Over at Medium, Scott Myers frames four questions to consider when choosing a play concept.
“I have framed these four questions from a script reader and buyer’s perspective,” he writes. “However they work at the level of a writer thinking about the story strictly as a writing project:
- Does the concept have enough of a grab to give me confidence I can write a fully fleshed-out and entertaining story?
- Does the concept have a clear enough indicator to suggest a strong plotline and themeline, leading to a satisfying resolution?
- Does the concept have a specific enough audience so I know for whom I am writing the story?
- Does the story feel big enough for me to find the narrative elements I need to write an engaging story of ~one hundred pages?
If those questions don’t speak directly enough to your writer’s soul about a story concept, this one surely will:
Does the story resonate with me on a personal level?“
Scott points out, “You may have stumbled upon the greatest high concept of all time, but if you don’t connect with it, if you don’t sense much in the way of enthusiasm for its narrative possibilities, and/or if the story doesn’t play to your writing strengths, it’s probably not a good idea to write that story.”