After having reached the midpoint of the pulpy adventure spec outline, I’d been struggling with getting to the next plot point.
Not helping was the almost total jettisoning of material from the previous draft. The story had since changed in a drastic way, so there was nothing to salvage.
While I knew where the story had to go, I couldn’t figure out how to get there.
The midpoint sequence ended the way it had to – hero fully committed to achieving his goal, but now on several levels, and the antagonist getting closer to achieving his.
But what happens next?
Exploring several options, something finally clicked and I remembered a very simple rule we all tend to sometimes forget:
It’s not what could happen, it’s what has to happen.
THIS is what the characters need to do to move things forward (with your protagonist being the primary mover), and the more challenging we can make their journey, the better.
There are plenty of options of how things can play out in your story, but it will take some effort (and a lot of rewriting) to find the one that it needs.
Every time I connect with somebody on some kind of social media or community forum, I ask the same question:
How are your latest projects coming along?
It’s always a wide variety of genres in various stages of development, and always nice to hear.
Here’s what’s going on with me.
-Still trudging my way through the revamp of the outline for the pulpy adventure spec. I’m somewhere between the midpoint and the page 75 plot point. It feels a bit disoriented as I work my way through it, but it should get better as I push my way forward.
So how about you? What’s occupying your time these days?
Lost? Of course not. Just recalculating my position.
It took some doing, but I finally managed to get to the midpoint of the rewrite of the monster spec outline.
As is required for this particular plot point, my hero is now firmly committed to achieving his goal, plus not one, but two new conflicts thrown into the mix to make it that much harder for him.
There’s still a little setup-payoff work that needs to be applied to some earlier scenes, but I really like how it’s coming along.
But for now, my attention shifts forward – further into the vast wasteland that is the rest of Act Two.
To some, a staggering task of herculean proportions. For me – not too much.
Well, maybe a little.
Act Two can be incredibly intimidating. Your script can have a killer opening and fantastic ending, but if what happens between them isn’t as good, if not better, than you’re in trouble.
What takes place in those 50-60 pages can really make or break your story. A reader or audience wants to see things happen as the characters grow (or at least change).
With such a vast canvas to work with, you might lose track of a lot of elements – supporting characters, subplots, etc. I remember reading a script that introduced what I thought was going to be an interesting subplot, but after that initial appearance, it never showed up again. It’s possible the writer just forgot about it, or maybe didn’t know how to develop it.
Take your time to plan things out. Yes, we all want to get done faster, but in this case, that’s the worst thing you could do.
Let’s assume you’ve got your plot points in place, so now it’s a matter of connecting them. What has to happen in each scene to move things ahead to the next one?
Remember: each scene, no matter how big or small, should advance the plot, theme and character, as well as contain some kind of conflict.
It’s easy to get lost in all the details. Maybe there’s too much focus on this part, and not enough on that one. Again, take your time to figure it out. Besides, you’ll be able to make the necessary fixes in the next batch of rewrites.
It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers right now, but there are lot of details you’re going to need to fill in as you move forward. And always keep asking “Is this the best way to have this happen?”
The journey through Act Two can definitely be a challenge, but it can be a little less daunting if you go into it prepared and knowing where you want to go.
Yesterday I came up with a great subject for today’s post. It was going to be fantastic. Poignant. Relatable. Very informative. You would have loved it.
I figured there was no way I could not remember something this incredible.
And of course, just a few hours later, I totally forgot what it was. I can rack my brains all I want, but it ain’t gonna work. Maybe it’ll pop up again someday, but for now, it’s gone forever.
Jump to last evening. I did a little more work on the first quarter of Act Two of the monster spec, so I’m still up to that page 45 twist.
With my next objective now getting to the all-important Point of No Return (where your protagonist becomes fully committed to achieving their goal), the ideas for scenes between those two plot points starting popping into my head.
And I had no intention of letting them get away.
Lesson learned from earlier in the day, I immediately wrote some down, with more likely to be added later.
I probably won’t even use that many of them, but it’s still better to be able to pick and choose from a wide variety of readily-available options than to curse my lack of foresightedness and have nothing to work with.
Since we’re all creative types around here, we know full well that inspiration can hit anytime and anyplace, which is great. But are we prepared to capture it when it does?
Bet you’ll think “Oh, I’ll definitely remember.”
Please don’t, especially if it’s an idea worth keeping.
Pen and notepad in your briefcase or backpack, an app for dictating on your phone, an extra line on that document on your computer, whatever method works for you.
Taking those extra seconds to save an idea now can potentially prevent you from seemingly endless frustration in the future.
The past several days have been all about revamping the story/outline of the monster spec. The percentage of what’s being eliminated from previous versions continues to grow on a daily basis.
A lot of what’s left still needs to be fixed, or at least changed. As much as I love the original ideas, they just weren’t working.
Part of the problem was my stubbornness to consider alternatives, and the frustration over trying to force the creativeness wasn’t helping either.
As has happened before, I had to ignore what I wanted, and concentrate on what worked for the story. This had to be slow, calculated and meticulous, but I had one slight advantage this time around.
Remember that whole ‘previous draft’ thing? Turns out a lot of the contents are becoming just what I need by applying “What if…?” or “How about…?”
(Yet another example of why you should hold onto your previous drafts – they’re a treasure trove of of potential material)
These questions are proving to be more than adequate in creating foundations for developing new material. By taking a slightly different approach, new and previously unconsidered alternatives are making themselves known.
It has definitely yielded some positive results, including a drastic reconfiguring of the antagonist – originally conceived one way, but after finally accepting that changes were necessary and much tinkering, now fits into the story a lot better, and also provides for stronger conflict with the protagonist.
Don’t be afraid to consider new ways or different approaches to what you already have. While you may think it’s perfect the way it is, chances are it could probably use some reworking.
Maximum Z 