerful themes. Whether you’re writing a short film or an entire feature, developing story is an important skill to master to ensure that your script resonates with its intended audience.
Establish the protagonist’s ordinary world before introducing their inciting incident, the event that disrupts their life and sets them on their journey. Develop progressive complications to build up your protagonist’s inner conflict and lead them to their ultimate confrontation with their antagonist. Identify the major internal obstacle that will prevent your protagonist from succeeding or overcoming their antagonist, and explore how each of these obstacles will impact their actions throughout your story.
Create an immersive setting by establishing the environment and time period in which your story takes place. Describe the physical, historical, and fantastical elements that contribute to your story’s world and maintain consistency to evoke a believable atmosphere.
Establish the climactic sequence, the dramatic finale that concludes your protagonist’s journey by resolving their central conflict. This intense scene may take the form of a single moment or a series of scenes, but it must include every trial your protagonist faced up to this point, as well as their final triumph over their antagonist. Show how your protagonist’s experience has shaped them and how their new normal is affected by the consequences of their struggles (and victories). This moment should also highlight your protagonist’s emotional state, such as their shock, relief, or devastation, to elicit a strong sense of drama and empathy from the audience.