Difference between revisions of "Beating the Story by Robin D. Laws"

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==Mapping Your Story==
 
==Mapping Your Story==
 +
===Your Opener===
 +
====Weak Openings====
 +
====Parallel Openings====
 +
====Flourish Beats as Preludes====
 +
====Case Studies: Classic Movie Openings====
 +
====Stories are like Parties: Best Arrive Late====
 +
====But Not Too Late====
 +
====Your First Arrow====
 +
===And Now For The Map Part===
 +
===Building Incidents As You Map===
 +
===Noting Transitions===
 +
===Your Sequence of Events===
 +
====Getting Through Stall-Outs====
 +
====Using Key Elements to Overcome Stall-Outs====
 +
=====Core Question Example=====
 +
=====Dramatic Poles Example=====
 +
=====Transformative Arc Example=====
 +
=====Iconic Ethos Example=====
 +
=====Throughline Example=====
 +
===Placing Exposition===
 +
====Punching Up Brief Beats====
 +
=====Quick and Flat vs Extended and Vivid=====
 +
====Procedural Pipe====
 +
====Foreshadowing Dramatic Revelations====
 +
====Reiterated Question Beats====
 +
====Recaps====
 +
====Climactic Reveals====
 +
====Loose End Reveals====
 +
====Combination Beats====
 +
===Goal Shifts and Wavering Protagonists===
 +
===Your Closer===
 +
====Escalation Point====
 +
=====Justifying Dramatic Turns=====
 +
=====Clearing Out Information Beats=====
 +
=====Clearing Out Flourish Beats=====
 +
=====Refining Transitions=====
 +
====Dramatic Resolution====
 +
=====Circular Conclusions=====
 +
====="What Next?" Codas=====
 +
=====Open-Ended and Provisional Conclusions=====
 +
=====When an Unresolved Ending is a Cheat=====
 +
====Transformative Resolution====
 +
====Iconic Resolution====
 +
====Denouement====
 +
===Reviewing Your Completed Map===
 +
====Trajectory====
 +
====Testing for Aptness====
 +
====Check Pacing Issues====
 +
=====Study Your Climax=====
 +
=====Activate Your Introduction=====
 +
====Eliminating Repetition====
 +
=====Spotting and Fixing Dramatic Repetition=====
 +
=====Spotting and Fixing Procedural Repetition=====
 +
=====Other Repetitions=====
 +
====Character Tracking====
 +
====Procedural Pitfalls====
 +
====Predictable Moments====
 +
====Apt but Unnecessary Passages====
 +
===Thread Mapping===
 +
====When to Thread Map====
 +
===From Map to Prose Outline===
 +
 
==First Draft==
 
==First Draft==
 
==Revision==
 
==Revision==

Revision as of 17:54, 29 January 2021


Contents

How to Pretend You've Read This Book (introduction)

Foreword

Prologue

Six Essential Tips

Sit Your Ass in the Chair and Write

Ideas are Worthless

Sit Your Ass in the Chair and Read

Don't just Read Books, Read Life

If You Can See Yourself Doing Anything Else, Do That Instead

Seriously, Sit Your Ass in the Chair and Write

Making This Book Work For You

Style Notes

Does This Sound Eerily Familiar?

Conceiving Your Story

The Random Actor Method: An Idea Springboard

Turning Inspiration into Premise

Throughline

Core Question

The Boil-Down
Subsidiary Questions

Protagonist Type

Procedural Heroes

Iconic Hero
Iconic Ethos
Iconic Hero Team-Ups
Transformational Hero
Transformational Arc
Origin Stories
Tactical Goal

Dramatic Characters

Poles
Dramatic Resolution
Anti-Heroes
Ensemble Dramas

Supporting Characters

Antagonist
Adversaries
Alazons
Rivals
Competing Antagonists
Foils
Sidekicks
Companions
Confidants
Parallel Foils
Psychopomps
Functionaries and Rude Mechanicals
Foils as Narrators
Fleshing Out Underwritten Characters

Transformational Supporting Characters

Arcs for Parallel Foils

Thematic Opposition

Genre and Expectation

Seeking Variation
Seeking a Grounding
Stance
Validatory
Revivalist
Comedic
Parodic
Satirical
Revisionist
Meta-Fictional

The Building Blocks of Narrative

Emotional Rhythm

Hope and Fear

Ups and Downs

Laterals

Crossed Arrows

Beats

Foundation Beats

Dramatic
Procedural
Finding Your Mix

Information Beats

Pipe
Question
Reveal

Flourish Beats

Commentary
Anticipation
Gratification
Bringdown

Focus Characters

Between Procedural and Dramatic

Turning Commentary Beats into Foundation Beats

Transition Mapping

Momentum

Scenes and Blocks

Transition Types

Outgrowth
Continuation
Turn
Break
Viewpoint
Rhyme
Meanwhile
Flashback
Return
Flash Forward

Laying the Groundwork

Diving Right In

Outlining

Which to Choose?

Adaptation

Finding Your Structure

Blocked Desires

Procedural Preparatory Steps

Adversary Plan

Controlling Your Adversary's Motivation
Suspense vs Surprise
Exposition Tax
Pipe List

Disorder Rises and the Hero Responds

Bidirectional Plotting

Arranging Seeds

Mapping Your Story

Your Opener

Weak Openings

Parallel Openings

Flourish Beats as Preludes

Case Studies: Classic Movie Openings

Stories are like Parties: Best Arrive Late

But Not Too Late

Your First Arrow

And Now For The Map Part

Building Incidents As You Map

Noting Transitions

Your Sequence of Events

Getting Through Stall-Outs

Using Key Elements to Overcome Stall-Outs

Core Question Example
Dramatic Poles Example
Transformative Arc Example
Iconic Ethos Example
Throughline Example

Placing Exposition

Punching Up Brief Beats

Quick and Flat vs Extended and Vivid

Procedural Pipe

Foreshadowing Dramatic Revelations

Reiterated Question Beats

Recaps

Climactic Reveals

Loose End Reveals

Combination Beats

Goal Shifts and Wavering Protagonists

Your Closer

Escalation Point

Justifying Dramatic Turns
Clearing Out Information Beats
Clearing Out Flourish Beats
Refining Transitions

Dramatic Resolution

Circular Conclusions
"What Next?" Codas
Open-Ended and Provisional Conclusions
When an Unresolved Ending is a Cheat

Transformative Resolution

Iconic Resolution

Denouement

Reviewing Your Completed Map

Trajectory

Testing for Aptness

Check Pacing Issues

Study Your Climax
Activate Your Introduction

Eliminating Repetition

Spotting and Fixing Dramatic Repetition
Spotting and Fixing Procedural Repetition
Other Repetitions

Character Tracking

Procedural Pitfalls

Predictable Moments

Apt but Unnecessary Passages

Thread Mapping

When to Thread Map

From Map to Prose Outline

First Draft

Revision

Editing and Giving Notes

Beat Analysis

Now, Over To You

Inspiration to Premise Worksheet

Beat Mapping Quick Reference