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writercises Original Posting Jan. 18, 2019
Okay. This is from Super Structure by James Scott Bell. So far, in part one, he has suggested
Death: physical, professional, or psychological? What are the stakes?
Brainstorming to get started...
Keep the creative fires going while you write
Use scenes, the building blocks of fiction. Objective, opposition, outcome, and a twist?
Write with emotions engaged!
Now, in part two, he’s going to talk about each of the fourteen signposts. He starts by reminding us that this is intended to help, not force us. So, first, keep your eyes open for the five “tent poles” of structure: Disturbance, Doorway of no return #1, mirror moment, doorway of no return #2, and final battle. Heck, stop a minute and think. Something sets the story in motion, something upsets the apple cart... that’s disturbance! The first doorway of no return? Well, the protagonist has to get engaged and decide to do something about it, right? Yes, that’s the first doorway of no return, setting out on that voyage! Mirror moment? Ah... at some point, the protagonist looks at him or herself and says, “I’m going to do it!” That’s the mirror moment. Doorway #2? The struggle is lined up, the final battle is in sight, and the protagonist steps up to do or die... yep, that’s the second doorway of no return. And, of course, the final battle, the climax, the PI revealing just who did it, or whatever finishes the story... sure.
But as James explains, there are several other stepping stones, signposts, natural turns in stories, and they have a natural progression. That’s what we’re about to look at. Here are the steps, in order...
Act I (no greater than 20% of your novel)
1. Disturbance
2. Care Package
3. Argument against Transformation
4. Trouble Brewing
5. Doorway of No Return #1
Act II (that large middle portion where the main action takes place)
6. Kick in the Shins
7. The Mirror Moment
8. Pet the Dog
9. Doorway of No Return #2
Act III (the resolution)
10. Mounting Forces
11. Lights Out
12. Q Factor
13. Final Battle
14. Transformation
There you go. 14 signposts. Don’t worry, we’ll go through them one at a time, starting with disturbance. But from the Hero’s Journey or other descriptions of the backbone of a story, I suspect these already look kind of familiar.
Okay. This is from Super Structure by James Scott Bell. So far, in part one, he has suggested
Death: physical, professional, or psychological? What are the stakes?
Brainstorming to get started...
Keep the creative fires going while you write
Use scenes, the building blocks of fiction. Objective, opposition, outcome, and a twist?
Write with emotions engaged!
Now, in part two, he’s going to talk about each of the fourteen signposts. He starts by reminding us that this is intended to help, not force us. So, first, keep your eyes open for the five “tent poles” of structure: Disturbance, Doorway of no return #1, mirror moment, doorway of no return #2, and final battle. Heck, stop a minute and think. Something sets the story in motion, something upsets the apple cart... that’s disturbance! The first doorway of no return? Well, the protagonist has to get engaged and decide to do something about it, right? Yes, that’s the first doorway of no return, setting out on that voyage! Mirror moment? Ah... at some point, the protagonist looks at him or herself and says, “I’m going to do it!” That’s the mirror moment. Doorway #2? The struggle is lined up, the final battle is in sight, and the protagonist steps up to do or die... yep, that’s the second doorway of no return. And, of course, the final battle, the climax, the PI revealing just who did it, or whatever finishes the story... sure.
But as James explains, there are several other stepping stones, signposts, natural turns in stories, and they have a natural progression. That’s what we’re about to look at. Here are the steps, in order...
Act I (no greater than 20% of your novel)
1. Disturbance
2. Care Package
3. Argument against Transformation
4. Trouble Brewing
5. Doorway of No Return #1
Act II (that large middle portion where the main action takes place)
6. Kick in the Shins
7. The Mirror Moment
8. Pet the Dog
9. Doorway of No Return #2
Act III (the resolution)
10. Mounting Forces
11. Lights Out
12. Q Factor
13. Final Battle
14. Transformation
There you go. 14 signposts. Don’t worry, we’ll go through them one at a time, starting with disturbance. But from the Hero’s Journey or other descriptions of the backbone of a story, I suspect these already look kind of familiar.