From Wally:
I am a screenwriter but first and foremost, I’m a storyteller. I say that because you can’t write a screenplay if you don’t have a story, and you can’t write a good story until you can tell it. To be a good screenwriter, you also have to be a good storyteller.
To be a good storyteller, you need to understand your story, the ins and outs of what takes place, i.e. the journey. What occurs to force (or coax) your hero to set out on that journey? What obstacles stand in their way? You need to know who your hero is, not just their name and what they look like, but what makes them tick. What do they like and dislike? What scares the hell out of them? And don’t forget the antagonist, why do they want to prevent your hero from completing their journey?
Knowing the story isn’t enough to write a really good screenplay. To out-fox the antagonist at every turn you need more than a simple map. You need to know your story in order to live it. Make the journey… Suffer the setbacks… Climb the mountain… Save the day!
Right about now… you’re asking how in hell am I supposed to do that? Answer: with your mind.
In your mind, you can go anywhere in the past or the present, in this world or another. In your mind, you can be anyone or anything you want, the hero and the antagonist, the maiden in distress. All at the same time.
What I am saying is… let your hero make wrong choices, bad choices, “Sophie’s choices,” just like a real human might. Don’t just write what is happening, be a part of what’s happening… while it’s happening… in your mind. Live it. Experience it. All of it. Everything. A good storyteller is naturally a good screenwriter. They go hand and hand.