I’d got a little stuck with the Architurus screenplay during the week and quickly came to the conclusion that I’d lost it in the second act.
As previous attempts to finish a screenplay had failed in a simililar fashion, I didn’t want this to go the same way. So I took a deep breath and went back to read through what I’d already done.
In reading back through, I realised that I’d a) forgotten a couple of really peachy ideas that still needed development, and b) stumbled over some other very good ideas without realising. These ideas were completely left field and I struggled for a day or two to figure out if they would work.
So last night, while I was waiting for a takeaway curry from the Prince of India (highly recommended), I whipped out my trusty Qtec and had a brainstorming session.
12 minutes later, as the waiter appeared with my food, and I had a whole new, improved, ending with a really neat twist spinning round in my head. In fact, I realised that I could end it in about three different ways, whereas before I was convinced that it should have a very specific ending. The best thing of all is that mixed in with the fragrant wafts from the kitchens, the sweet aroma of sequel material was also floating on the air.
It also means that, while I was running dangerously close to becoming the One Screenplay Guy, now the last remaining links (barring a couple of character names) between this story and the original idea I had back in 1996 flutter off with the breeze.