CHECKLIST -HOW TO WRITE STORIES

I loved Cinema and I love more now. I directed some short films. I wanted to be the writer of big Movies. I wrote many stories too. But these stories never got turned into Cinema. Today I want to share basic checklists on story i.e. stories for the movies, particularly.

While presenting the stories, we must be asking these questions?

1. 1. Does this scene propel the story forward? We are here to tell the stories, not to show the events. We have target to achieve. Sometimes, the plot lingers in what is not necessary. It can be avoided and story may not demand the scene. So, know what is your final goal and is the scene really helping moving story to the end.
2. Does the character of the protagonist grow with time? Is he growing as a person internally and externally? Does he learn about himself with time?
3. Know what the character wants and what character needs. Need is internal mainly and want is external. Example, if character wants car for fame and chase this goal, story can be concluded character achieving the fame due to social welfare and being satisfied. Philosophical Goal is more important. Internal satisfaction is more important.
4. Present the other characters, Show the characters whose reaction is important in the upcoming scenes.  
5. Dialogues should be presented continuous than mundane.
6. The character should be humble, getting rid of childish arrogance, power greed and so on because the end of the story may not really be the end if character remains the same. We should really know that the character will not get in trouble after “THE END”. The character should learn the life to tackle life beyond the end.
7. Don’t shock the audience unnecessarily. Audience doesn’t like suspense from the protagonist. It is like cheating. They are with him all the way from beginning but you don’t show him when really necessary only. Isn’t it cheating? So take care of it. Take care, what does the character learns from the happening events? The choices the protagonist take must be appreciable, not hidden actions. 
8. Show. Don’t say.
9. Ask every time if the activities or reactions synchronize with what you tell the audience, in the intro, the character of protagonist or others is.
10. Be with the audience. You tell the audience and surprise the other character.
11. Know why you are writing the scene in the first place. what is the intention? why is the reason the scene is there? what obstacles is there? what it results? Suppose the travel is fun when you went to city. You can write the scene. But why you went to city? there should be expectation from the scene which is troubled by the obstacle. Then there is struggle and hence it becomes memorable.
12. Suspense should not be what can be shown. External. The decision that happens in period can be made suspense but not activities. show the bomb planted in the building. But when it happens, how it happens, whom it kills, who does audience care about what it kills, and so on. There are suspense in which even the one who plants the bomb is in suspense, obviously the one who doesn't know. the waiting moment.
13. Don't change the location of the story as long as it can be shown in the same. Too much change in location just distracts the audience. For example, the flashback, and conversation which is not affected by location can be merged with other events. Anyway, the story with such technique must lead to action or end with some events that drags the audience to the future expectations. 
14. List all the possible components, all kinds of location, all kinds of sounds, all kinds of activities you see in daily life. Brainstorm. Use them to make the story interesting. For example, if the story is about the student, list the types of books, the tea shops they usually go, kinds of friends they have, the slippers they wear daily, the glass they love, the prank they love to do, the philosophy they love, the kinds of life they dream of, the hidden character they only know they have and so on. And choose the best among them that supports the story. 

I provided some of the checklists. But to learn about the plot, you can find plenty of available contents in Internet. So, here is one, I found for you. I suggest for it.

CLICK HERE