Screenplay v. Novel

You mention mandacity (whatever that means) but I suspect you are looking for the noun for mundane - mundaneness.

If you know the high or major life points - simply turn the coin over and look on the other side to find the low points.

If the high point is winning the pools and becoming rich - the mundane will be the daily struggle of coping with work and food and providing for family etc., before the riches came along.

The best place to start is dictated by the intended story - be it a novel or a screenplay.

But whatever you do, don't spend ages dwelling on what dull and boring lives your characters lead. If it's boring to them....

I can see as how y'all might want to show the counterpoint between the main character's ordinary life and what comes after the inciting incident that propels said character headlong into the story. That's a fairly standard intro and set-up. Just try not to make it too boring, is all I can suggest. You still have to tickle the reader's curiosity. You might also want to sprinkle interesting plants and motifs for later pay-off. Or, you can drop your character right into the thick of the action and worry about explaining stuff later. Whichever you feel is right the for script.

(...Could be I'm not understanding your question. If I've misinterpreted, ignore the above!)

-Derek

Don't write mundane stuff.

Not sure how the title of this thread pertains to the post.

First of all, it may help you to just sit down and write out one of the major life events. That may help you to become familiar with your characters, their quirks or habits or personalities.

Second, think about what happens that propels a character from Major Life Event #1 to Major Life Event #2. To use your example, what happens during their courtship that convinces them they want to be married? Maybe it is something that one of them says/does. Do they figure out that they have something in common (good or bad)? (like "Hey, I'm a huge Boston Celtics fan too!" OR "Hey, my dad died when I was in junior high too"). What do they like doing for dates - is it typical "dinner and a movie" type dates, or do they prefer to go camping/skiing/rock climbing/volunteering at a soup kitchen/spraying graffiti on abandoned buildings...? Did something traumatic happen on one of their dates that caused them to get closer? (like, there was a holdup at the restaurant. Or they were on a date when one of them found out their dad died. Or they were in a car accident.)

You can tell the same story from each character's point of view. When they're in the restaurant and it gets robbed, how do they each react? Could be interesting.

Also, once they decide they want to get married, they have to plan a wedding. What does that reveal about each of the characters? Do they learn things about each other that they don't like? (i.e. she is a total control freak, he won't even participate in planning the wedding, etc.) Then there's the in-laws, which you can include in the wedding planning.

Third and maybe most important- don't get hung up on whether you are writing a novel or a screenplay. The most important thing is to write it. As you figure out your story, you will figure out if it is better served as a novel or a screenplay, but as long as it hasn't been written, it will be neither a novel or a screenplay. Get the words out, and you can edit them later. You can switch between a novel and a screenplay. You can write BOTH a novel and a screenplay and see what you like better. But you gotta write!

There's a quote that is often mentioned among writers - something like "I hate writing. I love having written." I think just about every writer feels that way sometimes. I know I am REALLY good at procrastinating! Sometimes that first word is the hardest! But there's really no substitute for "just doing it".

I like to think of it as "BIC" time - referencing the BIC pens I adore OR "butt-in-chair" time!