How long does it take before I "find" the story?
Question from a subscriber
S M Garratt asks:
Love your work Michael. Do you find that changes sometimes from the first draft to the last.. it’s like I start out with what I think it’s about then a few drafts in the story starts telling me what it wants to be about.. the more I learn to listen the better the writing feels.
Great question, SM Garratt. It depends on whether I’m writing for television or books.
What does “Finding the Story” mean?
It means discovering what the story is really about. On a deep down, emotional level. I can usually sum it up in a few words. Here are a few examples from my book, A Paper Orchestra.
“Swing and a Ms. is story about finding one’s identity.”
“The Ghoul is a story about how judging others comes back on us.”
“A Paper Orchestra is a story about how we remember, and how we want to be remembered.”
Writing for television
When I’m on staff of a television show, a team of 8-10 professional writers can work a full week “breaking” the story. This is the process where the staff figures out the act breaks, the main story arc (A-story), the supporting story arc (B-story) etc. We do this on a giant white board so that everyone can follow along.
Once the story is broken, one writer will be chosen to write an outline. They usually get a week to do that. They’ll get notes on the outline, then two more weeks to write a first draft, more notes, etc.
But a TV writer would never be sent off to “find” the story on their own. If they did, they might find a story that the showrunner (head writer) doesn’t want to tell. Not to mention, the stories need to get network approval before one word is written.
Does that mean the story doesn’t change from first draft to last?
No, in television they often do. Especially if the showrunner or network doesn’t think it’s working. But the person writing that episode doesn’t have agency to do that on their own.
Sometimes we don’t realize that the story doesn’t work until the table read. That’s when all the actors sit around a table, and the writers hear it out loud for the first time. It’s easy to tell when a story isn’t working. You can feel the energy leave the room. Figuring out how to fix it is a lot harder, and that’s why upper level writers get paid the big bucks. Through experience, they know how to fix stories that don’t work.