So, you want to write a screenplay with multiple stories. It definitely can be done and done well. Take the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award winner Crash as an example. However, writing multiple storylines is no easy task, so it's best to stay simple, especially for the beginning writer. Even Crash – with its interweaving stories – is simple in structure. The story is told in chronological order with inter-related characters over a period of over only two days. Writer/Director Paul Haggis doesn't try to cover too many events, too much time, use non-related characters,…

You will create many different types of characters in order to flesh out your story. Obviously, the protagonist - hero or anti-hero - is your main character and deserves the most attention. However, most stories also include an antagonist, hopefully a villain that is complex and layered, and then there's the plethora of supporting characters - friends and rivals, even symbolic and nonhuman characters - that are essential to moving the story forward. When creating characters - main and supporting - it's helpful to explore them through writing exercises. These five…