How to know if your story idea is good enough?

So when it comes to your story ideas for a screenplay, how do you know as a writer if the idea that you're having is good enough? Is there a way to know if it has potential and is something that could be turned into a screenplay?

After all, considering that writing is hard work and takes serious effort, you don't want to take on a task that you won't be able to pull off well. It's not fun to spend months working on a project that doesn't have enough potential to become something solid.

So below I decided to list some things that you should keep in mind when it comes to your story ideas. You should take these things into consideration when you're thinking about your ideas and whether they might be strong / practical enough. 

1) Did you come up with the idea yourself? 

First of all, even though this might sound a bit silly, you should ask yourself whether it was you who came up with the idea for the story. Did you come up with it, or did someone else perhaps come up with the idea and make a movie out if it? 

The reason that I bring up this is that a lot of times people decide to write a screenplay after they have seen the latest 'hit' movie that they found to be cool. They think that copying the idea of the film (or something about it) needs to be done.

The problem here is that in the vast majority of cases the scripts that come up after the hit movies are absolutely terrible. There are so many examples that you can't really even mention them all (good examples, 'Lethal Weapon', 'Superbad' copycats).

2) Is the story idea organic enough? 

You should think about is whether you think your idea actually makes sense and 'feels' organic. Is there something about the premise, the setting or the characters that makes you feel that there's some potential there (subconscious mind speaking)?

After all, let's not forget that you're not just supposed to write a script unless, there's at least some sort of an semi-'objective' reason to write it. There should be some actual value and meaning behind your story idea that you're thinking of taking further. 

In reality, there's no doubt that the more natural and the more organic the premise feels, the easier it is to start building on it. (good example: 'Amelie', neutral example 'biopic films', questionable example 'Spies in Disguise' (agent transforms into a pigeon).

3) Do you have an overarching storyline figured out already? 

So when it comes to your story idea, it would help if you'd have some sort of an 'end game goal' for your character. It would help tremendously if you already know what the basic things that your protagonist wants to achieve.

After all, in a good screenplay a character will go through some sort of an transformation that will change his life (or the life of others). At the end of the movie something has happened that makes the experience meaningful (you can figure it out later too).

Indeed, if you don't eventually have an overarching plot in your script, the screenplay will simply wander aimlessly for 120 pages. There isn't any proper theme or anything other meaningful stuff in it, and it's impossible to market and to sell it.

4) How much research is needed for the project?

When it comes to the execution part of the story, do you need to do any research to be able to tell your story? Is this a story that requires a lot of extra studying so that you could make it seems believable for the reader / expert?

After all, there are certainly movie genres where you absolutely have to be able to master some things that you don't know yet. Even I had to do minor research for my children's story that I thought wouldn't need any studying whatsoever.

As a whole, this is important because if your story idea requires tons of research that you haven't already made, it's definitely going to make the project more difficult. The less you have to study and the more you get to concentrate on your story beats, the better.

5) Is there an actual market for your story idea?

Also, even though this isn't a question that shouldn't be necessarily always asked, it's still something that you should keep in mind. Do you think that there's a potential market for the story idea if you decide to go through with it.

After all, if you're coming up with a story that is full of idealism, kindness and humour, then it might be something to pursue. It's obvious that people want to experience something that more than likely would put them on a better mood.

On the other hand, even though your 'idea' might somehow make 'sense', if it's too dark, I'm not so sure about it. If it's not something that a movie goer or a book reader might want to experience (and yes I mean way too dark), you should probably think again.

6) Overall, do you feel excited about writing the story?

Finally, it cannot be overstated how important it is that you're actually motivated and excited about tackling your potential task. Do you feel like that this is a journey that you're willing to take yourself on and that it will be worth the effort?

After all, if you think that your idea as whole might be something that is fresh, something that can you actually pull off and is perhaps marketable too, that is something to consider. You should feel at least cautiously optimistic about the project.

On the other hand, if your answer to this question is a no, then you should not give it a shot. You shouldn't do it, because even though writing is a good thing and everyone should try it, there are already too many scripts on the market that are absolutely awful.