Summer Romance – An Adult Angst Script

Last week we talked about writing a teenage angst romance script and this week we’ll head up the age ladder to the adult version. What’s the difference? It really is just age. But you have to remember that with more years, characters become more mature and most characters have been through multiple romances—but if they’re in your adult angst script, well, they haven’t yet succeeded in the romance department, have they?

When we talked about adult angst films last month, we focused on one of the classics—When Harry Met Sally—and that led us to four characteristics of adult angst romance films:

1. The leads are far apart in some fundamental way—often they’re actually enemies.
2. They come together at some point, usually with disastrous results, and it seems impossible that they could get back together.
3. Each of the main characters has a best friend that they confide in throughout the film.
4. They get back together and we have a hopeful—if not happy—ending.

So as you think about an adult angst romance film you might like to use those four points to approach it.

First, who are your two main characters? Where do they live? What are their jobs? How do they meet? What is it about each of them that seems to antagonize the other? How does their past influence their approach to love in the present?

Second, what precipitates their first date or first sexual encounter? Remember, of course, that it doesn’t turn out well! Why is it SO bad that we have the initial feeling that this is NEVER going to work out?

Third, who is the best friend of each of our characters that they can confide in? Is that best friend of the same sex? Are they straight or gay? Are they young or old? How long have they known this best friend? Does the best friend really have their interests at heart or is the best friend going to make a play for the person they’re involved with in this romance?

Fourth, how do they get back together? What ingenious plot twists can you come up with that make it seem like these two will NEVER get together at the end? What obstacles can you put in their way? Does this happen right away or do you do a “one year later” thing and we see them connect again and have a bit of hope that it’s going to work out? They key, here, is to make it seem like this won’t happen—but in the last scene [or next to the last!] it DOES happen.

Next week, we’ll look at marriage angst…and what kind of a script you might write that would appeal to that audience.

Copyright © Diane Lake

12Aug18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com