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writercises Original Posting March 8, 2019
All right! We've gone through the Doorway of No Return #1, crossed out of Act I into Act II.
Act II? The middle, where most of the action takes place, setting up Act III, the resolution, climax, final confrontation, and so forth. So, our hero sets forth blithely along the path, off to do great things, and...
Gets a kick in the shins?
Yep.
James tells us that we need a kick in the shins! "An obstacle, the first real test in the death stakes of Act II." Some new trouble, the first challenge headed for that major confrontation in the future.
Don't wait too long. Go through the Doorway of No Return #1, and… Where's the problem? Give us that kick in the shins. Complication, emotional jolt, something to deepen the emotional and internal stakes. An outer obstacle? Trouble, but… You probably still want the big question to be a little bit mysterious.
Now, why do we want this here? Well, James reminds us that we are building tension and conflict. This is just the first hit of Act II. It's leading to bigger and better obstacles. But it does kick off the complications and action of this part.
How do you come up with it? Well, James suggests that whether you are a plotter or a discovery writer, when you are ready to figure this out, stop and do some brainstorming. What obstacles, what opposition, what characters can get in the way of the lead? They've gone to the doorway, and are heading onward. What can go wrong? Come up with 15 or 20 ideas. Yes, include the wild ones! Then, pick out the best. Which ones really make you excited? Put them in order, from bad to worst. That bad one? That's probably your Kick in the Shins.
James reminds us that trouble or conflict is really at the core of story. Every scene needs a little. This one helps make sure that we know the hero isn't going to get everything easily. So… Kick them right in the shins!
Now, the kick in the shins comes fairly early in Act II. We're headed towards The Mirror Moment next, but… There's some space in between. Go ahead, add in your complications and scenes. First, wake-up your readers with that kick in the shins, and then keep going!
On the way to the mirror…
All right! We've gone through the Doorway of No Return #1, crossed out of Act I into Act II.
Act II? The middle, where most of the action takes place, setting up Act III, the resolution, climax, final confrontation, and so forth. So, our hero sets forth blithely along the path, off to do great things, and...
Gets a kick in the shins?
Yep.
James tells us that we need a kick in the shins! "An obstacle, the first real test in the death stakes of Act II." Some new trouble, the first challenge headed for that major confrontation in the future.
Don't wait too long. Go through the Doorway of No Return #1, and… Where's the problem? Give us that kick in the shins. Complication, emotional jolt, something to deepen the emotional and internal stakes. An outer obstacle? Trouble, but… You probably still want the big question to be a little bit mysterious.
Now, why do we want this here? Well, James reminds us that we are building tension and conflict. This is just the first hit of Act II. It's leading to bigger and better obstacles. But it does kick off the complications and action of this part.
How do you come up with it? Well, James suggests that whether you are a plotter or a discovery writer, when you are ready to figure this out, stop and do some brainstorming. What obstacles, what opposition, what characters can get in the way of the lead? They've gone to the doorway, and are heading onward. What can go wrong? Come up with 15 or 20 ideas. Yes, include the wild ones! Then, pick out the best. Which ones really make you excited? Put them in order, from bad to worst. That bad one? That's probably your Kick in the Shins.
James reminds us that trouble or conflict is really at the core of story. Every scene needs a little. This one helps make sure that we know the hero isn't going to get everything easily. So… Kick them right in the shins!
Now, the kick in the shins comes fairly early in Act II. We're headed towards The Mirror Moment next, but… There's some space in between. Go ahead, add in your complications and scenes. First, wake-up your readers with that kick in the shins, and then keep going!
On the way to the mirror…