Curious to hear everyone’s process in outlining a narrative that contains a lot of moving story pieces (like a heist or con narrative)to reach an improbable outcome. Is it any different than any other feature/series that you’ve written?
Screenwriting : Crafting complicated plots by Michael Stratigakis
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Hey, Michael Stratigakis. I mainly write features, so I'll speak on that. I suggest outlining each storyline with a beginning, middle, and end.
And I suggest tracking each storyline separately during rewrites. That'll make it easier to keep track of each storyline.
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Said it yourself...it's a process, there's no recipe...study similar scripts doing parallel stories/multiverses/time loops or such...
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Generally, complex characters & simple plots are preferred. The bad thing about complex plots is readers have to write up 1-2 page coverage/explaining to bosses in charge.
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I prefer writing simple plots, but have taken on the occasional storyline with what felt like a billion different moving parts.
What always helps me is realising that everyone is a main character in their own head. So, before you go into the final drafting stages, have the story written/thought out from everyone's perspective. That way you know where your points are at which to come into the narrative with each character or plot twist.
So when we have a complex narrative like - say - Ocean's 11, it helps to know what all 11 people will be doing at any given moment. Plot out their entire timeline - know what they are up to, where they are geographically, and their journey (emotional and physical).
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Great tip, Ronika Merl! ("What always helps me is realising that everyone is a main character in their own head. So, before you go into the final drafting stages, have the story written/thought out from everyone's perspective."). Thanks!
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You can write independent plot lines as suggested by Ronika and cross cut amongst timelines at the junctures in the main narrative or branch them out at an appropriate time. I personally liked the branching in GOT.
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I start writing a small outline for each character and then knit it together.
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Something to keep in mind is the difference between "complex" and "complicated". If a script is complex it can have lots of moving parts which are intricately interwoven and give a satisfying conclusion to the audience. Some writers take this too far by including lots of unnecessary plotlines, characters and other tangents in an attempt to make it complex, but just make it unnecessarily complicated. Making sure there is a purpose behind the different elements and that these don’t get in the way of good story and characterization is key.