Storyboards and Sounding Boards Group plotting Hollywood Style

Disclaimer: I’m not a published writer, and I don’t even get to play one on TV. What I have put together is a framework for plotting based on McKee’s Story and my experiences in Kennesaw State’s screenwriting class with Jeffery Stepakoff sprinkled with a few juicy nuggets from Goals, Motivation, & Conflict, and Break into Fiction.

Second disclaimer: Tonight we’re talking about plot, but good plots are inextricably related to character. The best plots are made better with tons of character development on the front end.

Structure for the A.R. Beat = “an exchange of behavior in action/reaction” (McKee) Scene = 3-6 beats Act = 12 scenes Novel/movie = 3-5 acts

Elements of a good story Inciting incident—it must “radically upset the balance of forces in the protagonist’s life” (McKee) Related to GMC because your characters will have goals that propel them through the story and determine their actions especially from this point forward.

Progressive complications “A story must mot retreat to actions of lesser quality or magnitude, but move progressively forward to a final action beyond which the audience cannot imagine another.” (McKee) Turning points-related to the Twist Points in Break into Fiction

Crisis (where the character must make a decision) Climax—result of the crisis, should involve a reversal Resolution

Ways to Look at story... Burroway

McKee’s example of the value changes associated with a story that has a happy ending. See also his “gaps.”

An abbreviated Example... Finding Nemo Inciting Incident: Nemo gets snatched by the dentist Marlin’s goal: to find Nemo Progressive complications: Dory can’t remember, the not-so vegetarian shark, the fish who chases them in dark, directions from the flashy fish, the jellyfish, the whale, the gulls, Darla’s impending arrival (intersection of plot/subplot) Crisis/Climax: Nemo and Marlin are reunited but Dory is caught in the net. Marlin has a decision: keep Nemo safe or believe in him and let him enter the net. His decision culminates in what appears to be Nemo’s death. Resolution: In the last scene Marlin shoves Nemo out the door to school and tells jokes to the other dads successfully. Nemo then rushes back to give him a hug

Your turn... Find a partner and construct a story. Remember that you should have more ideas than you will use, and that this is a way to work out the kinks of a story before you start to write. Beat = behavior with an action/reaction Scene = 3-6 beats Act = 12 scenes Novel/movie = 3-5 acts

New Books for you to Buy Story by Robert McKee Break into Fiction by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love Goals, Motivation, Conflict by Deb Dixon The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Cowden, LaFever, Viders Time to Write and Think to Write by Kelly L. Stone