Des-compressed from: http://www.writerscheatsheet.com/writing/
- Miraculous birth
- Hero's ordinary home-town (peaceful, waste-land, or suburbia)
- Dissatisfied ("I want")
- Call to adventure
- Refusal of call (or jumps)
- Supernatural aid (from mentor)
- Crossing first threshold (or down the rabbit hole)
- Symbolic death (Belly of the Whale)
- Road of Trials: (shapeshifer, goddess, temptress, atonement with father, leave-your-quest test)
- Night sea voyage
- A breather before...
- Apotheosis
- Fight against Big Bad
- Ultimate Boon
- Refusal of Return
- The Return (Magic Flight)
- Rescue from without
- Return threshold crossing
- Master of two worlds
- Freedom to live
“Never blow the world up in the beginning of the scene or you’ll have nowhere to go.”
Break a rule… or make your own
Theme: implied statement about the human condition; moral
Structure: story architecture, e.g. three act, snowflake, branching
Motif: a recurring or dominant element or idea
Story Goals: inspire, inform, give insight
"A tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere." Mark Twain
- Supplication [Benefaction]
- Deliverance [Sojourn]
- Vengeance for a crime [Rehabilitation]
- Vengeance: kin upon kin
- Pursuit [Flight]
- Disaster [Miracle]
- Falls prey cruelty or misfortune [Becoming fortunate]
- Revolt [Support]
- Daring enterprise [Healing journey]
- Abduction [Reunion]
- The enigma [Invention]
- Obtaining [Letting go]
- Enmity of kin [Hero to kin]
- Competition [Concession]
- Murderous adultery
- Madness [Genius]
- Fatal imprudence
- Involuntary crimes of love [Sacrifice for Love]
- Slaying of kin unrecognized [Conviction]
- Self-sacrifice for an ideal,
- for kin,
- for passion[Self-preservation]
- Sacrificing loved ones
- Rivalry of superior vs inferior
- Adultery
- Crimes of love
- Dishonor of a loved one
- Obstacles to love
- An enemy loved
- Ambition
- Conflict with a god [Supernatural occurrence]
- Mistaken jealousy
- Erroneous judgment
- Remorse [Empathy]
- Recovery of a lost one
- Loss of loved ones [Rescue of a loved one]
[37.] Odd couple [Fish out of water]
Try writing with your eyes shut
Be a winner: write 2000 words each day
Secrets add subtext and reveal character imperfection
Kill a character
In late, out early
M.I.C.E. Quotient
• Milieu
• Idea
• Character
• Event
Three Act
- Roller coaster
- Replay
- Fate
- Parallel
- Episodic
- Melodrama
Structured content - Romance
- Journey
Anti-structure - Interactive fiction
- Meta-fiction
- Slice of life
"We know we have reached the end of a story when we know how to feel about the events that make it up." - Kieran Egan
Scene:
- Goal
- Conflict
- Disaster
Sequel: - Reaction
- Dilemma
- Decision
- Exposition
- Rising Acton
- Climax
- Falling Acton
- Denouement
Absurdest, Dark, Experimental, Humorous, Literary, Mainstream, Minimalist, Pulp, Quirky, Realist, Satirical, Surrealist
- cliffhanger
- decision
- question
- ah-hah moment
- surprise, loaded look
- transition (to next scene)
Hero versus...
- nature, a situation, or hostile environment
- self
- other
- god
- tech (machines)
- others in conflict
Always carry a notebook
- Quest
- Adventure
- Pursuit
- Rescue
- Escape
- Revenge
- The Riddle
- Rivalry
- Underdog
- Temptation
- Metamorphosis
- Transformation
- Maturation
- Love
- Forbidden love
- Sacrifice
- Discovery
- Wretched existence
- Ascension
- Condescension
"The main character doesn't always have to change — as long as he changes the world around him." - Pilar Alessandra
Main Character’s situation inspires
→ Goal that creates
→ Problem, causes
→ Event, causes
→ Dialog, triggers
→ Search finds
→ Clue, leads to
→ Place, where
→ Final Reveal ← START HERE!
→ Pain, shock, surprise or delight for the MC
Begin from the jewel center of interest and write outwards, swimming in a sea of language
- Cold open, prologue
- Hook (story’s promise)
- Plot Turn 1 (call to action)
- Pinch 1 (what goes wrong? an attack; peace fails; new villain; forced to action)
- Midpoint (move from reaction to action)
- Pinch 2 (jaws of defeat; loss of mentor, everything)
- Plot Turn 2 (snatch victory from jaws of defeat)
- Resolution (start here)
Throughout: Try/fail (with consequences)
Also: Subplots (if long story)
Outlining order: 7, 1, 4, 2 + 6, 3 + 5, 0
"Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” - Kurt Vonnegut
- Kidnapping (Persephone)
- Taming of the savage male(Beauty and the Beast)
- Transformation (Pygmalion)
- Rags to Riches (Cinderella)
- Awakening, emotional rebirth (Sleeping Beauty)
Turn the environment into a character
- Eye to body
- Eye to eye
- Voice to voice
- Hand to hand
- Arm to shoulder
- Arm to waist
- Mouth to mouth
- Hand to head
- Hand to body
- Mouth to breast
- Hand to genitals
"What counts is not what is said, but the effect of what is meant" - Sol Stein
Character flaw triggers
→ Conflict, triggers
→ Problem, triggers
→ Strategy
→ Emotional event
→ Major action
→ Misstep
→ Battle
→ Final challenge
It would be a shame if you didn’t use veiled or indirect speech for bribes, threats, friendly requests, and solicitations.
Use questions; Add speakers; Swap lines;
Joke, flirt, lie, compliment, threaten, confess, suspect
Play with scene order
- Promise
- Picture
- Proof
- Push
- Initial Situation
- The Abstentions
- The Interdiction
- Violation
- Reconnaissance
- Delivery
- Trickery
- Complicity
- Villainy
- Meditation
- Beginning counteraction
- Departure
- First function of donor
- Protagonist reaction
- Acquisition of Magical Agent
- Transference
- Struggle
- Branding
- Victory
- Liquidation
- The Return
- Pursuit
- Rescue
- Unrecognized
- Unfounded Claims
- Difficult Task
- Solution
- Recognition
- Exposure
- Transfiguration
- Punishment
- The Wedding
"Don't tell me that the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." - Anton Chekov
Dominance: boss, authority
Communality: kin, spouse, friends
Reciprocity: business
Start a fight
Stakes at the beginning
- high stakes (foresight)
- motivated villain
- show the danger is real
Sympathetic hero - haunted by past failure
- confronts fears/phobias
From within hero’s skin - moment-by-moment
- recurring thoughts
- weave in atmosphere
- world briefly slow-mo
- use silence
Complicate matters - apply pressure
- time constraints
- never make it easy
- drama before the crisis
- misdirection, red herrings
- dilemmas (lose-lose)
- circumstances beyond control
- unpredictable (roll the dice)
- reversals of fortune
- cliffhanger
- final twist
Have the protagonist want one thing but do another
- Deadline (time bomb)
- In media res (cold start)
- Backstory (eg flashbacks)
- To-do list
- Travel log
- Objective (main, secondary)
- Montage
- Walk-and-talk
- Flash forward
- Periodically return to an event
- Cut to action/interest
- Have business during exposition
- Switch viewpoint (to character in pain)
- Introduce a new conflict, goal, thought process, focus, romance, punchline, mystery, setting, side-character, sub-plot, parallel plot, suspense, narrator, dramatic irony, strange bedfellows
- Postpone exposition
New friends bond over a joke… or a common enemy
- Overcoming the Monster
- Rags-to-Riches
- The Quest
- Voyage & Return
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Rebirth
Kick down a door
- Main Character: Who the story is about
- Viewpoint Character: who we empathize with
- Protagonist: has an arc
- Hero: moves story
- Narrator: tells story
Show, don't tell
- Anecdote (this led to that)
- Suspense (breathing)
- Reflection (why tell the story?)
Save a key revelation for later
- Environment
- Relationships
- Objectives
- Obstacles
- Tactics
- Stakes
- Cause
- Emotional response
- Acton
- Speech
Take inspiration from a song title
- Kept Apart by Baggage, Internal Forces, or by Similarities
- Inability to trust (the opposite sex)
- Fear of commitment
- Emotional detachment
- Emotional scars (abuse, incident)
- Blames lover for hurt
- A secret that threatens love
- Must first solve problem (find self)
- Lied about something important
- Can’t forgive flaw
- Lovers in a battle of wills
- Only one lover can reach shared goal
- Fear of abandonment
- Sense of unworthiness
- Lover feels doesn’t belong, ft
- Lovers engage in battle of wills
Write without distractions
Write now, edit later
- Lovers’ differences keep them apart (social, religious, ethnic, opinions, loyalties, business competition, personalties, age)
- Unrequited love
- Enforced intimacy (hero protector; marriage of convenience; or arranged or forced or pretend; matchmaker setup; stranded; shared office/home)
- Baby, pregnancy, adoption (secret, arranged, accidental, lost, threatened)
- Platonic friends fall in love
- Ex-sweethearts are reunited
- The healing/redemptive power of love
- Mistaken/hidden identity (drag, masquerade, twins)
- Lover rehabilitates, cures
"Love conquers all"
Draw from what you know. Research what you don't. Imagine what you can't
“I am always doing that which I cannot do in order to learn how to do it.” - Pablo Picasso
Act I:
- setting
- conflict
- characters
- hook
- promise
- inciting incident
- question posed
- idea
- major themes
End of Act I:
- cross threshold
- have won (or lost) a battle
- now fighting a war
Act II:
- confrontation
- journey
- conflict
- explore and develop questions and theme
- try obvious idea first
- add subplots, supporting characters
Mid Act II:
- hopelessness
- turning point; refocusing
- from hunted to hunter
End of Act II:
- sees path to resolution
Act III: dramatic resolution
- questions answered
- problem solved
- dual
- win!
Write whichever scene interests you right now
Full Name, meaning, reason; Nicknames, who gave it, why? Birth-date, place of birth, origin, gender; Story goal; Ethnic group, background, class; Religion, degree of practice, philosophy, world view, catch-phrase, opinions, beliefs, attitude, dreams, fears, obsessions, belief in superstitions/fate/destiny; Politics, prejudices; Physical description (more below): distinctive feature; Career, job, profession, living, role, incoming level, socioeconomic status (now and growing up), education level, IQ; Hobbies, secret passions; Family (immediate, step, extended), friends, confidants, partner, love interest; Style of clothing, accessories; Home (more below); Pets or familiars; Strengths, talents, weaknesses; Favorite (and least fav): color, music [consider year of birth], hangouts, food, drink, literature, TV show; Annoyed by; Does for fun, when sad, under pressure
Distinguishing or predominant feature(s), marks, scars, tattoos; Apparent age; Build, body shape, weight, height; General health, fitness; Chronic or current conditions, physical disorders; Eye color, glasses or contacts; Skin tone, skin type; Face shape; Dress (expensive, average, inexpensive, conservative, trendy and daring, casual, whatever's comfortable, shabby—why?): describe it; shoes; Dresses to be noticed? Jewelry, other accessories; Grooming (neat, average, clean but sloppy, unkempt); Hairstyle (long, short, crew-cut, dreads, bangs, side-part, pony-tail, comb-over, etc), hair color (natural, current), hair texture (smooth, straight, wavy, curly, frizzy, poofy, coarse, balding, bald)
Description, address, rent or own? Lives with who? Area (city, town,
rural, other); Home decor (expensive, inexpensive, carefully planned, comfortable, neat, cluttered), appearance of rooms (bedroom, lounge, kitchen etc); Neighborhood, neighbors
Childhood, schooling, grades; Significant trauma, emotional upheaval, events; Accident, abuse, illness, divorce, death of a friend—still affected? First romantic love, first sexual experience; Changes to other characteristics listed; First memory, past jobs, past failure, police record (arrests, convictions, sentences served)
Name, pet name, time married, how met; Children (number, names, ages)? How do they act around lover? Everything else.
Pace (talks fast, average, slow), pitch (high, deep); Manner of speaking, voice, speech patterns, verbal ticks; Accent or dialect; Idioms, typical words, pet phrases, curse words, language/syntax choices, dialog example; Tone (attitude to others); Laconic or lengthy; Mannerisms/demeanor (cool/ confident, volatile/moody, nervous/fidgety/ shy) Posture (stiff, rigid; slumped, defeated; slouchy, careless; relaxed) Gestures (infrequently; frequently; controlled; when excited/upset; wildly/weirdly); Body language
Dreams about; What’s in their heart and mind? Greatest strength; Good characteristics; Would like to change about self; Short/long term goals; Plans; Works to gain or keep or protect; Proudest achievement; Greatest flaw; What do others like/dislike about MC? Reoccurring problems (romance, jealousy, financial...); Biggest mistake, biggest regret, feels guilty about, darkest secret—anyone else know? Influences, admires (secretly?), obsessions; Feelings about sex, intimacy, relationships, friends, love interest, children, family members, those more/less successful, boss, underlings, competitors, authority; Misunderstands what/who? Who misunderstands them? Self-description (paragraph)
Work tools; Weapons; What do they carry on their person; Vehicles: bike, horse, truck, canoe, spaceship, battered pickup..., (Make, model, color, age...), Own/borrow/ rent? What kind of journeys does he or she make? Does partner drive, or own a vehicle?
Early or late riser? Reads during breakfast? Feeds kids? How travels to work, work day length, works hard or not; Work friends, rivals, enemies; Ideal and typical evening; Passes time how; Sleep habits; Diet, favorite foods, who cooks? eats out? favorite restaurants; Unique and age-old routes, Finances (prudent, cautious, struggles, delegates, deep in debt) Public and private life; Addictions: smoking, drinking, exercise, gambling, food, sex/ sexual, work, drugs (illegal, prescription, OTC, ethnopharma)
Personality type; Psychological issues,
disorders; Fears (who, what, events); Optimist/pessimist; Value/
priority (self, close family, extended family, lover, friends, community, country, work, money, success, natural environment,
religion, humanity...) Vulnerability/soft spot, is it visible to others; Willing to die for who/what; Compassionate or self-involved
How long has this been so? Notable features/characteristics of...? How MC feels about...? Is it ideal? Would prefer what? Favorite/least-fav part of ...? Impression when others see/learn of...? Repeat for other characters
ESTJ administrator director supervisor overseer (enforce)
ENTJ executive pioneer field-marshal supporter (mobilize)
ESFJ bon-vivant enthusiast provider caregiver (supply)
ENFJ mentor actor teacher giver (educate)
ESTP legionnaire conqueror promoter doer (persuade)
ESFP ambassador performer entertainer (demonstrate)
ENTP seeker inventor explorer lawyer originator (devise)
ENFP advocate psychologist reporter champion (inspire)
ISTJ inspector pragmatist inspector examiner (certify)
INTJ analyst mastermind strategist (entail upon)
ISFJ conservator defender nurturer (secure)
INFJ humanist empath counselor confidant (guide)
ISTP artisan crafter mechanic (instrument)
ISFP mediator peacemaker composer artist (synthesize)
INTP critic observer architect engineer (design)
INFP lyricist romantic healer dreamer idealist (conciliate
The Chief - Alpha male: tough, decisive, and goal-oriented
The Bad Boy - Dangerous, fascinating, charismatic, street smart, hates rules
The Best Friend - Beta hero: kind, decent, and responsible
The Charmer - Smooth operator: Fun, irresistible, often unreliable
The Lost Soul - Theta hero: Tortured, secretive; Vulnerable heart, discerning eyes
The Professor - Logical, introverted, inflexible, genuine in feelings, faithful, honest
The Swashbuckler - Acton and adventure is his motto; physical, daring, mercurial
The Warrior - Delta hero: Reluctant rescuer; dark, dangerous, driven, remote
The Boss - “Take Charge”: outspoken and persuasive, confident and competitive
The Seductress - “I Will Survive”: mysterious and manipulate, distrusting, cynical
The Spunky Kid - Spirited, loyal, reliable and supportive, a tomboy
The Free Spirit - Genuine and fun-loving, impulsive, an original
The Waif - “damsel in distress”: Child-like innocence, naive and docile; endures
The Librarian - Conscientious, orderly, bright; leads with her brain, not her looks
The Crusader - Woman on a mission: tenacious, headstrong, courageous
The Nurturer - Altruistic, calm, optimistic, a listener, pleasant, takes care of all
extroversion = Extroversion v Introversion
openness = iNtuatve v Sensing
agreeableness = Feeling v Thinking
conscientiousness = Judging v Perceiving
neuroticism = n/a (emotional instability)
A goal; opposition; motivation; Backstory; attitude; POV; revealing action; growing room; plausibility; details; research; strong supporting characters
Character is revealed by action
A. Warmth
B. Reasoning (IQ)
C. Emotional Stability
E. Dominance
F. Liveliness
G. Rule-Consciousness
H. Social Boldness (extroversion)
I. Sensitivity
L. Vigilance
M. Abstractedness
N. Privateness
O. Apprehension (neuroticism)
Q1. Openness to change (neophilia)
Q2. Self-Reliance
Q3. Perfectionism
Q4. Tension (stress)
Wisdom, Knowledge:
- creativity, curiosity, open mindedness, love of learning, perspective
Courage: - bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality
Humanity: - love, kindness, social intelligence
Justice: - citizenship, fairness, leadership
Transcendence: - forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation
Temperance: - appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality
Read your work aloud
Adventurer (excitement, boldness)
Boss (limelight, control)
Conformist (discipline, morality)
Conventional (fear of change)
Creator (impractical, internal)
Dependent (submissive)
Eccentric (different drum)
Extrovert (friendly, superficial)
Fall guy/girl (trusting)
Fearful (withdrawn)
Flamboyant (intense feelings)
Hyper (excited, moody)
Loner (direction-less)
Man’s Man (masculinity)
Manipulator (controlling)
Passive-aggressive (sulky)
Perfectionist (self-criticism)
Personable (unruffled, calm)
Problem Solver (resourceful)
Resilient (happy, goals, friends)
Show-off (expressive)
Ultra-feminine (flirts)
Victim type (proud of sacrifice)
Free-write through writer's block. Write anything
- Protagonist vs Antagonist
- Reason vs Emotion
- Sidekick vs Skeptic,
- Guardian vs Contagonist (Conscious vs temptation)
snakes, spiders, mice, insects, dogs, heights, agoraphobia, no-escape, claustrophobia, lightning &, thunder, injections, social judgment, flying, germs & dirt, dating, authority, public speaking, performance (stage fright), exams, public toilets, vomit, vomiting, the dead, food (conditioned taste aversion), superstition
Antisocial
Avoidance
Borderline
Dependent
Histrionic
Narcissistic
Obsessive–compulsive
(OCPD)
Paranoid
Passive–aggressive
Schizoid
Schizotypal
Generalized anxiety
Panic
Agoraphobia
Phobias
Obsessive–compulsive
(OCD)
Post-traumatic stress
Separation anxiety
Childhood anxiety