As I was leaving my tango lesson with my friend Daniel today, I passed a lady on a cell phone. she was crying and said into the phone, ” All I want is for somebody to think I am important, to really pay attention to me.”
You can’t make this stuff up — or if you do, it sounds corny and “on the nose,” but my point is:
The lady on the phone said the truest truth. And if you faithfully ask what it would take for each of your characters, especially your villains and obstacles to have that need met, it could take you a long way in your screenplay.
Exercise: Imagine that your hero or villain is on the phone saying those lines — who are they saying them to? In reference to what behavior? At what point in your screenplay does this phone conversation take place?
