Greetings, fellow story craft nerds! Last post, I did a macro analysis of the 1997 movie Contact, applying the 5 Commandments to the entire story arc. This time, I'll apply them to a single scene. (If you're new to Story Grid, check out my initial post on the topic. )
https://youtu.be/GZDT-FsO9Uc
I'm sticking with the scene I mentioned last time as a front-runner for my choice today. It's a great example of an Inciting Incident, and I haven't covered an II in this series of posts yet.
The Inciting Incident for this film, in my opinion, is the ten minute scene that catapults the main character out of what is known in Joseph Campbell/Hero's Journey lingo as their Ordinary World. It occurs about 34 minutes in. That works out to about 25% into the film, which is a little over two hours long.
There are a few different ways an Inciting Incident can occur. It can be an accident/coincidence. It can be the result of deliberate actions. Or, it can be nebulous, mysterious, unexplained until the end of the story (if at all). In this story, the II is a direct result of the main character's training, combined with her grit.
Dr. Ellie Arroway's Ordinary World is something many of us can identify with. She is passionate about her career goal (finding proof of alien life) and resents the time wasted by bureaucratic nonsense. But she hasn't made any progress on finding extraterrestrial life. In fact, her boss is threatening to pull the plug on her project.
However, Dr. Arroway is one tough cookie. She is not a quitter. One day she has her listening equipment set up away from her main lab, at a location that offers some welcome solitude. Externally, this helps her listen because it is quiet out there among the radar dishes. Internally, I think she's just a big ol' introvert and enjoys the time alone. In any case, she's out there alone with her headphones on, and she hears something other than the seemingly never-ending radio static she's used to hearing. She's a pro. She realizes immediately this is significant. She races back to her lab and gets her two staffers involved.
Fun detail: back at the lab, her coworkers have overlooked the red alert on some of their computer screens indicating a signal from outer space because they are watching a television interview with a trendy lifestyle guru (who also happens to be the same guy Dr. A had a brief hookup with a few years back) talking about how despite all the great new science and technology at our disposal, humans feel more alone than ever. Classic! I love it!
Once Ellie jerks their attention back to the signal, the three work feverishly to reject or confirm that this signal a) is not a natural phenomenon; and b) it is not coming from Earth or any Earthly technology in orbit such as satellites, space stations, and so forth. The film sets up a sense of urgency beautifully here with a couple of progressive complications. The signal stops. We wait breathlessly for it to start up again. This plants the seed of doubt that it could vanish at any time. The three astrophysicists also discuss briefly why they will need to rely on partners on the other side of the earth when the signal is no longer audible because of the orbital paths of the various celestial bodies involved.
As the three frantically discuss this incredible new development, they are deeply troubled by the many unanswerable questions that arise. Specifically, the apparent origin of the signal doesn't make sense to them. The pattern is clearly recognizable (all prime numbers) which makes them wonder if it's some kind of Earth-bound hoax. The Crisis in this scene is whether or not to report this event immediately, and risk even further discredit and disdain from their peers if they're wrong, or wait until they have fully validated their findings, and risk not being the first to report.
The Climax is Dr. Arroway's decision to announce their discovery, even though there are many unanswered questions. She feels she and her staff have done their due diligence. If they are going to be first, and validate their years of unappreciated work with this historic discovery, they must act immediately.
The Resolution unfolds in the following scene with government officials rushing to Dr. Arroway's lab to join in the heretofore ignored project to make contact with extraterrestrial life.
This is a very condensed ten minutes of film. The discovery of the signal changes everything, not only for Dr. Arroway but for her staff, her bosses, the government, the country, and yes, the world. It ushers us into the Middle Build of the story, which is a good mix of internal and external story progressions. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend. And I really need to read the book, just based on this article I stumbled across today while researching this post. Dr. Sagan, you are missed.
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Have I mentioned that as a child of the 1960s, I'm a huge space nerd? This month's pick for a Story Grid analysis is the 1997 film Contact, one of my favorites. It's based on Carl Sagan's book by the same name. I haven't read the book, but I understand the film is a very close representation. Contact (the film) has been on my mind because our local book club recently read another of Sagan's books, Cosmos.
Spoiler alert: if you haven't seen the film, I will be spoiling the main reveal in the paragraphs below. You have been warned.
Contact has two very strong story arcs. The external arc is a quest arc IMO. Dr. Eleanor Arroway is a brilliant astrophysicist. But because she has chosen to devote her career to the search for life on other planets, the science community largely dismisses her as a crank. When she discovers an intriguing signal emerging from deep in the cosmos, the narrative drive for the external arc is all about will she find something, or won't she?
The internal arc is more about Ellie's worldview. Although she is very book-smart, her interpersonal relationship skills could use some improvement. She's a classic left brain personality - just the facts, please. She's definitely not into what she thinks of as metaphysical mumbo jumbo, and she doesn't understand why so many people are. But after she makes contact with alien life forms, she finds herself struggling to convince others what exactly it is that she has experienced.
The film begins by showing us Dr. Arroway's Ordinary World. She's a brilliant scientist, but she's in a much-derided fringe specialty (SETI) with her merry band of SETI nerds, constantly struggling for funding to keep their project alive. We also learn through flashbacks that Ellie's mom died early and she had a very close relationship with her dad until he also passed away when she was young. Her father inspired her love of science and space. An underlying theme is her childhood wish to somehow use their family ham radio set to make contact with the spirit of her dead mother.
(I know what you're thinking, but this aspect of contacting her mother is very subtle, brief, and believable in the film, so that we don't stray off into a path of adult Ellie appearing as too much of a nut job.)
Flash forward to adult Ellie bouncing around from one research facility to another, splitting her time between listening for distant signals from space and soliciting funding from the private sector, neither of which have much success.
A romantic subplot is introduced. She has a one night stand (her choice) with a charming stranger. She enjoys his company, but when he brings up the topic of her dad, she freezes up and heads off to a new posting without leaving him any way to contact her. (See what I did there?)
Just when she thinks she's at the end of her rope career-wise, we arrive at what in my opinion is the Inciting Incident: she hears a clear, repeating signal originating from outer space. This signal is confirmed by fellow researchers. Suddenly the nutty professor now has some agency. Mentors who previously ignored her now want to get on board with her efforts. Funding appears. The press gets involved. If this film were set in present day, Dr. Arroway would be trending.
As the information from the alien signal is analyzed, Dr. Arroway and her much larger and better funded staff soon realize this is not just some random signal. Whoever is sending it is sending information to help whoever receives it create the machine to allow them to physically meet; to make contact. But there's only room for one.
It has to be Dr. Arroway, doesn't it? I mean, after all these years, and all her efforts, the lone voice crying out in the space wilderness? Who else could they possibly choose?
I'm waffling on what I've identified as the Turning Point/Progressive Complication. As you can see in my infographic, I've identified the scene where she learns someone else has been selected as the person to attempt to make initial contact with the aliens sending this signal. Ellie is crushed. And to add insult to injury, it's made clear the person they've chosen is just better connected, and has had the sense to pander to the interview committee's strong preference for someone with some religious beliefs; something Ellie is clearly lacking, and refuses to pretend otherwise.
My waffling is due to the very tempting choice of the scene when the very expensive, very complicated device built according to the alien specs is destroyed by an uber-religious terrorist. The scientist wonk that was chosen for the mission is killed. Although she is extremely disappointed to have been passed over, she still supports the mission. Ellie is devastated at this turn of events.
I would not push back much if you feel this should be the TP/PC. I just felt like the choice of a man, a former mentor, who did little to support Ellie's efforts until they showed some results and benefited him personally, was more of a gut punch.
But wait! There's another choice for our Turning Point! If you consider both the choice of representative and the terrorist attack Progressive Complications, one might argue this third option is the true Turning Point: Ellie learns all hope is NOT in fact lost. A second, backup device has been under construction. It is funded privately, by a quirky Howard Hughes-type billionaire she met previously while trying to drum up money for her research. He was impressed with her then, and remains so. He wants her to take a ride in his secret alien space thingy.
How does thing work, exactly?
I will not push back much on this choice, either. But I like it better for the Crisis. When Dr. Arroway learns about this second machine, that sets up her Crisis: should she trust her life to this project that has gone on behind the scenes? Who knows who was involved building it? After all, this rich guy is a little nutty. She knows very little about him. Definitely not part of the government space in-crowd. This could get her killed.
As with so many Crisis points, though, there is really not much of a decision to be made. We know she will go.
As an aside, my SHEG (Super Hardcore Editing Group - inspired by this Story Grid blog post) writing group was discussing this aspect of the Crisis recently. How important is it that we wonder/are unsure what choice the character will make? Or do we okay with pretty much knowing what they will do, and want to get on with the action we know will follow the main character's choice? Something to ponder.
Anyway - back to our 5 C's. The Climax of this film occurs when Ellie survives the surreal transport to the alien meeting place, interacts with the alien(s), and returns home safely. Suffice to say, her mind is officially blown.
Which brings us to our Resolution. It's one of the best examples of a Win, But Lose ending I've ever seen. Ellie achieves her life goal of proving there is life on other planets. She is chosen to make first contact with them. She survives the very dangerous journey, and lives to tell about it.
But what does she tell? And who will believe her? Turns out the alien device which transported her to the confab did some wonky stuff with time. To the scientists monitoring her progress on Earth, Ellie did not appear to have traveled anywhere. The machine seemed to have failed. When Ellie tries to explain what she experienced, yet again she is written off as a kook.
Thankfully we are shown enough of a conversation among the government wonks that indicates they know full well SOMETHING happened to support Ellie's claims. But for the usual government conspiracy reasons, they choose to stay mum about it.
Also in prime Story Grid fashion, even though the external arc is something of a downer, Ellie's internal arc ends more positively. Earlier in the story, her paths cross again with the charismatic stranger from her one night stand. He is now a well-known spiritual adviser and becomes involved in the project to make contact. Although she doesn't share his religious beliefs, she now better understands why people choose to believe in something that is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. He supports her; believes her. She's had a rough go, so this means the world.
If you haven't seen Contact, I highly recommend. Next time we will apply the 5Cs to a specific scene in the film. Top consideration now is the scene where Ellie discovers the alien signal. Stay tuned to see if that's the one I stick with. There are so many good ones to choose from.
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The Universe has aligned to steer me in a direction. When the Universe calls, I answer.
The two events that have aligned are as follows: 1) I just finished reading our local library's January book club selection, and thoroughly enjoyed, The Current by Tim Johnston; and 2) I discovered a writing craft-centric reading challenge at one of my favorite writing resources, Gabriela Pereira's DIY MFA website.
As a dyed-in-the-wool autodidact, I purchased the DIY MFA book several years ago. One of its #protips, if you will, is absorbing information with intent. This means when you are consuming information, regardless of whether you are reading, or listening, or viewing, be aware not only of the surface entertainment value, but also the behind-the-scenes structure. What is the point of view? What archetype best describes this character? When does the story transition from the second act to the third? How is the author creating likability for the protagonist? and so forth.
I know what you're thinking. Doesn't this make reading/viewing/listening more like work? I suppose some may feel that way. But not me! Reading between the lines, peeking behind the curtain, enhances the experience for me.
If you are not of my tribe, this would be a good time to stop reading this post and move on to something more to your taste. No hard feelings.
But if you do enjoy improving your writing craft skills, and, as the old gum commercial used to say, doubling your pleasure and fun, the #WriterIgniter #ReadingChallenge might be for you.
I'll let Ms. Pereira explain how it works and direct you to her website at the above link for the details. Super easy to sign up. The gist is, you choose a book to read. Using the prompts she metes out to us, you analyze the book, reading with intent. The idea is to come away with an enhanced understanding of the craft by analyzing what other writers are doing.
Pereira also suggests keeping challenge notes. I've decided to use my blog, specifically this blog post, to track my progress on the challenge. I'll update it as necessary as we work through the various challenge prompts, and alert you to updates via my Twitter feed.
The first prompt in this challenge is to select a book. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I've chosen The Currentby Tim Johnston. It's not exactly in my current genre. But before I knew about this challenge, I had already decided I wanted to go back through it for two very specific reasons.
I loved what he did with point of view. I'm still writing from a single point of view in my current WIP, but in my next book, I want to put on some Big Girl Writing Panties and try multiple POV.
I also want to up my description game. I felt Johnston did an admiral job of adding just the right amount of detail, in the appropriate voice of the character. What he chose to describe, and how he described it, impressed the heck outta me. Not a single cliche in the book.
If you're participating in this challenge, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Which book did you choose, and why? In the meantime, stay tuned for my next update here. The second prompt in this challenge is about analyzing the protagonist.
This prompt encourages us to not only determine which character is the protagonist, but to analyze their role and classify them as one of the above character types based on their wants and needs in the story. I encourage you to listen to the details on how to do this. It's very thought-provoking.
Let me digress for a moment to mention that the challenge-within-a-challenge here is to discuss the process without spoilers. So pardon me if I seem like I'm tap dancing in this segment. I really enjoyed this book, and I don't want to spoil anything for you if you decide to read it.
Anyway -
Identifying the protagonist in The Currentwas an interesting process. Often we assume the point of view character is the protagonist. But what if, as in this book, the author uses several POV characters? Uh-oh! I had several to choose from, but eventually went with the one the story started and ended with.
My choice of protagonist did not fit neatly into one of the four categories in the above graphic. They were definitely Ordinary Joes/Janes. But they didn't so much want to Preserve or Change their current status as wish away a horrific past event (and to make matters more complex, it wasn't even the same event for many of them!) and go back to happier times. I guess you could say several of them would like to Change their present circumstances in such a way that it would Preserve those happy times?
But because that is not one of my choices in said box above, I will go with Change. That results in identifying the protagonist as an Underdog.
UPDATE: I heard from Gabriela about this conundrum via Twitter, and she views a situation where a character wants things to go back to the way they were before as more of a Preserve situation. So that would put the protagonist I've identified in The Current as a Survivor rather than an Underdog.
Good stories set up early. ideally, authors should make five promises to the reader very near the beginning of the story.
Who are we meant to root for? This is a tough question for me because as I mentioned in Prompt 1, there are several different characters' points of view throughout, and I was rooting for all of them whenever it was their turn on stage. Because the plot intertwines two different story lines with two different protagonists, I am having a hard time choosing an answer here.
What is the narrative voice? The narrative voices rotate among several different characters within the story, as opposed to having an omniscient narrator outside of the story. All are relateable and sympathetic, each in their own way.
What world is the story set in? The setting is present day. Because it is a mystery, it's a combination of a procedural and rural upper Midwest. Think Fargo, without the wood chipper.
What is the problem facing the protagonist? We have a relatively banal problem that kicks off the story and leads us to a life-changing problem soon afterward. Very Butterfly Effect.
Where does the story begin, and why do you think the author chose to start it there? The story begins by showing us the evolution of a relationship between two college students. To be honest, I don't know why the author chose to start there. It would've been tempting to start with one of the more jolting events that occur later in the story. I need to go back and re-read this to see if I can come up with a better answer. I'm not saying I was bored by it, because it did hold my interest. But in contrast to the events that followed, it's pretty tame in comparison.
The Character Compass is a handy visual analytic. It reminds me of the Story Grid spreadsheet; specifically, the value shift columns. When you learn how to use tools like these, they can show you very specifically and objectively how a sorta squishy, nebulous component of story can be quantified and analyzed. Gosh, my Left Brain loves this stuff!
Specifically, the Character Compass can show you if you're leaning on a particular tool or strategy to get your point across, when you could be using some different methods to keep things fresh. Using this charting method, you can indicate which of the four methods is being used to show us what's important to know about the POV character. Click on the Prompt #4 link above to hear the full explanation of the chart and how to use it.
Behold the fabulousness that is Rocketbook
In the true spirit of DIY, this is my hand-drawn Character Compass for two different scenes from The Current. #1 on the top is a scene from the sheriff character's POV. The second one is from a different character's POV, that of a widow. I've placed the dots to show that Action is relied upon to tell the reader what the sheriff is thinking in that particular scene. And in the widow's scene, there is very little dialog or action or description of her appearance. It's mostly her thoughts that clue us in.
It's obvious from the two very different shapes created by the placement of the dots on the axes that two different methods are being used by the author. THIS IS COOL, PEOPLE. Because I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts, if we charted every sheriff scene from The Current, it would look very similar to my #1 up there. And if we charted all the widow scenes, same. So what this means is, not only are we now able to read a story and say, Aha! i see what you did there! We also now have another clearly defined tool for differentiating multiple points of views in our own work.
This prompt requires us to identify an event that sets the story in motion, and from which there is no turning back. It's hard to discuss this prompt without spoiling the book for you, but I'll try. The character I've identified as the main protagonist gets a ride home from college with a friend. Something happens during this journey that I consider the inciting incident, and I'll stop there to avoid spoilers.
We are asked to identify five of the various types of character archetypes if they are present in our story. They are as follows:
The Villain - in a thriller like The Current, the villain is usually pretty easy to identify. No spoilers, but that is certainly the case here. In fact, I think there might be two antagonistic forces. One is human; the other is the Upper Midwest in winter. Brrrrr!!!
The Love Interest - there is no love interest or romantic subplot, for the protagonist anyway, in this story.
The Sidekick - there is a sidekick of sorts, although it is not in the traditional sense. If you've read The Current and would like to discuss further, please leave a comment so any spoilers won't be in the main body of this post.
The Mentor - I don't think it will be spoiling much if I say I consider the protagonist's father as the Mentor archetype in this story.
The Fool - This is a tough one. The challenge says this character serves to tell the protagonist information they need to hear, but perhaps don't want to hear. I'm tempted to say the same character I think of as the Sidekick sometimes serves as the Fool as well. I need to give this some more thought.
This is an interesting take on the midpoint. I'm more used to focusing on the so-called 'midpoint shift', where the protagonist transforms from reactive to proactive. This aligns with my strong interest in external action plots like thrillers. But the challenge is presenting this middle moment as more of an internal shift, where the character realizes they need to make some changes in their outlook as well as their behavior.
I think the midpoint shift in The Current is when something happens, I won't say what exactly to adhere to my No Spoilers policy, and the protagonist realizes they have to take matters into their own hands. I'm curious to check and see where this event lands physically within the book. I'll get back to you on that.
UPDATE: The event I've selected as the protagonist's realization happens in pages 130-140. The book is about 400 pages. So this even occurs a little before the mathematical middle of the book. However. At page 141, we have a new chapter with a different character's POV. We don't get back to the protagonist for some time, so that when they do start to show us their change in approach, it is closer to the literal midpoint of the book.
This prompt is my favorite so far. It's a meaty and meaningful discourse on the role of theme, and how various thematic elements support the theme throughout the story.
The external arc of The Current is a whodunit, so for the external theme, I'm going with 'good triumphs over evil'. And yes, I'm aware some of you might consider that to be a spoiler. Apologies.
The challenge asks us to select one of the thematic elements and demonstrate how it supports the theme within the story. Two different thematic elements stand out in my mind. One is nature, since the story is set in the upper midwest in the winter. Another is the use of what you might call supernatural elements. Various characters describe, or are shown experiencing, hard-to-define, almost metaphysical events that allow them to think or perform beyond their natural abilities. I don't mean they turn into Superman or anything. It's more like when you are having trouble with a plot point, so you go for a walk or take a shower or brush your teeth and boom! the solution just comes to you in a light bulb moment.
It's hard to describe without spoiling anything.
But I think it ties in perfectly with the 'good triumphs over evil' theme, because these events only happen to the 'good' people in the story, and leads them toward various positive outcomes in both the internal and external arcs. One example: the protagonist recalls a key detail during one of their visions, if you will, that impacts the investigation. In another example, a secondary character (also 'good') follows their gut, seemingly without any other concrete information or motivation, and performs a simple act that has a very profound impact on the fate of the antagonist.
In this prompt, we are asked to focus on the ending and identify some key features. In The Current, the protagonist experiences a second life-threatening situation as they deal with two different antagonists.
The challenge also requires us to look deeper into the ending and describe the outcome and its effect on the protagonist using this handy chart.
This is very tricky for me because I feel what the protagonist wants changes as the story progresses. I consider the ending bittersweet. So I would add a category here, or rather, I will ask Gabriela where she thinks a bittersweet ending fits into the above grid. Perhaps in the 'careful what you wish for' block. But the protagonist doesn't regret what they 'wished for'. Like many other characters in this story, and like many of us in real life, we regret the negative events that effect us and often wish they never happened. Does that qualify as one of the above quadrants?
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A version of this post originally appeared on my Listly account in 2016. Is Listly still a thing?
Texas and Norway may seem at odds in many ways. Weather, language, cuisine, are all on opposite ends of the spectrum. But if you do a little digging, you'll find they have more in common than you might think.
The two cultures blend well, once you think about it.
They're both instantly recognizable in their native costumes.
Their blue flowers put on quite a show in the springtime.
Both cultures enjoy an alternative to sliced bread.
Wherever the sun is shining, that's where they'll be.
The more flags, the better.
They both set aside one day of the week specifically for eating tacos.
They do love their caffeine.
An issue pondered by many in both countries: 'How will I spend my oil money?'
If you're on board with the concept of Texwegians, I hope you'll check out my book, The Dala Horse. Available in paperback, e-book, and audio formats from Amazon.
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Greetings and happy holidays to all! Last week, I did a macro analysis of the 1988 movie Scrooged, applying the 5 Commandments to the entire story arc. This time, I'm applying them to a single five minute scene: the Turning Point of the Ending Payoff.
In this scene, the Ebenezer Scrooge character known as Frank Cross is visited by the last of three ghosts who are attempting to show him the error of his selfish ways. One, in the form of an insolent cab driver, has shown him incidents from his own past that have shaped who he is today. A second ghost, an impudent and slightly deranged fairy, showed him situations from his present that he is unaware of, and that are the direct result of his thoughtless actions.
But this third ghost, yikes.
The Ghost of Christmas Future looms menacingly, garbed in a wardrobe from Grim Reapers R Us. Anguished souls are held captive beneath the folds of his flowing black robes. He has some less-than-glad tidings for our boy Frank. First, he shows Frank the fate of Frank's assistant's disabled young son, locked in a padded room presumably because Frank's demands on the boy's mother have reduced the amount of time she is able to spend with him. Frank is strangely silent, but appears taken aback.
Next, the ghost shows him a ladies lunch event that includes his old flame, Claire. In their youth, when they were young and in love, Claire was the soul of kindness and generosity. But in this vision, she has become callous; hardened. Frank is dismayed by the change in her, especially when she quotes Frank to her lunch friends and attributes her change in attitude to some advice he gave her long ago.
As an aside, whoever did Karen Allen's makeup in this scene did an excellent job of communicating 'harsh' with her look, especially as it contrasts with her fresh-faced earnestness in the rest of the film.
As hurtful as Claire's confession seems, it's the final vision that in my opinion is the turning point in this scene. The ghost brings Frank to a room we soon learn is a crematorium. The coffin about to enter the flames has Frank's name on it. Only two mourners are in attendance: Frank's brother James and James' wife. He soon finds himself trapped inside the coffin. As the flames lick at his expensive shoes, Frank has a realization that he doesn't want to die just yet; that he wants time to repent and do right. This realization leads Frank to his Crisis, Climax, and Resolution in fairly short order.
Coming up with a micro analysis for this movie was a challenge for me for a couple of reasons. One was more about logistics. I needed a scene that aligned with the 5 Commandments scenes I had identified in last week's post that was also available in a video snippet so I could post it for you here. As a last resort I would've just described the scene to you, but I like it better if you can have something to watch. Another challenge was more about the process of applying the 5 C's in micro in these scenes. For some reason, I have more trouble with the micro, or beats, I suppose, than with analyzing the big picture - especially when the components pile on to each other relatively quickly, as I feel they do in this scene.
Do you agree about these 5 C's? Is there another scene that illustrates them more clearly in micro? I look forward to your input.
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'Tis the season, so it should come as no surprise that I chose a holiday theme this month. My taste in holiday movies runs a little dark, so don't expect any Hallmark films here. It says a lot about me that last Christmas the hubs and I treated ourselves to a holiday screening of Die Hard at the fabulous Nickelodeon Theater in Columbia, SC. But that one's been done by the Story Grid folks. I've chosen another favorite: Scrooged, the 1988 remake of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Bill Murray.
If you don't feel like clicking away to my previous post to see what this Story Grid 5 Commandments stuff is all about, you can get the gist by reading the infographic on the 5 Commandments below.
Gentle reminder there are no right or wrong answers in this process. I encourage you to join the discussion by leaving your opinions in the comments - especially if you disagree! Heck, I even disagree with myself sometimes when I'm poring over this stuff.
To recap the film: since it's one of many remakes of the beloved classic, you are probably familiar with the basics, even if you haven't seen the film. We have the Scrooge character in the form of modern-day television bigwig Frank Cross, played by Murray. We have the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. We have the failed relationship of his youth, and the deceased business partner, and the charming Tiny Tim-esque young boy.
Frank Cross is a selfish, competitive jerk fighting tooth and nail to claw his way to the top of the corporate ladder. He has insisted on airing a live production of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve, even though this means many will have to work on the holiday to get it done.
During this hectic evening, Cross runs into his boss. Nothing unusual about that, except the boss had recently died of a heart attack. The ghost boss warns Frank the job is not worth sacrificing the chance for meaningful relationships. He also says three more ghosts will visit him that evening. Frank assumes he is hallucinating due to stress about the job and the show, and ignores this bizarre event - until the next ghost shows up.
The classic Christmas Carol plot unfolds. Frank is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who reminds him of a vaguely unhappy childhood; Christmas Present, who gives him insight into the lives of those close to him and how his actions affect them, and about which he has no clue until now; and Christmas Future, who scares the daylights out of him with the possibility of an unhappy end to a life filled with despair.
This final visitation convinces Frank he better get his act together. He does a complete 180 and to cement the deal, confesses his regrets to a viewing audience of thousands during the live production he has insisted occur on this night. No takebacks!
His heartfelt apologies help reunite him with his long lost love; initiate a closer relationship with his estranged brother; and even benefit the Tiny Tim character by inspiring him to speak aloud for the first time.
The cool thing about doing a remake of a classic is that you have a time-tested story structure with which to work. In this case, you even have three ghosts to align with the three act structure. I didn't have much trouble choosing my 5 C scenes this time. But I would love to hear if you have any alternatives, or if you think I've missed something.
Next time we'll do a micro of one of the scenes from Scrooged. In the meantime, if you haven't seen Scrooged, check it out. It's usually on TV somewhere this time of year.
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A version of this post originally appeared in 2015.
As National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) comes to a close, gird your loins for the usual flood of post mortem blog posts (like this one). You will see some of the same points made in many of them (like the ones following shortly). That's not to say they're not legitimate. They are - for first-time NaNo participants. They're dying to tell you how they learned how to crank out a respectable amount of words per day, whether they felt like it or not. I learned not to edit and just write, they'll say. But I think NaNo veterans will agree with me when I say these observations fall under the category of No News Here. Yes, I did learn those things the first time I did NaNo. My writing discipline improved as a result. But I hope like heck I'm not snared in a writer's version of Groundhog Day, limited to learning the same stuff over and over. I like to think I come away with something new each time I participate.
Something else in the No News Here category: I am not great when it comes to planning ahead. This year I had grand intentions of using my Scrivener app to have my new novel all outlined and plotted and charted and ready to go, and all I had to do was fill in the blanks scene by scene. But I fiddle-farted around until it was almost too late, and didn't finish my outline before November 1. This was not the end of the world, especially since I still don't know exactly how the story will wind up. Let's just say it's like motor oil: in a fluid state, very much subject to change.
Okay, so now you know what I didn't learn. Here's what I did learn.
As I mentioned, I became even more comfortable with Scrivener. I learned how to use the Label function for categorizing and the Corkboard for storyboarding. I used the split screen feature extensively, viewing my notes in one screen while composing in the other. I used the Inline Annotation feature to boost word count by letting notes to myself stay within the manuscript, but in such a way that is easy to spot and relocate when the time comes. I learned Scrivener has a Name Generator feature, which is pretty cool. Overall, I am really loving Scrivener. It's around $40, but they run a special during NaNo. I think I saw it was $25. Wish I had known this last year and I would've waited until November to buy it. I paid full price.
I have blogged previously about my Story Forge cards. I used the heck out of them this NaNo. Whenever I got stuck, out came the cards and I did a spread, usually a character backstory, which stimulated some very productive ruminations. The cards are $20 plus shipping, but they were worth every penny this NaNo.
Speaking of which, this year is the first time I really gave much thought to character backstories. Thanks to the marriage of my stream-of-consciousness ramblings with the ideas suggested by the Story Forge spreads, I now have fully-formed backgrounds supporting all of my characters that informs their actions in what I think is a believable way. I feel I know them better. And knowing them better suggests all sorts of interesting plot twists and shadings and nuance that I may not have otherwise.
I don't do NaNo with the expectation of having a near-perfect project by December 1, which I edit and publish by the end of the year (the same year). Instead, I expect to have at least 50,000 words of hot mess that is the massive, shapeless mound of mashed potatoes from which I will sculpt my Devil's Tower (Close Encounters fans will get this. Others, that's what Google is for). I estimate around half of my 50,000+ word hot mess (and yes, I did finish, first time ahead of schedule, note blue badge of courage proudly displayed at upper right) is stream-of-consciousness stuff: me talking to myself about the story; spit-balling; spelling out various scenarios; why they have potential; why this might work but that probably won't; the pros and cons of adding or changing characters; tinkering with the setting; and so forth. Most of this material will be shifted to Notes and Research and other support folders and mercifully will not show up verbatim in my novel. I don't consider this cheating, or filler, and here's why: it's time and word count spent focused on the project and has a direct and productive connection to the finished product. Since this is a YA story, I estimate I am 60-70% finished with the first draft. Not bad for only 30 days' worth of my time.
There is one more observation I have on NaNoWriMo: this is the first time I've participated that I don't feel drained and exhausted and completely turned off by the thought of returning to my project any time soon. I can't explain it. Maybe because I've converted to self-publishing, and I know publication is definitely going to happen. Maybe because Scrivener really makes the mechanics of writing and publishing a breeze. I really don't know why. But I'm really looking forward to seeing it through.
Note: I have no affiliation with any products mentioned here. I just enjoy using them.
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based on the Story Grid series of blog posts, books, and podcasts by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl.
Welcome back to my continuation of applying the Story Grid method of story structure analysis to one of my favorite stories: the 1997 sci-fi/action film Men in Black.
Last week's post applied the Story Grid's 5 Commandments to the entire, or global, story of the film. This week, I'm zooming in to the micro level and applying these same principles to a single scene.
The 5 Commandments are a handy tool to guide storytelling and help ensure you're writing a scene/story that works. Here's my introductory post on Story Grid principles. Or, you can get the gist by reading this post and the accompanying infographic.
The scene I've chosen for the micro analysis is also one of the global 5 Commandments scenes from last week's post: the Crisis, wherein the hero is presented with various options and must make a choice that determines the path of the rest of the story. Note that a scene can serve as one of the 5 C's at multiple levels: global, sequence, scene, and even beat.
A video is worth a million words, so check out the scene here:
So great, amirite? Still a classic, after all these years.
Before I get into the analysis, a word about process: previously, I mentioned that when I'm stumped on how to start applying these guideposts to a story, I start with the Climax and work backwards from there. I suggest this because often the Climax is the Wow! moment and is therefore easier to identify. However, in this scene, I think the Turning Point is the Wow! moment. In my former life in the tennis biz, this is where we would say that I'm coachable.
Anyway - here's my breakdown (and I'm stickin' to it - maybe):
And can I just say, there's such a great set-up in this scene to reinforce Will Smith's character's worldview. Will Smith's character, along with a few other guys, has just undergone a series of tests to see if they have "the right stuff", to borrow from another space-themed story, to join the Men in Black. We get the very clear sense that Smith's character, Edwards, is definitely a long shot for passing this test. All the other recruits are in some kind of military uniform. All are taking this process very seriously. Edwards is dressed much more casually and has a few awkward moments before they complete their evaluation and are ushered out. It's clear Edwards has been underwhelmed by the experience so far.
Inciting Incident: In addition to his long shot status, Edwards himself is certain this has been a huge waste of time. He's ready to get back to catching criminals in his real job at the NYPD. But as he's leaving with the others, Agent K intercepts him. They converse briefly. Edwards makes it clear he thinks they're all nuts, and he's not interested.
Turning Point/Progressive Complication: Agent K takes the news with equanimity and asks Edwards if he'd like any coffee. Edwards refuses, but waits patiently as K stops into the break room. Edwards overhears a casual conversation between K and whoever else is in the break room. He's a few steps behind K, so as he catches up so that he now has a clear view into the break room, what he sees there completely rocks his world. The conversation is occurring not between humans, as any reasonable person would assume, but between Agent K and a handful of worm-like creatures helping themselves to the coffee. These creatures are the furthest from anything remotely human-looking. There is no question they are alien in every sense of the term. And just like that, Edwards realizes everything Agent K has told him is likely 100% true, and everything Edwards used to know about life as a human being on planet Earth has just been completely upended.
Crisis: I've seen this movie dozens of times, but I still get a kick out of the look on Will Smith's face when he's trying to process just exactly what he's seeing with his own eyes. His Crisis: do I believe what I'm seeing, therefore validating everything Agent K has said and up until five seconds ago I thought was complete horse manure, or try to rationalize this as some kind of hallucination or elaborate parlor trick or con, and retain some semblance of my sanity?
Climax: We don't see Edwards make his decision until a few moments later, in a different setting. Spoiler alert: he joints the MiB and becomes Agent J.
Resolution: Agent J has a steep learning curve during his first day as an Man in Black. But he makes that suit look goooood.
Remember, my opinion is only that. You may have a completely different viewpoint on some of these. For example, one might argue the Progressive Complication is from Agent K's perspective, when he realizes Edwards is leaning away from joining their merry band, and decides he needs to do something to convince a valuable prospect to join the MiB.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on where the 5C's of this scene are - especially if you disagree with me!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll take a minute to subscribe to my blog (the subscribe box is near the top of the right sidebar). Oh, and p.s. this post includes affiliate links.
Recently I blogged about the Story Grid method of analyzing and understanding story structure. I plan on applying this method to some of my favorite books and films and posting them here about once a month. I'll do a macro first, and follow up by applying the same method to a single scene. My kids reminded me how much we all enjoy the original 1997 film Men In Black, so that's what I'm choosing to analyze this time.
If you don't feel like clicking away to my previous post to see what this is all about, you can get the gist by reading the infographic on the 5 Commandments below.
Gentle reminder there are no right or wrong answers in this process. I encourage you to join the discussion by leaving your opinions in the comments - especially if you disagree! Heck, I even disagree with myself sometimes when I'm poring over this stuff.
To recap the film: In pursuit of a rather unusual perpetrator, a New York City policemen discovers a secret world of law enforcement exists to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Initially, Officer Edwards is skeptical. But when the secret group, known as the Men In Black, convince him that aliens are real, he decides saving the world is more important than anything he's got going on in his daily life. He and his mentor, Agent K, embark on a mission to track down the current alien threat and prevent the destruction of the planet.
The scenes I have settled on above were not my first choices. I usually like to identify the climax scene and work backwards from there. One might argue I sorta cheated with the very nebulous and general description of what I consider the climax of the film. My description basically includes every scene from the end of the beginning hook to the end of the film.
It was tempting to choose the literal climax scene of the film when Agents K and J defeat the hideous giant alien cockroach. And reverse-engineering the other three commandment scenes preceding the climax, one could also argue they happen later in the film, after Officer Edwards opts into the MiB. So for example the Inciting Incident might be when the alien crash-lands at the Maine farm; and the Turning Point/Complication could be when the MiB discover the cockroach alien has killed an important member of another alien species that could spark an intergalactic war.
But when I decided the Inciting Incident was when Officer Edwards runs down the alien perp, the other scenes were less dependent on the external story and moreso on his internal arc. That's my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it.
Oh, and if you haven't seen Men in Black, I strongly encourage you to check it out. It's filled with many storytelling gems ripe for ripping off/learning from. I'll discuss that more next time when I dissect a single scene for this exercise.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll take a minute to subscribe to my blog (the subscribe box is near the top of the right sidebar).Oh, and p.s. this post includes affiliate links.
based on the Story Grid series of blog posts, books, and podcasts by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl.
Welcome back to my continuation of applying the Story Grid method of story structure analysis to one of my favorite stories: the sci-fi/action/horror classic, Aliens.
Last week, I introduce the concept of Shawn Coyne's Story Grid in macro as it pertains to the entire, or global, story. I promised you a contrasting perspective this week, by applying that same method in a micro level to one of my favorite scenes from that film. We will see how it can be used at the smallest levels of story to help you analyze and troubleshoot your work.
I'll give a quick overview of the Story Grid approach here (if you want more details, check out last week's blog, or go strait to the source at storygrid.com). Stories that work typically have a solid structural foundation consisting of five fundamental components: the Inciting Incident, one or more Progressive Complications, one of which forces a Turning Point; the Crisis; the Climax; and the Resolution. See the infographic below for details on what these terms mean in the Story Grid universe.
The scene I've selected for this micro dive is one of the scenes I singled out last week as one of the 5 Commandments in the global story: the Crisis.
There's so much to love about this scene - where do I begin? Bill Paxton's panicked Private Hudson; Michael Biehn's resigned, ticked off, Corporal Hicks; and of course our fearless leader, Ellen Ripley not mincing words when she sets slimeball Burke straight about what's going to happen next. Click here to watch the two minute scene. It's glorious.
Just to recap: the elite military force sent to investigate mysterious problems on The Company's terraforming planet has just been decimated in their first encounter with the aliens. They are dumbfounded by this turn of events, to say the least. The survivors have retreated to the safety one of their fancy military vehicles to discuss what action to take next, since their original plan to show up, kick ass, and take names, has failed so spectacularly. Ripley and the remaining soldiers want to exterminate the aliens by any means possible, including destroying the terraforming facility from space using nuclear weapons. But Burke, who works for The Company, objects on the grounds they have much invested in this facility, and he urges them to consider other options. But they outnumber him physically, point out that technically he is not in charge, and decide to proceed with their plan to destroy the entire facility.
I chose this scene as a Crisis scene (in the Story Grid sense) at the global level because events force the characters to regroup and make a new plan of action. They each suggest options, laying out the various choices quickly and concisely.
Identifying important scenes from the 30,000 foot level may seem pretty straightforward (even though it's not, IMO). But what about the 3000 foot, or the 30 foot? It's tempting to feel like you're in a forest-for-the-trees situation. The trick is to view the smaller chunk as the entire story.
My other handy tip to help identify these components is to identify the most important/obvious one first, and work from there. For me, this is usually the Climax. Some find the Turning Point more obvious. Basically identify which Commandment hill you are willing to die on, and work from there.
Here's how I identify the 5 Commandments in this scene.
Inciting Incident: the expedition discovers the missing colonists deep within the aliens' lair.
Turning Point/Progressive Complication: many of the military force are killed, including their leader.
Crisis: several characters suggest their idea of a Plan B. Some are already thinking about what weapons they still have available and how they can be used. One suggests just leaving. One suggests a literal Nuclear Option. One argues for an option that would minimize the damage to the expensive terraforming facility.
Climax: all but one agree they should employ the maximum force necessary - "it's the only way to be sure".
Resolution: the group quickly prepares to take action on this new plan.
As I mentioned last time, and will mention every time when blogging about the Story Grid 5C's: even though they're referred to as 'commandments', they are definitely not written in stone. I'd love to hear your thoughts on where the 5C's of this scene are - especially if you disagree with me!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll take a minute to subscribe to my blog (the subscribe box is near the top of the right sidebar).Oh, and p.s. this post includes affiliate links.
