C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

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After listening to an interview with Charlie Kaufman, it struck me how formulaic art often is. Kaufman, an iconoclastic screenwriter whose work sometimes gets meta, bucks that trend and makes memorable art that challenges its audience. Think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Can you say you had seen a film much like that before he came along? Remember watching Adaptation and wondering, “Where the hell is this going?”

I thought a lot about what sets his work apart from so many other movies. My answer? He writes about themes that are important to him.

Are you writing about things that matter to you, or is your plot more like a checklist? As you touch all the bases as you run through your story’s acts, will you have a home run at the end or will you have a story that looks, sounds and feels like dozens of other stories? It’s okay to have a plot that’s similar to other work. In fact, that’s common. But is your take fresh? Are you saying something in a new way?  If not, try rewriting until you do.

I know it’s hard, but that’s how you’re going to stand out from the crowd. Writing isn’t easy. On the plus side, it can (and should) be a lot of fun.

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