Story Writing Ideas

The Messenger Director Oren Moverman Writing A Biopic About Beach Boy Brian Wilson

It was nearly five years ago that we first wrote about the possibility of a biopic about Beach Boys member and general rock and roll god Brian Wilson. Like so many great movie ideas, though, this one fell apart somewhere along the way, and it's taken this long for someone else to come up with the same bright idea and get it going again. River Road Entertainment announced yesterday that they've secured the life rights of both Wilson and his wife Melinda, and The Messenger writer-director Oren Moverman is currently at work on a script about the musician's life.
There's no mention of the company also securing the music rights, though you have to assume they have them given that the press release promises a film that "will take an unconventional look at Wilson's unique musical process as well as his struggles with mental illness, and how he managed to persevere as an artist with the love and support of his wife Melinda." The focus on the wife also makes it sound like it will be less of a story about the Beach Boys, the band that fell apart at its peak thanks to Wilson's ambition and substance abuse issues, than a story about Wilson himself. I'm not saying that will be a disappointment-- Wilson is obviously a fascinating figure with plenty of life story to tell on his own-- but I'm much more interested in the nuts and bolts of how the band functioned than Wilson's personal story.

As for when we might expect to see the project, Moverman is now in post-production on his cop drama Rampart , which filmed last fall , and also has plans to write a biopic about Kurt Cobain. The timeline for the Wilson project will probably depend on a lot of other factors like casting and schedules, so keep an ear to the ground about both of those to figure out when the film will take the next step forward.

Memoir How To | Fiction Writing Tips

It's easy to tell a story about yourself at a party, reunion or get together among friends. You have the ability to use gestures, facial expressions, body language and impersonate voices. 

In writing, we don't have that luxury. Your story has to be told in a way that engages your reader -- makes them want to know more -- all by using only words on a page. Bringing a story to life for your reader is the goal for authors. 

Memoirist do this by using fiction writing tips

A memoir takes a reader on a journey into the past -- your past. No one is better suited to tell or write about your life than you. But, you have to tell it in a way that makes readers want to read more. You know the story but your readers don't. You should write it in a way that allows the reader to experience your story firsthand instead of through narrative telling. Using actions, dialog, thoughts, senses and overall dramatization makes it more real for the reader.

Showing  and  Telling  -- Memoir is a genre that needs both showing and telling from the author. Because it is a story from your life, there will be times you need to "tell" information instead of show. But, "showing" is a technique that is absolutely necessary to keep a reader involved. It paints a picture (cliche, I know, but fitting).

"Showing" correctly means that you understand your reader is smart. With some descriptive language from you, they interpret "Johnny is short" without you outright saying "Johnny is short". 

Close your eyes. See the scene play out in your mind. Write the details and descriptions that will create a "mind movie"

Using the showing technique tells your reader you respect them -- that you don't have to hit them over the head with a bold, telling sentence. They will know through the words you carefully chose. 

Telling:

She was angry at him.

Showing:

The muscles in her face constricted leaving her eyes barely visible through the incensed slits. Her lip curled to reveal clenched teeth as she continued to glare at him. Use dialog  -- I know, you didn't have a recorder X number of years ago when this story actually took place. However, you know the gist of it and have even mimiced the conversations when telling the story to family or friends. Do this again in your writing. Dialog between the major and or minor characters is necessary to bring the scene to life in a readers mind. Otherwise it is just a bunch of facts... boring!