Autobiographical Screenwriting

Building the Story with Layers

Jan 8, 2009 Candace Kearns Read

The goal is to take different layers of personal experience and meld them together into cohesive plot lines.

A well-built screenplay usually has several layers, beginning with a main plot and supported by subplots. While the main plot grabs us with a strong dramatic question and keeps us thoroughly engaged with the main characters, subplots add nuance as they harmonize with the main plot.

For the autobiographical screenwriter, these layers help to expand the story so that more details from one’s life can be used, and at the same time, they help contain those details along focused plot lines so that the story does not feel “all over the place.”

Subplots make the story more layered by addressing different dimensions of the character and his or her story. While a main plot might be about getting revenge against someone, a subplot could show the journey of healing and forgiveness for the wrongdoing. In order to make all the subplots resonate with each other, it’s important to build story lines that in some way echo off each other, as variations on common themes.

Charting the Subplots to Create Cohesive Layers

When designing a screenplay based on personal experience, the process might involve charting all the subplots in order to develop smooth, cohesive layers. One model is for these to radiate out like concentric circles, from the most personal inner journey of growth by the main character (externalized and dramatized into the actions he or she takes) to relationship conflicts with others, to a societal relationship as exemplified by the authorities, government or other institutions of the world around them.

Another method is to draw three or four lines across a page, identify each line as a plot, and then chart across each line the major plot turns. This visual aid can help the writer see how the different plots will intersect and bounce off each other.

Tone and Pace

It also helps to think about tone and pacing when placing certain subplot turns in certain places. For instance, if the main storyline contains a long, heavy-hearted scene, the writer should follow it with a shorter, more upbeat scene, to give the audience a chance to take a breath, and keep the story from dragging.

Each of these layers can be developed to tell the truth of someone’s experience while simultaneously following the dramatic structure of set up, development and resolution. As the story progresses, the sense of conflict and tension builds and the stakes continue to be raised along each plot line, until the climax, when, if possible, all of the individual story lines reach their breaking point and erupt with a kind of synchronicity. The result is a new outlook, a ray of hope, and an answer to the initial dramatic question which was raised in the beginning of the story.

For instance, in the film "Running With Scissors," the story follows Augusten’s main relationship with his parents, his romantic relationship with a man, and his friendship with a girl his own age. Each of these plot lines builds dramatically as the story progresses. And each adds dimension to the main story of Augusten coming of age, while cohering together, and providing counterpoint to each other.

Creating subplots takes time, and often they don't emerge until after the first draft is done. That is when the writer can see hints of characters and situations who can and should be developed into subplots. This development work will go a long way toward making the script as a whole much more entertaining.

Read more about writing films based on real life in Autobiographical Screenwriting: A Method

The copyright of the article Autobiographical Screenwriting in Writing for Stage/Screen is owned by Candace Kearns Read. Permission to republish Autobiographical Screenwriting in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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