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Lesson 7: Map Out Your Story
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What I learned doing this assignment is that mapping out plots this way can reveal holes and suggest plot twists.
Opening scene: In the midst of an undercover assignment, hero finds out his cover is blown when thug pulls a gun. But the gun jams. We can hear hero’s thoughts: He seems to perceive the villain’s thoughts. Colleagues serving as his back-up arrive only after the hero has the situation in hand. Shaken at his near miss, the hero vows to put in for a transfer out of undercover work.
Inciting incident: Cut to Hero & colleagues disgustedly watching a raid by uninformed police—Unbeknownst to police, they’ve raided a terrorist cell under FBI surveillance, blowing the FBI operation. For the first time we see the Villain who has evaded the police raid. Thinking the raid was strictly a police action and not suspecting federal involvement, he moves his meetings to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
First turning point at end of act 1: Hero & his FBI colleagues devise a new plan. As his last undercover assignment, Hero will go undercover get himself hired at the restaurant where the villain & his crew hang out as a way to discern their plans. But the hero must keep the civilians involved—restaurant employees, patrons, etc.–from being harmed while stopping the villains from carrying out a massive attack.
Midpoint: Hero’s low-level job at the restaurant makes him the butt of jokes and victimized by some restaurant staff, but not by the restaurant owner’s kid who Hero befriends. An armed robber shows up. Hero must decide whether to subdue the robber and risk blowing his cover, or to let harm befall owner’s kids. Hero uses unconventional weapons to dispatch the robber without alerting restaurant staff as to what’s going on.
Second turning point. Hero must manufacture situations that get him close enough to the terrorists to plant listening devices or to overhear their conversations. Hero and his colleagues thwart weapons buy in armed confrontation with villain agents. Villain begins to suspect he’s been sold out or has a leak, and fingers the restaurant as the source. Villain suspects a restaurant employee overheard his plan, but focuses on the wrong employee. He sends two thugs to do a hit which looks like a mugging. The hero dispatches both of them without blowing his cover.
Crisis: Enraged, villain bears down on finding the leak and looks closely at restaurant staff. Befriends owner’s kid who accidentally gives clues leading to the hero. Villain takes workers hostage, including hero.
Climax: In face-to-face fight, hero takes on villains, in so doing reveals his identity. Hero gets help from owner’s kid who speaks the villains’ language. Subdues the chief villain as the FBI arrives.
Resolution: Restaurant staff who gave Hero a hard time are humbled; Hero gets his desk job; kid he befriended stays in his life.
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