I’m working on a script right now. I think it is going to be a rom-com, or so I hope. Its mostly been a lot of character development this last week. But now as I start to tackle their internal conflicts, I can’t shake the feeling that I don’t know what the plot is about.

I am, it would seem, a writer who needs to know where the story is going or what the central conflict is about, before he works on characters or setting.

This is something that I am willing to accept, however as I am testing out E M Welsh’s schedule for writing a script in a month, I am resisting the urge to just focus on the central conflict and instead choosing to trust in her process. I hope that by developing characters, setting, and themes, I will be able to arrive at a better central conflict. This is not to say that the process is indifferent to having a conflict.

In fact, day one of the schedule is about themes and conflicts. However, and perhaps this was the mistake I made, on day one, I only listed the general conflicts the characters would face. I failed to realize that the story needs one central, driving conflict that manifests through plot.

So right now, I am trying to discover these characters and their internal issues, which is inconvenient as it is not something that one simply ‘knows’ but is also an obstacle that one must absolutely overcome. That’s writing in general, a series of obstacles that the character and therefore the writer, must overcome.

Also, I am testing out this blogging method. I’m hoping that reflecting on my writing process here, will give me, if no body else, some insight.