Does your Screenplay make an Emotional Argument? - Let's see!

When you write your screenplay...does your character's motivation make sense?

Probably.

But your readers aren't connecting with them?

Why?

Chances are your main character's reason for striving toward their goal is firmly based on logic.  And logic makes sense but doesn't make emotion.

Consider two examples:

Logic - A son wants his father to include him in his will because he's running his father's business and he could use the inheritance to expand the business.

Emotion - A son wants his father to include him in his will because he is his father's son.

The first example makes sense and is reasonable.

The second example makes sense and is unreasonable.  You can't argue logically with the line "Because I am your son."  The irony is that motivation such as that is a catalyst, a firecracker engine for drama/comedy.  The less the motivation is reasonable the more conflict you can draw from it.

Passion and emotion cause conflict, they get us into wars, they provide the juice and blood that fuel great screenplays.

Think about this:
When your upset...how do you calm down?  Using reason.

Don't let a reasonable motivation calm your screenplay down and snuff the flame that will connect your readers to your story.

Story Engine = 2 Stroke = structure

DO YOUR screenplays FAIL TO CONNECT WITH READERS?

TEST THEIR STROKES:

A story has two engines, I mean strokes.  It's a 2 stroke engine.

ONE is the plot, situation, cool, funny, scary, heart warming, stuff.

TWO is the profound soul searching question plaguing your main character.

*Some movies lack one of these.  They usually suck.  Probably.

OAK-K,

The second stroke, non-sexual if you will...is the goddamn question.

A question that derives from the motivation.

EXAMPLE:
I want to do this, We need to reach this goal. etc BECAUSE  I'm going to prove that I am - ambitious, successful, a good person, strong, smart, beautiful, and the list goes on and on.

THEN

Your character will reach a point, possibly a PLOT POINT, in which they ASK....Am I ambitious?  Am I successful?  Am I a writer?!

And that question will be answered by another character.

THEN

Your character will reach another point, possibly another PLOT POINT, in which they will DECLARE...  I AM "fill-in with descriptive word"  or I AM NOT "fill-in with descriptive word"  BECAUSE "To be X you've got to do Y"

So AGAIN

At first, because of inciting incident, they will say:
1) We need to achieve this goal(engine stroke 1) because we need to prove we are X(engine stroke 2)

Then, because of obstacles they will ask:
2) How will I ever reach goal(engine stroke 1) and Am I even "X"(engine
stroke 2)

Finally, because of more obstacle they will declare:
3) I am or am not X(engine stroke 2) because a person who is X would act like Y.  And in order to reach the goal(engine stroke 1), I am going to have to do Y.