Vernacular: beats

A BEAT is an exchange of behavior in action/reaction. Beat by beat, these changing behaviors shape the turning of a scene.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Vernacular: scenes

A SCENE is an action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a characters life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible significance. Ideally, ever scene is a Story Event.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Vernacular: sequences

A SEQUENCE is a series of scenes--generally 2 to 5--that culminate with greater impact than any previous scene.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Vernacular: acts

An ACT is a series of sequences that peaks in a climactic scene which causes a major reversal of values, more powerful in its impact than any previous sequence or scene.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Heads up: Black Moment

This week's Craft topic is Black Moment. Look for "Black Moment" posts on Wednesday.

Vernacular: story climaxes

A STORY CLIMAX occurs when a story (a series of acts) builds to a last-lact climax which brings about absolute and irreversible change.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Heads up: Action

This week's Craft topic is Action. Look for "Action" posts on Wednesday.

Vernacular: archplot

ARCHPLOTS have causality, closed endings, linear time, external conflict, consistent reality, and a single, active protagonist.

Most human beings believe that life brings closed experiences of absolute, irreversible change; that their greatest sources of conflict are external to themselves, that they are the single and active protagonists of their own existence; that their existence operates through continuous time within a consistent, causally interconnected reality; and that inside this reality, events happen for explainable and meaningful reasons.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

Internal Conflict

The internal conflict is an intangible clash of belief, value structures, dreams, and hopes. These are your characters' hot buttons, and the clash directly affects the external conflict.

External Conflict

The external conflict must be tangible. The oft-cited metaphor is of two dogs competing for one bone.

The reader must be clear about the goal (bone) and there must only be room for one winner.

Internal Conflict

Use internal conflict (like relationship challenges) in push/pull between hero and heroine.

Conflict

External Conflict should illuminate the internal conflict, and Internal Conflict should impact the External Conflict.

Heads up: Conflict

This week's Craft topic is Conflict. Look for "Conflict" posts on Wednesday.

Vernacular: miniplot

MINIPLOTS have open endings, internal conflict, and multiple, passive protagonists.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character tries to keep up appearances
02) Character is jealous
03) Character is told a pickup line
04) Character tries a pickup line
05) Character deals with someone drunk
06) Character gets drunk
07) Someone embarrasses Character
08) Character embarrasses self
09) Character makes local headlines
10) Character makes national headlines

Emotion and Motivation

Keep your characters well-motivated. Emotional stakes may include guilt, fear, worry, shame, etc. Often this directly relates to the internal conflict.

Heads up: Motivation

This week's Craft topic is Motivation. Look for "Motivation" posts on Wednesday.

Vernacular: antiplot

ANTIPLOTS have coincidence, non-linear time, and inconsistent realities

A story must obey its own internal laws of probability. The event choices of the writer are limited to the possibilities and probabilities within the world he creates.

[Robert McKee--STORY]

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character is on the run
02) Character discovers something very old
03) Character borrows something
04) Character gets cursed
05) Character decides to take the direct approach
06) Character deals with passive-aggression
07) Character dances
08) Character plays along
09) Character goes wild
10) Character makes a big mistake

Goals

Story goals should be both measurable and explicitly defined.

Jimmy joins a boxing league.
So?

Jimmy joins a boxing league because he wants to impress a girl.
Defined, but not measurable.

Jimmy joins a boxing league because if he *wins*, Susie will go out with him.
Whether Susie goes out with him or not is measurable because it’s visual, clear cut, obvious. Either she does, or she doesn’t.

Scene goals should work the same way. Don’t just have your characters sitting around the coffee table yapping (or worse, laying in bed ruminating on their lives) when you can have them striving toward an unambiguous goal.

Where there’s goals, there can be opposition—and where there’s opposition, there’s conflict. Conflict turns pages. Conflict is good.