TECH: Truby’s 22 Steps, 12-15

[mbarker]

Original posting 2022/3/7

A few more steps from https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

12. Drive
The way that I think about this is a football drive. Which are the plays that the protagonist is going to ‘call’ in order to achieve their goal?

My comment: Aha! Now we're laying out the middle. These are the steps that the protagonist plans to take, what they expect to have happen on the way to that goal. I suppose these might also be the try-fail cycles (remember those?), where the protagonist tries to do something, and... yes-but, no-and hits. Yes, they succeed, but in succeeding, learn about a new challenge, or no, they fail, and in failing, learn about more problems.

13. Attack by ally
The hero of our story is never perfect, otherwise, what would be the point of the story?
The attack by an ally is the moment when the protagonist begins to diverge from their moral compass and gets called out by a true ally. This can result in a schism between the protagonist and the ally (because no one likes a goody-two-shoes). This attack also gives the story a deeper conflict, where the protagonist must decide whether or not to follow a moral path.

My comment: One of those problems along the way! The faults and failures of the protagonist get called out by an ally! And what does the protagonist do?

14. Apparent defeat
All hope is lost and the protagonist is about to give up in the pursuit of their desire. This is the lowest point in the story and the reader might be uncertain if the protagonist will succumb to the opponent, or rally and succeed.

My comment: The dark valley, the black hole in the middle of the story? This also sounds like some of the other plot structures I've seen. 

15. Second revelation and decision: Obsessive drive, changed desire and motive
Yay, the protagonist rallied! Perhaps with a changed perspective on their desire or a different goal, the protagonist continues in their pursuit.

There can also be an ‘apparent victory’ for the protagonist at this point. However, the stakes will be raised even higher when the ‘apparent victory’ dissipates.

My comment: And the protagonist bounces back! Keep going, and raising those stakes. So, it feels to me as if that drive step is really where we take the plan from step 10 and really lay out what's going to happen. Then we have some major plot points to hit, the attack by an ally, the defeat, and the second revelation/decision. So we're filling in the middle, step by step.

As usual, you might consider applying these steps to a work in progress.

Write? 

TECH: Truby’s 22 Steps, 16-18

[mbarker]

Original posting 2022/3/8

One more time! More revelations, and a really big problem. https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

16. Audience revelation
At this moment, the audience is privy to crucial information before the protagonist.
This is when the audience sees something that the hero doesn’t and learns a vital piece of information. This gives the audience a clearer picture of the stakes and the power of the opponent. In addition, it also heightens the tension of the story.

My comment: Maybe a hidden twist? Something that the audience can see, but our poor battered hero can't? Oh, no, will they realize that in time?

17. Third revelation and decision
The protagonist is given all the facts that are crucial to the story (like the true identity of the opposition or whatever the audience learned before the protagonist), and the actions they’ll have to perform in order to achieve their desire. This information usually emboldens the protagonist and gives them an extra motivation to reach their goal.

My comment: Gotcha! Now the protagonist knows what they have to do, and what it's going to take. So... grit your teeth, and let's do it!

18. Gate, gauntlet, visit to death
The highest moment of tension before the final showdown between the hero and the opponent.
Visit to Death: Can be psychological, and might appear at an earlier moment in the story (perhaps in the apparent defeat).

My comment: The blackest moment of all! 

So, in these three, the stage is being set, and we're really watching the protagonist wrestle with what they have to do. Will they do it?

Go ahead, see if you have these steps in your work in progress. Do you need them?

Write! 

TECH: Truby’s 22 Steps, 19-22

[mbarker]

Original posting 2022/3/9

And the last of the bunch! Climax (or battle), what does it mean?, what am I going to do now? and where are we now? All from  https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

19. Battle
During the battle, the goals of the protagonist and the opponent should be crystal clear. There should be no confusion about what each side is fighting for. The story’s plot and subplots usually converge of this point. The winner of the battle achieves their goal.

My comment: The climax, the face-off between the hero and the villian, the final showdown. This is where the whole plot has been aiming, now make it come alive!

20. Self-revelation
The moment after the battle where the protagonist comes to a deeper understanding of their self and what they fought for and perhaps won. The revelation should be meaningful and life-altering. Show, don’t tell, what the protagonist learned/understood. The revelation can be moral and/or psychological.
At the same time, and usually surprising the audience, the opponent can have a change of heart through the protagonist’s revelation.

My comment: Okay, so here the protagonist sees what they have done to themselves, and what they have done, in this story. Final revelation, as the battle fades away...

21. Moral decision
The moral decision is the course of action that the protagonist will take once the self-revelation happens. The protagonist, if that’s the route they’re going for, can even choose to dismiss the moral and/or psychological revelations. It is through the moral decision that the audience learns what the protagonist is truly ‘made of.’

My comment: Now that the hero knows themselves, what are they going to do? What are they planning to do with the rest of their life?

22. New equilibrium
The new stasis in the story world. The ‘new normal’ the protagonist lives in once the goal has been achieved or lost.
 
My comment: And what about the world around them? Has it changed? What happens to it in the aftermath of that battle?

So, we have the battle, and the results of that, both for the protagonist now and in the future, and for the world around them. 

It's interesting that these 22 steps really don't say much about the plot. There's a lot of reflection on the character, the setting or world, and so forth, and on how the revelations of the story affect the character.

Go ahead. Make Truby's steps your own! Take your work in progress, and see how these steps fit your work. Make some notes about the things that don't quite fit, too. And think about whether you want to incorporate some of these steps in your process, your outlining, or whatever.

Write? 

EXERCISE: One line starter?

[mbarker]

Original posting 2022/3/10

What the heck, we haven't done these in a while. The idea is simple. I'll toss out a single line prompt, and... you get to write about it. Some folks will take it as the first line, and continue from there. Others may prefer to embed the prompt in a context, perhaps writing a scene around it. And, naturally, some will simply work the essence of the prompt into their piece, preferring to hint obliquely or even quite blatantly at the idea of the prompt. Basically, feel free to use (or abuse) the prompt any way that suits you, but do try to do a little brainstorming or a little writing with it. So, with that lengthy discussion out of the way, let's see what we might start with today? Oh, how about a classic sort of start?

Once upon a time, there was a gingerbread house in the forest.

There you go! Now, add some characters (yes, you may add children, a witch, elves, or whatever you like), and tell us what happens in that gingerbread house...

Write?