Post by Siana Blackwood on Dec 1, 2011 22:59:01 GMT -5
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE CHEAT SHEET, from Screenwriting Tricks for Authors
Act I:
We meet the Hero/ine in the Ordinary World.
S/he has:
-- a Ghost or Wound
-- a strong Desire
-- Special Skills
And an Opponent, or several, which is standing in the way of her getting what s/he wants, and possibly wants exactly the same thing that s/he wants
She gets a Call to Adventure: a phone call, an invitation, a look from a stranger, that invites her to change her life.
That impulse may be blocked by a
-- Threshold Guardian
-- And/or the Opponent
-- And/or she is herself reluctant to take the journey.
But she overcomes whatever opposition,
-- Gathers Allies and the advice of a Mentor
-- Formulates a specific PLAN to get what s/he wants
And Crosses the Threshold Into the Special World.
Act II:1
The hero/ine goes after what s/he wants, following the PLAN
The opponent blocks and attacks, following his or her own PLAN to get what s/he wants
The hero/ine may now:
-- Gather a Team
-- Train for battle (in a love story this can be shopping or dating)
-- Investigate the situation.
-- Pass numerous Tests
All following the Plan, to achieve the Desire.
No matter what genre, we experience scenes that deliver on the Promise of the Premise – magic, flying, sex, mystery, horror, thrills, action.
We also enjoy the hero/ine’s Bonding with Allies or Falling in Love
And usually in this Act the hero/ine is Winning.
Then at the Midpoint, there is a big Reversal, Revelation, Loss or Win that is a Game-Changer.
Act II:2
The hero/ine must Recover and Recalibrate from the game-changer of the Midpoint.
And formulate a New Plan
Neither the Hero/ine nor the Antagonist has gotten what they want, and everyone is tired and pissed.
Therefore they Make Mistakes
And often Cross a Moral Line
And Lose Allies
And the hero/ine, or if not the hero/ine, at least we, are getting the idea (if we didn’t have it before) that the hero/ine might be WRONG about what s/he wants.
Things begin to Spiral Out of Control
And get Darker and Darker (even if it’s funny)
Until everything crashes in a Black Moment, or All is Lost Moment, or Visit to Death.
And then, out of that compete despair comes a New Revelation for the hero/ine
That leads to a New Plan for the Final Battle.
Act III
The Heroine Makes that last New Plan
Possibly Gathers the Team (Allies) again
Possibly briefly Trains again
Then Storms the Opponent’s Castle (or basement)
The Team (if there is one) Attacks the Opponent on his or her own turf, and all their
--- Skills are tested.
--- Subplots are resolved,
--- and secondary Opponents are defeated in a satisfying way.
Then the Hero/ine goes in alone for the final battle with the Antagonist. Her Character Arc, everything s/he’s learned in the story, helps her win it.
The Hero/ine has come Full Circle
And we see the New Way of Life that s/he will live.
(source: thedarksalon.blogspot.com/2011/10/nanowrimo-narrative-structure-cheat.html )
* * *
Yes, you can tell I'm in the 'thinking about revising' place right now. I like this one, though. It seems fun. There's a whole lot more detail on the blog site, but that's way too much for a forum post. Check it out if you're interested.
Act I:
We meet the Hero/ine in the Ordinary World.
S/he has:
-- a Ghost or Wound
-- a strong Desire
-- Special Skills
And an Opponent, or several, which is standing in the way of her getting what s/he wants, and possibly wants exactly the same thing that s/he wants
She gets a Call to Adventure: a phone call, an invitation, a look from a stranger, that invites her to change her life.
That impulse may be blocked by a
-- Threshold Guardian
-- And/or the Opponent
-- And/or she is herself reluctant to take the journey.
But she overcomes whatever opposition,
-- Gathers Allies and the advice of a Mentor
-- Formulates a specific PLAN to get what s/he wants
And Crosses the Threshold Into the Special World.
Act II:1
The hero/ine goes after what s/he wants, following the PLAN
The opponent blocks and attacks, following his or her own PLAN to get what s/he wants
The hero/ine may now:
-- Gather a Team
-- Train for battle (in a love story this can be shopping or dating)
-- Investigate the situation.
-- Pass numerous Tests
All following the Plan, to achieve the Desire.
No matter what genre, we experience scenes that deliver on the Promise of the Premise – magic, flying, sex, mystery, horror, thrills, action.
We also enjoy the hero/ine’s Bonding with Allies or Falling in Love
And usually in this Act the hero/ine is Winning.
Then at the Midpoint, there is a big Reversal, Revelation, Loss or Win that is a Game-Changer.
Act II:2
The hero/ine must Recover and Recalibrate from the game-changer of the Midpoint.
And formulate a New Plan
Neither the Hero/ine nor the Antagonist has gotten what they want, and everyone is tired and pissed.
Therefore they Make Mistakes
And often Cross a Moral Line
And Lose Allies
And the hero/ine, or if not the hero/ine, at least we, are getting the idea (if we didn’t have it before) that the hero/ine might be WRONG about what s/he wants.
Things begin to Spiral Out of Control
And get Darker and Darker (even if it’s funny)
Until everything crashes in a Black Moment, or All is Lost Moment, or Visit to Death.
And then, out of that compete despair comes a New Revelation for the hero/ine
That leads to a New Plan for the Final Battle.
Act III
The Heroine Makes that last New Plan
Possibly Gathers the Team (Allies) again
Possibly briefly Trains again
Then Storms the Opponent’s Castle (or basement)
The Team (if there is one) Attacks the Opponent on his or her own turf, and all their
--- Skills are tested.
--- Subplots are resolved,
--- and secondary Opponents are defeated in a satisfying way.
Then the Hero/ine goes in alone for the final battle with the Antagonist. Her Character Arc, everything s/he’s learned in the story, helps her win it.
The Hero/ine has come Full Circle
And we see the New Way of Life that s/he will live.
(source: thedarksalon.blogspot.com/2011/10/nanowrimo-narrative-structure-cheat.html )
* * *
Yes, you can tell I'm in the 'thinking about revising' place right now. I like this one, though. It seems fun. There's a whole lot more detail on the blog site, but that's way too much for a forum post. Check it out if you're interested.