Thematic Worksheet
What is your protagonist seeking internally at the beginning of his/her arc?
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What quantifiable and measurable goal is your protagonist going after to achieve what he/she hopes will bring them that emotional state?
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What general plan of action will the protagonist follow to attain that goal?
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So from what the protagonist learns, how will he/she demonstrate their change?
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What is at stake (internally) to the protagonist if they don't achieve their arc?
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What is at stake to the protagonist (internally) if they don't attain their goal?
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What is at stake to another person, to a specific group of people, or to humanity in general if the protagonist doesn't achieve their arc?
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What statement are you making about the human condition through the actions of your protagonist and what is learned (or not learned) within the context of your story's central premise?
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To sum it up for others: your story is about (PROTAGONIST)_______________
seeking (the GOAL)____________________________ who will (the PLAN)___
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and by doing this learn (your STATEMENT ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION)
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THEMATIC PREMISE SHEET
After putting together the Story Premise Sheet to help TSA members crystallize their central conflict, and seeing how well that's helped them define their story's concept, it became clear that more was needed to help them bring their stories alive -- and bring them up to the level of professionalism needed to succeed.
Too many of the the synopses heard during TSA meetings (as well as the scripts read in contests and covered by Hollywood production companies) offer a series of events taking place, but lack the underlying elements that give those events meaning and give that story drama.
WHAT IS DRAMA?
Drama is a portrayal of the human struggle to maintain values and give meaning to the actions taken in life. In a screenplay, that struggle and those actions are taken by your Protagonist.
It is the character of your Protagonist -- what their values are, what it is they are seeking emotionally, and ultimately what they believe is worth fighting for -- that determines the direction of your screenplay. The manner in which the events of the story develop are governed by the decisions of, and the resulting actions taken by, your Protagonist.
WHAT GIVES THESE EVENTS MEANING?
In a screenplay, the events lead up to a battle between the opposing viewpoints that you've defined as those held by your Protagonist and your Antagonist (or Force of Antagonism). Who wins that battle (over what the ultimate goal of the story is, what is at stake in your story) will define the meaning of the story by telling and showing the audience whose viewpoint is victorious.
This viewpoint is yours, the writer. And whatever happens at the end defines what you as a writer are trying to say about some aspect of the human condition that you want to comment on. This is your story's meaning. This is the realization that your Protagonist has by the end of the story's events.
At its heart, this is what your story's central conflict (the story premise) is truly about.
By first filling out the STORY PREMISE WORKSHEET you can see:
1) What GOAL the Protagonist and Antagonist (or Force of Antagonism) are in diametric opposition over, you can define what the highest STAKES OF YOUR STORY are.
2) Whether you have the right Protagonist for your story, have the Protagonist who is uniquely qualified to push forward the events of your story.
3) Have a Protagonist who is internally motivated in such a way so that the highest STAKES OF YOUR STORY have enough meaning to him/her that he/she will be willing to carry the battle with the Antagonist (or Force of Antagonism) all the way until the end.
By next filling out the THEMATIC PREMISE WORKSHEET you can see:
1) What emotional goal is driving your Protagonist in the story's beginning and thereby create AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION with him/her.
2) What the Protagonist (or other people within the story) learn from the series of decisions and actions that the Protagonist takes throughout the story to achieve their goal (the CHARACTER ARC of the screenplay).
3) What STATEMENT ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION (your viewpoint, your THEME) that you are trying to make sure you are conveying to the audience.
And now knowing what the stakes of your story are, what is motivating the Protagonist to fight over those stakes, what he will do to to win, and how he will change (or change others) -- now you can write a professional synopsis.
