DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?

Listen you're not sure whether your idea has enough fuel for 90 pages.

In this episode, Chas, Stu and Mel attempt to answer a listener question: “In your own pre-writing process, how do you know you have enough for a feature? And do you have a specific pre-writing method you're going to?”

Thus we launch into a discussion on our writing processes and the varying usefulness of tools such as log lines, turning points, beat sheets, synopsis, treatments, and scene breakdowns. We also tackle the challenges encountered while developing an idea to first draft, such as balancing the pace of the story, developing distinct character voices, character choices, plot changes, pacing, and thematic clarity.

Is this backmatter? Or is it development tools? You decide! Hahaha.

Thanks so much to Chris Walker for his excellent editing on this episode!

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

I know that I personally really tend to use a five-act structure on anything that's longer than 20 pages. I just find it more helpful for me to have five acts and the turning points and the climaxes and etc within that.

— mel

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 – Cold Open
• 00:00:30 – Introduction: Falling Short
• 00:02:38 – Our Development Processes
• 00:33:06 – Developing from concept
• 00:45:26 – Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro
• 00:48:12 – Expanding Your Idea
• 01:15:29 – Long Short Documents
• 01:27:22 – Consistent problems with first drafts
• 01:34:28 – Many thanks to our Patreons!

EPISODES IN THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS SERIES

• DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?
• DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
• DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2
• DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4
• DZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3

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Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2023/dz-106/