What is a Good Idea?
You know one when you hear one.
IDEA #1 A cranky, rude man has to relive the worst day of his life over and over again until he gets it right. When he does, he finds true love.
IDEA #2 Two women receive in vitro treatments at a fertility clinic. The good news is they both become pregnant. The bad news is that their embryos were mistakenly swapped. An odd couple, they move in together to keep an eye on how the other one gestates "her" child. A variation of this concept was made as Baby Mama.
IDEA #3 A young gay man is accidently struck on the head and suffers amnesia. His father, who had never accepted his son's sexual orientation, tries to remake his son as a heterosexual.
IDEA #4 An irresponsible father loses his marriage and custody of his children, whom he loves dearly. Desperate to be near them, he disguises himself as an English nanny.
Those are all good ideas. The first and last have already been made into successful films (Groundhog Day and Mrs. Doubtfire) the middle two are ideas once under development in Hollywood.
We cite them by way of explaining what we mean by good story ideas. All are simple. If you read the description in a TV Guide, you would probably be inclined to see these films because the underlying ideas are good. Which isn't to say that bad movies don't get made from good ideas. But a good premise is where Hollywood likes to start.
Does it take a screenwriter to come up with good ideas? Not at all. Lightning and inspiration can and will strike anywhere. This has always been true. But now non-writers -- taxi drivers, homemakers, school teachers, prison inmates (hey, why not?), students, you name it -- have a means to take their good ideas and have them heard.
If you think you have a good idea, now is the time to find out.