Where , Oh Where Are You, Story?

         We are on our 3rd week looking at the craft of writing. This week we are supposed to discuss plot. Plot is something I struggle with. I write my characters so they learn and grow, make friends and fall in love and do all sorts of exciting things. But it becomes a meandering jungle with no clear sense of purpose or closure. This is where I struggle. This is where I am still learning.

         But I have a plan. Using Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat!” template, I am analyzing several movies. I think this will help me see the bare bones of the story. Once I am able to see that in already written (and good) stories, I can apply it to my own. (At least that is the theory.) Once I’ve mastered that skill, editors will start badgering me for a chance to read my compelling, can’t-be-put-down manuscripts. (Quiet! Don’t spoil my dream.:))

         According to Blake Snyder, there are 19 beats needed in every story. In addition, there should be “six things that need fixing,” a theme or thesis stated in the first ten minutes of the movie and an opening and closing image that encapsulates the change that has occurred during the story. When all these items are present, a coherent, even good story is probable.

         The most helpful item so far for me is that thesis. As I search that out in the movies I watch and the books I read, those stories are becoming clearer, more defined. Somewhere in the first 10% of the story (according to Blake Snyder) someone (usually a secondary character) makes a statement (usually to the primary character). The rest of the movie is “the argument” for and against that thesis.

         In “How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days,” Angie tells her friend “If the most beautiful girl in the world did what you did, she’d be dumped, too.” The movie then shows a beautiful woman doing everything she can think of to make a guy dump her and prove her point. She fails. Well, at first it appears she succeeds, but ultimately she fails and ends up with the guy. Proving that true love can survive even multiple dating no-nos, but honesty is the biggest hurdle. Or at least that’s what I got out of it.

         Something else that is proving helpful for me is looking for the “Six Things that Need Fixing.” Again, these are presented in the first part of the movie and referred to throughout the story. Discovering Angie (in “How to Lose a Guy”) needs to write serious pieces, her friend needs to get some backbone in relationships, Ben needs his big account and both Ben and Angie need to find each other gives substance to the story, propels us into Act 2 and provides closure when these items are “fixed.”

         I’m still struggling to find the bare bones of my own stories, but it’s getting much easier to see that skeleton in the tales of others. Not to mention how much fun I’m having with my movie marathon. I may never stop looking for plot.