LESSON XVIII.
Outline of Play.
Draw up an outline of your story, give names to your principal characters, divide and subdivide your scenes, show entrances and exits of characters, and grouping of incidents.
You can afterwards condense, select and arrange the details. From your rough Scenario you can work out from 50 to 200 or more scenes.
Analyze your story, and weigh its intrinsic value. If there is enough material in the plot to warrant and enable you to write a 2 reel picture you might do so.
If there is a middle in the plot, which is a thrilling situation (a sort of climax, or anti-climax in itself), and the story is worthy of further development, you can no doubt, work the play into 2 reels. If however, the middle, or intermediate climax is missing, and the action of the plot, leads up to only one big scene, then the logical thing to do is to make a one reel picture.
You should not start your story with quick action, but it should increase in action up to its anti-crisis, crisis, anti-climax and then climax.
We advise you to put your talents to the test in writing plays for single and double reels first.
A good story in a single or double reel, by an amateur writer always has a better chance of being accepted.
After you have become experienced in Scenario writing, you can attempt the multiple reels made up in two, three, four, five and more reels.