[…] Okay, I’ll give some of them a pass because the originals were so damn good. Yet one couldn’t help but be concerned about what was going on creatively up there in Emeryville. Had they …read more […]

I am a big pixar fan and 'emotional' always gets me and clinches my soul. Inside out sounds intriguing - I am also on the fence regarding the slew of sequels particularly cars 3(or is that a rumour?) - though the Incredibles and Finding Dory I am looking forward to - I always thought those movies would work well for sequels given the individual worlds they are in, lots of scope for great stories (similar to the toy story trilogy)

This is insane. Cross my fingers hope to die -- I LITERALLY wrote this story idea down YESTERDAY when I got home: "A main character's problems, characteristics, mental makeup in general is a town. Each character in the town is something like fear, happiness, strength, intelligence, etc. They feud, collide, combine to create a story inside the main character's head that all adds up to one crucial moment in their life, perhaps getting married." I mean, seriously? REALLY?!? What are the odds? Am I cursed? What do you do when something like this happens? And how often DOES this happen? I'm fairly new to screenwriting, but I've been writing down story ideas for a good three years now. Occasionally I'll have an idea and think, "No, that's too similar to this movie or that movie," and I'll ditch it. But THIS?!?! Un-freaking-believable! Advice? Thoughts? Help? Somebody?? ANYBODY???

Same thing happens to me every now and then. Think about it like this: you're sharp enough that you're getting the exact kind of ideas that are being made! You're on the right path. Last year I was playing with an idea about people displaced in time... then I started seeing previews for "The Returned." but my own idea was heavily inspired by "Flight Of The Navigator" and "Late For Dinner." But I disassembled it for parts and wound up with two very cool characters with interesting backstories and perspectives... one that I immediately cast into another story, and the other's waiting for a story worthy of her. Just remember that your projects are a collection of parts (or Lego bricks), not being able to use the whole doesn't mean you can't play with what's in there and build something new with them.

Kalen, I feel your pain. Really. You can check out this Business of Screenwriting post to see what I mean. This is part of the competitive environment of the film and TV business. There are literally tens of thousands of people who are constantly generating story ideas. Unless you're a writer like Charlie Kaufman who traffics in unusual to even strange story concepts -- who else would come up with the concept of being able to enter the mind of John Malkovich? -- you will have to learn to live with the fact sometimes somebody will beat you to the punch. In this case, you can take some solace in two things. First, Docter and Pixar have had this idea in development for several years. There was nothing you could do about that. Second, and this is a big point, this should confirm that you are generating ideas that are commercially viable. One final thing: I think it helps to take a philosophical view on these things. When I get skunked by a situation like this, and believe me, it has happened many times, I have trained myself to believe this: It simply wasn't meant to happen. If there's no way of salvaging an idea because it too similar to something that has just sold or I discovered is in development, then I accept that fact and move on. Cold solace, I know. And again, I feel your pain, Kalen. How about a special medicinal dose of creative juju for you? BREATHEEVERYTHINGSGOINGTOBEOKAYYOULLCOMEUPWITHANOTHERGREATIDEA!!! Hang in there!

Also good advice, Chris. It's possible to reconfigure an idea, shift the genre, change the location, or some key element.

Thanks Scott. That was a really good post you linked to. And that caps-lock, run-on-sentence juju is pure magic. You should open up a clinic dispensing it to struggling screenwriters. (Story idea???) :) I'm the type of person who's constantly thinking, therefore I have tons of backup story ideas... but I really liked this one, which is what makes it tough. I think another coping option is to try and give it a twist. So instead of the characters being inside the person's mind, move them elsewhere and make them different than people. There's the old saying "same but different," which I really think you can apply to situations like this. And I totally agree about your philosophical point. I'm not religious but I'm a pretty firm believer in things happening for a reason, or just tending to work out in time. THANKSFORTHEADVICEYOUAREMYHEROFORTHEDAY!

Totally agree blue. Perhaps I can take some of this idea and combine it with another one. Thanks for the kinds words!

Oh, absolutely. "Characters inside bodies" leads to a wide array of ideas from "Osmosis Jones" (a buddy cop movie set in Bill Murray's immune system) to "Being John Malkovich" to "Meet Dave" ... and "The Numbskulls" has been a comic strip for as long as I can remember! Maybe consider that the idea, the "big idea," isn't actually the most important thing: it's what you do with it. Ask yourself what you can do with the idea that no one else can.