TECH: Save the Cat! Strikes Back! (part 1)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting December 12, 2014

This is the third in the Save the Cat series by Blake Snyder – I skipped the Goes to the Movies second volume. In any case, I'm taking my time reading through, and I'll share my notes with you. Personally, I recommend getting the book and reading it yourself, but... Here's what I found interesting.

Blake starts off with an introduction where he talks about why being creative means trouble. And not just being slightly out of step with everybody around you, you're likely to have your story rejected, be a flop, and start thinking, "I'm no good at this!" His recommended response -- fix it. Get back up and strike back! As he says, getting in trouble is good! So let's do it!

Now in chapter 1, Blake talks about bad ideas. In fact, he starts off with his own story, about a time when he was sure he knew what to do without going through any of his process. And what a disaster that was! Now, he starts off by suggesting seven warning signs that you've got a bad idea! See if you have any of these symptoms:

1. Are you afraid of telling anybody about it?
2. Are you afraid it might be stolen?
3. Are you afraid that talking about it out loud will spoil the "magic?"
4. Are you afraid that if you don't write it fast, you'll lose it?
5. Is there a lack of basic logic? Are there gaping holes in the logic?
6. Do you have lots of great scenes, but no story?
7. Have you checked whether anyone has ever done it before?

Blake recommends that we beware of the smell of the rain on the road at dawn – that elusive feeling that I've got something, but I can't really put it in words?

You need both a pitch and a log line. The pitch is the sales side of the world. The elevator pitch to get someone interested. The log line is the sketch of the story to tell them what it is they just bought.

Log lines that have trouble usually fall into one of three categories: too plain, too complicated, or hiding the ball. Too plain is just like so many before. Too complicated means it's beyond us. And hiding the ball – sometimes we don't want to tell anybody what the story is, because it's a secret.

Good log lines have a protagonist, antagonist, conflict, and an open-ended question. They also include irony, a mental picture, the audience and cost, and a great title.

Blake provides a couple of templates, along with examples of filling them out, for us to consider. First, the basic template is

On the verge of a (Stasis = Death moment), a (flawed protagonist) (breaks into two), but when the (midpoint) happens, he/she must learn the (theme stated) before (all is lost).

Second, the expanded template is

On the verge of a (Stasis = Death moment), a (flawed protagonist) has a (catalyst) and (breaks into two) with the (B story), but when the (midpoint) happens, he/she must learn the (theme stated) before (all is lost) to defeat the (flawed antagonist) from getting away with (the evil plan).

Now, we started off with signs of a bad idea. However, Blake recommends that we turn it around and think about what would indicate a great idea! So he provides this list of seven signs that you've got a great idea:

The Seven Warning Signs I Might Have a Great Idea:

• I love talking about my story; I'm eager to share what I'm working on and get reaction to it.
• I have no fear my idea will be stolen! No one can tell this story like I can, and in fact someone I tell may give me an insight I didn't have before.
• I increase the magic when I say it out loud. It lets the world know I'm a writer with lots of great ideas.
• I can't “lose” an idea; it will only get better the more I work on it.
• I look for potential flaws in logic knowing they are an opportunity to make my story stronger.
• Even if someone wrote my story before, I can come up with a new twist that will make my version the best.
• I have a great story and that means I have great scenes — they serve my story, not detract from it!

All right? Blake stresses that we start by working on a logline, that one or two sentence statement of the core of our story. So...

Write!

TECH: Save the Cat! Strikes Back! (Part two)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting December 19, 2014

Again, this is from the third book by Blake Snyder. This is sort of a collection of his thoughts from teaching workshops based on his first book. So really, you need to get his first book, Save the Cat! And read that, then take a look at this book.

So chapter 2 starts out with the observation that sometimes you have to let go. Yes, you've got the greatest idea in the world... Except it isn't! And pretty often, if you let go of that idea, that's when you find the really good one. The one that was hiding behind that greatest idea in the world... And turns out to be really a good idea.

So work on more than one idea. Polish them up, get those pictures and loglines ready, and see what happens when you show them to people! Sure, the greatest idea in the world may not really work out. But that's when you trot out that other good idea...

And then, you can test your idea against Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet! 15 key scenes, ready for you to fill out your story. Basically,

Title, genre, date -- the heading material.
Act 1: opening image, theme, setup, catalyst, debate, break into two
Act 2a: the B story, fun and games, the midpoint,
Act 2b: the bad guys close in, all is lost, the dark night of the soul, and the break into three
Act 3: the finale, and the final image

You'll notice that I broke Act II into two parts. Blake Snyder does this so that if you are doing his board -- a corkboard with index cards -- there are four parts.

Now, you might look at that sequence and say what happened to the Stasis = Death moment from our template of the log line? Well, Blake indicates that it occurs between the setup and the catalyst. The whole point of these is change, that the protagonist is breaking out of life as it is and changing. That stasis equals death moment is where he's looking at the setup, life as it is, and seeing that staying there isn't going to work.

Blake also points out that some stories have a double bump! That's right, two catalysts, moments that push the protagonist to get out of that rut and get going.

Now, there is a section here that talks about the fact that it's easier to see your blind spot in someone else's story. This is why workshops and writing groups often seem to help us. We look at Joe's story and see the problems with his dialogue, and then we turn around and look at our story... And realize that we're doing exactly the same thing! Teaching ourselves by helping others... What a concept!

Blake also talks about some of the problems that happen when people are trying to grow an idea. For one thing, there's a tendency to go spidering. Instead of really growing this idea, what about that other idea, and maybe if I add some of this, and a little bit of that... Meanwhile, the original idea is kind of buried out of sight. Another problem that sometimes happens is what Blake calls half stepping. There's a great start, and then in mid-story, everything bogs down. There's a lot of little tiny stuff going on, but that great story somehow has been put on hold for ordinary life. Get back on the big story, stay on the high road. Finally, sometimes when we get started doing beat sheets, we seem blurry beats. What this means is we're telling the story, but it's too soft. Instead of a grand tale that excites everyone, we're pussyfooting around. Go ahead and be exciting!

All right? Now if you have your 15 beats, the next step is to grow it to 40. The 15 beats are the key ones, but to make a whole movie, or a whole story, you probably need some more scenes. And people worry about that. Well, Blake talks about his approach.

First of all, in Act I, we are starting with six scenes already. So we really only need for more scenes. The easy way to do this is to look at the setup first. And think about three parts, at home, at work, and at play -- HWP! Split out those three scenes. Then, in the debate section, revisit at least a couple of those. And there's the 10 scenes for Act I!

Next, in Act 2, part a, we've got the B story, fun and games, and the midpoint. Now the B story is often about the love interest, but it also includes mentors and sidekicks -- all the other people that the protagonist may need or meet. Fun and games is usually about how the protagonist adapts to this brand-new world, and all these new people. So, mix it up. Have a B story about meeting the love interest and fun and games scene about adapting to the lover, then a B story about a mentor, and a fun and games scene about adapting to the mentor, and then... How many scenes did you need?

Next, in Act 2, part b, we have the bad guys closing in. This can also be an external and an internal version! So, work those scenes in. The bad guys outside the door, and inside the protagonist's head, things are falling apart there, too.

Finally, in act three, the finale sometimes can be in several steps. Instead of one great crashing scene, let the protagonist work through things.

The key here really is to take that basic structure, the 15 beats, and make it yours, expanding and growing it so that you've got the scenes you need to tell your story.

Next, on the individual scenes, Blake says that part of the key here is making sure that each scene has an emotional shift and a conflict. Especially during planning, you may not be sure of exactly what the emotional shift for a scene is. But you should at least indicate whether it is a plus or minus, are things getting better or worse? Second, the conflict for a scene can be difficult. After all, this scene might just be there to get some information across, right? Well, Blake suggest you consider forced conflict. Having a drunk interrupt the business meeting, or maybe a pet insists on being taken care of -- add a conflict!

Blake ends this chapter with three problems that he occasionally runs into it teaching the class. First of all, the person who says, "This happened to me." Yes, but reality is not fiction. We need to make a story, and unfortunately, just because it happened exactly that way doesn't mean it's a good story. And sometimes letting go of the reality is hard. It might be easier to use something that's all made up. Second, copying. Again, just because someone else told the story doesn't mean it's a good story. It may be easier to make up your own. It will certainly be more original. Third and final, Blake points out that fantasy worlds are not plots. I think what he means is settings are not enough! For example, just because you have this exotic, lush wonderful background all worked out doesn't mean you have a story. The protagonist wandering around bumping into all your world building wonders is not a story.

Okay? So Chapter 2 is really about how to take a story from the initial seed, the pitch and the logline, and grow it into essential beats and then a full storyboard. Whoosh! Two chapters, and we have an outline of our story?

Write!

EXER: The Never-Ending Challenge

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting December 30, 2014

As a member of this list, as a writer, every day, every week, every month, you face choices. It is a challenge that never stops.

On the one side are the easy outs, the dismissals and claims that don't require you to do anything. On the other side, ah, now, you have to step up and make choices, think it through, and do things. But I'll tell you, it's a lot more fun, more satisfying to the soul, more fulfilling than those evasions are or ever will be. Even if it is harder.

What choices? Well, in The Oz Principle, they catalog them this way. Let's start with a simple refusal to see what is there. Ignore it or deny it. "Nothing is wrong," proclaims the ostrich, with his head in the sand, fingers in his ears, eyes carefully turned away or closed to avoid noticing what is right in front of them. What's the other choice? See it. Look around, pay attention, and notice what is going on, what sits there in the middle of the floor.

The next set, I think, comes in various flavors. It's not my job, it's his fault (a.k.a. finger-pointing) and the favorite way out, I gotta cover my derriere. These are all ways to avoid taking responsibility. Incidentally, in large groups, we also have the wonderful dodge of saying, "Oh, someone else will do it." It's one of the better modern renditions of this refusal to accept responsibility. The other choice is simple. Own the issue. Take responsibility for it. Even if someone else spilled the milk, started the fire, or whatever -- you can take responsibility now.

Third, we come to confusion, tell me what to do, I don't have training for this, I don't have a license, or whatever else allows me to say, "I don't know what to do, so I don't have to do anything." The answer to this one is simply to solve it. Think about whatever you can do, and see what answers may be out there. Don't stop with one, keep going until you have several, and pick the best one you can.

Finally, and this is where all the other dodges also come along, we get to toss in the dreaded "let's wait and see, maybe it will take care of itself." You see, the final step, having seen the problem, taken ownership of it, and worked through possible ways to solve it, is to do it. Do something! Take action, knowing that you may have to pay the consequences, but -- do it!

So, your challenge, today, tomorrow, and next week, is first to recognize, to see what problems face us. Then choose to make it your problem. Not someone else's, yours. Now think of the ways to solve it. And then, do it.

Here on this list, write that SUB, do that CRIT, dream up that EXER -- or do one of the many, join in a passing INT, tell us all about that TECHnique, or whatever. See it, own it, solve it, do it.

Four steps to meet the challenge. And WIN!

Write!<