I just finished reading an incredibly touching story about a little girl, with just a few months to live, who hid love letters and drawings around her house for her family to find after she passed. To read the story, click here.
It’s one of those stories that is simple and beautiful and yet would probably be rejected by Hollywood for seeming too unbelievable.
Sure there are similar stories, P.S. I Love You comes to mind, but all of them feature an adult. The fact that this was a 5-year-old girl masterminding the notes is what makes it so wonderful and yet so implausible.
I have been inspired to reevaluate my current writing project by this young girl.
As an exercise:
Imagine your main character is writing a series of messages for their loved ones to find after they’re gone. What would the notes say? Would they include pictures or mementos, or just rely on words? Where would your character hide the notes? Would they be stuck haphazardly around the house, or in places that have special meaning for the other characters?
The more you learn about what your character has to tell the people they love, the easier it will be to decide what they have to say and do to get that message across.
Good luck and happy writing.
BONUS EXERCISE: Decide what your character needs to tell someone in your script. Now, like the little girl in the story, hide little hints throughout the script. Maybe your character always holds the door for a girl he secretly likes, or makes sure she gets inside okay before driving away. Think about these little touches that will make your good story great.
