I love espionage books and films, especially set in post-Cold War Europe. The "BOURNE" movies did this so, so very well with the usage of old world locales. And three of the best action movies scores of all time by John Powell.Last year, I had an idea for an older, retiring spy that would be found in the same basic area of the film world as Jason Bourne. Using the "BOURNE" flicks as general inspiration, I set off to write the first draft in May.
I'm behind. As you know, my writing schedule is three days a week, my days off: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and sometimes Monday. That's approximately twelve writing days a month, multiplied by eight pages a day - about a 100 page script a month. It looks like I may have to extend into June.
I had the general idea for the script - no outline to speak of, just the basic framework. As I was writing, the story took an unexpected turn for the much better, which required me to go back and completely rewrite about 20 pages. So is the peril of writing without a treatment, but I believe if you know the basic story, in some cases it's better not to outline, as you can discover the story along with the main character.
This isn't always recommended. Some genres lend themselves to planning - suspense thrillers, con game, mysteries - as the plot twists drive the story forward. Others, if you have an overview of the story and where it's going, it's much more fun to just get in there and write, and let that first draft be almost like a treatment. Sometimes you get lucky and a screenplay comes almost completely hatched, with only minor revisions to make before it's ready. Every project is different.
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