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A screenplay is just a mystery waiting to be solved.
Working with the idea that writing a screenplay is a process of discovery, Stalking the Story uses the world of the detective, that prototypical master of observation, as the stage for story planning. The detective's whole reason for being is to discover bits of seemingly unrelated facts, observations, and hearsay and fashion them into a narrative that lays out whodunit. Replace detective with writer and whodunit with his story, and it's evident that the writer and the detective have more than a little in common.
In this clever and unique writing manual, Jay Douglas puts the reader in the position of a detective, searching for a missing story, then guides him-with the assistance of some classic TV sleuths-through the experience of finding that story, the story that is central to the screenplay he wants to write.
Part 1 The Client 1
Chapter 1 The Case of the Simple Human Truth 3
Chapter 2 The Case of the Cacophony of Voices 11
Chapter 3 The Case of the Persistent Past 23
Chapter 4 The Case of the Celebrated Story 31
Chapter 5 The Case of the Hero's Behind 49
Chapter 6 The Case of the Too-Personal Problem 59
Chapter 7 The Case of the Beached Client 71
Part 2 The Caper 79
Chapter 8 The Case of the Not-So-Lost Baggage 81
Chapter 9 The Case of the Day-to-Day Case 103
Chapter 10 The Case of the Daily Denial 125
Chapter 11 The Case of the Second Story 135
Chapter 12 The Case of the Doomed Denial 152
Chapter 13 The Case of the Back-and-Forth Battle 161
Chapter 14 The Case of the Hero's Loose Change 177
Chapter 15 The Case of the Bold Bravado 191
Chapter 16 The Case of the Other Hand 213
Part 3 The Conclusion 225
Chapter 17 The Case of the Caper Cleanup 227
Chapter 18 The Case of the Remaining Resolution 237
Chapter 19 The Case of the Inevitable Explanation 241
Epilogue 247
Appendix: Sample Final Report 253
Index 259
Overview
A screenplay is just a mystery waiting to be solved.
Working with the idea that writing a screenplay is a process of discovery, Stalking the Story uses the world of the detective, that prototypical master of observation, as the stage for story planning. The detective's whole reason for being is to discover bits of seemingly unrelated facts, observations, and hearsay and fashion them into a narrative that lays out whodunit. Replace detective with writer and whodunit with his ...