The Possibility Curve

I’ve been stuck for a while again. That seems to be how it goes, at least for me. Yesterday I went out for coffee with my best friend, Suzy. She always wants to know the latest on the screenplay. While I was explaining the new plot and where I was facing a challenge. What do you know I figured it out. Perhaps she is my muse??

The key to my rewrite is a total overhaul in plot. Before I can move forward with ANYTHING else I must finalize the plot. Writing a screenplay is like building a domino castle on sand. Any crack in the foundation will bring the whole story down. I have been struggling with at what point does Christopher disappear. No scenario that I could come up with really, logically made sense. In one case it worked for the hero as the story moved forward. But, it didn’t make sense according to the hero’s past.

If I don’t know why or how or when… then I can not go forward. If I’m not clear then the audience will NEVER be clear.

Now that the plot is coming together I can begin working on structure. I’ve found making 4 rows of 3 x 5′s on a board works best for me. I know many people prefer doing this piece on their computer. That is what I did on my first draft. However, I’ve found that when I get stuck there is a little part of my brain that gets activated when I do something tactile.

About the 5th card in is my inciting incident. Card 10 things change for my hero, his world it turned upside down and we break into Act II. Card 20 is the mid-point. Card 30 we break into Act III. Card 40 the payoff. Each of these cards must provide a significant change to the plot.

When I touch and move cards and look at them as I walk through my office a different set of neurons start firing off. I also like being able to walk in and write a short note on the 3 x 5′s. This builds the structure as it occurs to me.

Hmmmm….  I need to go move a card.