Week #13: The Writing Process

By taking this class, I've realized the true importance of developing structure and how having something as basic as the "Hero's Journey" can truly help in creating a phenomenal piece of writing. Of course there are many elements to cover, as everyones writing process is unique, some don't need Egri or Vogler, but I feel that learning about their work really has helped. Egri's view on premise as a whole has enlightened me on how to create motivation within a story, instead of thinking something is either "good or bad" I finally understand that whether something is "good or bad" doesn't really make a difference; instead, focusing on what something is truly about and why it is about "this" is more crucial.

     In any event, I'd like to learn more on the subject to not only make my writing better, but also make my analyzation technique better to find out what works in a story and how to give an honest critical opinion that my peers can utilize in further developing their stories. After writing our midterm development papers I realize that there were many things I liked and didn't like about the story itself. The problem being is that nothing really happens, a cautionary tale of love, slight folly and the transformation of a boy into an adult, but in the end, the ordeal happens too quick and doesn't really grab my attention. Melody has a drug problem and has to deal with drug dealers that seem way too nice for the story to seem real.  

Also, Chip suddenly just finds a "jewel" in his pocket paired with a small picture of his mother, its just too melodramatic for me, and the finding of the jewel just reminds of the scene in "Freddy got Fingered" where Tom Green presents his girlfriend with "Look, THEIR JEWELS, I GOT YOU JEWELS"! If Chip and Melody both fell into a drug problem the story would seem a little bit more believable, but of course the whole drug-related romance has been done before many times. Chip needs to get played over by Melody in some way, he's young and gullible, new to the whole "LA" lifestyle, he puts his trust in Melody, Melody uses him, Chip gets his heart-broken. Suddenly, Melody needs Chip and Chip, despite getting his heartbroken by Melody weeks prior, comes to her aid...love and true happiness ensues. 

   Although, I really do like how music is a major aspect of our story, music drives both our characters; however, it could also be used to really drive home certain scenes just as Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarentino do in their films. Music is our theme, which means it should be utilized as such, and complement each part of the story, aiding the cinematography, capture the emotion, and motivate the piece.  For me, the film score is just important as the film itself. Look at directors like Alfred Hitchcock, by using certain music in his film, true suspense could be achieved, and also help make his films more recognizable then and now.