My interests as a writer lay with script-writing. For my degree, I’m writing an essay on Syd Field’s book, The Foundation of Screenwriting – a bible for anyone writing scripts! Re-reading the book got me thinking about how Syd’s advice, inadvertently, helped me to write my own statement for family court. This post depends largely on how your mind works. If you can imagine it, Syd’s advice can help you to write your statement too.
If you’ve read 5 Steps to Statement Success – Writing your Statement for Family Court , you’ll know how important your statement is. Your statement is your side of the story. The story of how and why you are at family court. There are principles involved in writing a script that can help you to write your statement too.
Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. Every story has characters: a protagonist/hero, an antagonist/villain and other characters affected by the actions of the main ones. All characters, like people have a past, present, future, goals, needs and wants. This basic structure of telling a story is as old as time and can be applied to your statement writing. You are the hero of your story, the antagonist is your ex and the other characters are your children.
The ending is the first thing you must know before you begin writing. Why? ..Your story moves forward – it follows a path, a direction, a line of progression from beginning to end…In the same way, everything is related in a screenplay, as it is in life. You don’t have to know the specific details of your ending when you sit down to write your screenplay, but you have to know what happens and how it affects your characters.
Syd Field – Screenplay, The Foundation of Screenwriting
Before you sit down to write your statement, know your ending. What do you want to happen and how will it affect your children for the better? What do you want the court to do? How are you going to move forward?
Beginnings…
Endings and beginnings: two sides of the same coin. Determine the ending…then design the opening. The primary rule for the opening is: Does it set the story in motion? Does is establish the main character?..Does it set up the situation?
Syd Field – Screenplay, The Foundation of Screenwriting
The beginning is where you set-up your story by revealing information about your past. A brief history of your relationship: What led you to family court? What is the main disagreement between you and your ex? Where do you stand in the disagreement? What is your position? How is your position in the best interests of your children? What type of mother are you?
Middles…
There’s a law in physics called Newtons Third Law of Motion, which states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Which means, basically, that everything is related…In a screenplay the same principle holds true: Everything is related.
Syd Field – Screenplay, The Foundation of Screenwriting
The middle is a chronological telling of all the reasons why you need the courts intervention and/or help. It’s the proof to back up your position, for example, why is it in your child’s best interest to limit contact with their other parent? For every action there is a reaction: what led you to limit contact? If the beginning is the past, the middle is the present. The middle is your response to your ex’s application and the points he makes. It is your side of the story that sets out the problems to which your ending is the solution.
Endings, again…
If I could sum up the concept of endings and state the one most important things to remember, I would say: The ending comes out of the beginning.
Syd Field – Screenplay, The Foundation of Screenwriting
You’ve already thought of the ending that you want and now is the time to set it in stone. Your ending is the solution to the problems outlined in the middle. Everything that you’ve written has led you to this point. What order do you want the court to make? Though your personal relationship has ended, you have to continue your relationship as parents. How will an order from the court help the future of your family? What is the resolution to your story?
Amazing things can happen when women support each other. If you know another mother representing herself at family court, share the post with her. Tell her what you think or you can leave a comment and tell me what you think.
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