Mind Blowing Writing Process to be a Better Writer

Writing process of a master storyteller.

Céline Sciamma is the prolific screenwriter behind the Cannes Best Screenplay award winner, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Her insights on writing, shared during the BAFTA Screenwriters' lecture series, will have you reaching for a notepad right away. Knowledge builds when it is shared, and what makes her great is her openness to the craft and her willingness to share it with young people

Céline’s screenplays lack conflict, and she is okay with it. Every screenplay book will tell you to prioritise conflict above all else. However, she has a different approach. She focuses on the characters' desires rather than what holds them back. Action stems from desires, and once you follow that path, it’s easier to find a story. She encourages writers to write scenes they love, even if they aren't essential for the plot's progress. Those are the scenes you’re making the film for. Those are the scenes that define you as a writer. Everything else is a misdirection.

Her method makes sense. When a writer's desires collide with a character's, tension is unavoidable. If a character wants coffee today, as a writer, you might focus on how to keep them from getting to the coffee shop. However, if you take Céline Sciamma's advice and concentrate on the character's journey to the coffee shop, adding a third layer, the scene can become much more meaningful. Perhaps the character encounters a cute puppy that makes them feel infinite, or they witness an accident or a theft. Even though the goal is to get to the coffee shop, focus on what the character truly desires. This way, it won't just be a scene that takes you from one location to another; it will illuminate various aspects you might overlook when you become engrossed in plot construction.

Céline refers to this as the Desire List, a collection of scenes for which you are writing the story, regardless of plot or coherence. She also creates a Needs List, which includes all the scenes necessary for the plot to unfold. Your job is to take the scenes from the Needs List and transform them into Desire List scenes by adding elements that you or your character might want. For example, if you are writing a war story and your soldiers are establishing a base on the hills, waiting for the great war to arrive at their doorstep, wouldn’t they, for once, look around and notice the sunset? How would the sunset look from those peaks? This perspective on screenplay writing emphasises the importance of not overlooking details. This is how you will breathe new life into your stories.

Go ahead and click on the link to watch the video on youtube. If you are a writer, this is one of the videos that will change your life.