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The single biggest mistake writers make is that the story idea the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The single biggest mistake writers make is that the story idea the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The single biggest mistake writers make is that the story idea the writer comes up with is not original. The 1 st key to success: an original idea professionally told is an unbeatable combination. 1. No clear goal for the hero, with a specific
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- 1. No clear goal for the hero, with a specific
endpoint event that tells the reader whether the hero succeeded or failed.
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- 1. When you write your story, start with the
goal and figure out everything else from that. Do nothing more until you have a clear, strong, and extended desire line.
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What’s the 4th big structural mistake in the premise? No plot twist at the end of the premise.
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Writers often use the wrong genre to develop the idea, or they impose a bunch of pre- determined genre beats onto the idea instead
- f finding the story events that are original to
the idea.
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Key point: most hit films and best selling novels are a combination of 2, 3 or 4 genres.
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These have to do with two genre families: speculative fiction and crime.
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High concept has one great flaw: it only gives you 2 or 3 scenes, the scenes where the flip is made.
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Create a group of opponents who each approach the hero’s central moral problem in a difgerent way.
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Plot has more techniques you need to know than all the other major writing skills combined.
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Key point: true plot comes from the choreography between the hero and all the
- pponents.
And the details of plot come from how you weave all the various opponents as they attack your hero.
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They think about the single obstacle the hero must overcome in the scene, which is tactics. Instead they should think about strategy.
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- 1. Their story is episodic, meaning events
stand on their own but don't connect and build under the surface.
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Key point: to avoid this problem, make sure the opponent’s attacks come in response to the hero’s actions, and vice versa.
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Big plot mistake #2: hitting the same beat.
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Assignment for next class IF YOU ARE WRITING SCENES FOR YOUR STORY:
- 1. write the next three scenes in the story where there is dialogue
That means three scenes, not three chapters. Be sure to start by listing the premise in 1 line
- 2. write your hero’s weakness in 1 line
- 3. write the endpoint of your hero’s character change,
In other words, his or her self-revelation
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Assignment for next class IF YOUR STORY IS AT ANY OTHER STEP OF THE WRITING PROCESS
- 4. Important: state which assignment you are doing
- 5. follow the instructions for that month’s assignment
Don’t hand in more than the assignment asks for.
- 6. send in any question you have about story in general or
about your story in particular
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Remember: hand in only 1 assignment at a time.
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