The Idea File – Exercising The “Is this a good idea for a movie” Muscle
Every writer should have an Idea File – preferably a whole bunch of them, a little notebook you carry around, a file on your computer, a file folder, your iPhone, a shoebox. Anything and everything that works for you.
My first junior development executive job was working for writer-producers Bruce Evans and Raynold Gideon. They wrote Stand By Me, Starman, Mr. Brooks, and a ton of other films, as well as prominent rewrites. They wanted the senior exec and me to pitch them movie ideas once a month. I was working 60-70 hours a week, reading 15+ scripts per week, looking for books and plays that could become movies, as well as running the office. I was thrilled that someone was paying me to come up with ideas that could be movies – even if they weren’t paying me very much.