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writercises Original Posting Feb. 15, 2019
Right! Disturbance, care package, argument against transformation, and next, we have trouble brewing. Smell the conflict burning?
James suggests that the trouble brewing moment, beat, or scene usually happens about halfway through Act 1. You’ve got the disturbance up front, a care package that convinces us this is a worthwhile character (just a little dose of caring makes the character go down...), maybe an argument against the transformation, mixed well with scenes introducing setting, characters, and actions, but now there’s “a whiff of big trouble to come.” That’s right, a portent, a foreshadowing, a change in the wind. This is not the major conflict, that would drag us into Act 2 territory, but it’s a strong hint that bad things are ahead. A mysterious sound, maybe worried talk among the characters...
Why toss this in? Well, you’ve introduced your characters, set things in motion, and laid out the world or setting to some extent already. There is some conflict and tension, mostly between characters. But the trouble brewing moment ups the stakes, giving us a glimpse of the mountains ahead, the overriding conflict that is going to shape it all.
James suggests that both plotters and pantsers think about how often the brew gets stirred with some surprising information. So, think about bits of information that might be revealed to make your trouble brewing moment boil. Another way to work this out is to look at what the villain is up to over there in the shadows. Could whatever they are working on make a flash in the scenes, making the characters jump?
By the way, James suggests that anytime you are planning or writing and you aren’t quite sure what the main characters, scenes, or plot should do next, looking at what the other characters are doing offstage can be a useful tool. Just let the main line rest for a moment, and do some brainstorming about what the rest of the characters are up to. Think about how that ties into and influences the main characters and action, and... see what happens!
So. Basically, this is a dash of foreshadowing about the big trouble that is ahead. Think of it as spice in the middle of the Act 1 brew, just a hint of what is coming. The percolator making that first lazy burp, maybe?
And then we’re headed for the first doorway of no return! Watch for it!
Right! Disturbance, care package, argument against transformation, and next, we have trouble brewing. Smell the conflict burning?
James suggests that the trouble brewing moment, beat, or scene usually happens about halfway through Act 1. You’ve got the disturbance up front, a care package that convinces us this is a worthwhile character (just a little dose of caring makes the character go down...), maybe an argument against the transformation, mixed well with scenes introducing setting, characters, and actions, but now there’s “a whiff of big trouble to come.” That’s right, a portent, a foreshadowing, a change in the wind. This is not the major conflict, that would drag us into Act 2 territory, but it’s a strong hint that bad things are ahead. A mysterious sound, maybe worried talk among the characters...
Why toss this in? Well, you’ve introduced your characters, set things in motion, and laid out the world or setting to some extent already. There is some conflict and tension, mostly between characters. But the trouble brewing moment ups the stakes, giving us a glimpse of the mountains ahead, the overriding conflict that is going to shape it all.
James suggests that both plotters and pantsers think about how often the brew gets stirred with some surprising information. So, think about bits of information that might be revealed to make your trouble brewing moment boil. Another way to work this out is to look at what the villain is up to over there in the shadows. Could whatever they are working on make a flash in the scenes, making the characters jump?
By the way, James suggests that anytime you are planning or writing and you aren’t quite sure what the main characters, scenes, or plot should do next, looking at what the other characters are doing offstage can be a useful tool. Just let the main line rest for a moment, and do some brainstorming about what the rest of the characters are up to. Think about how that ties into and influences the main characters and action, and... see what happens!
So. Basically, this is a dash of foreshadowing about the big trouble that is ahead. Think of it as spice in the middle of the Act 1 brew, just a hint of what is coming. The percolator making that first lazy burp, maybe?
And then we’re headed for the first doorway of no return! Watch for it!