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Lesson 8
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Andre’s Thriller Plot!
ASSIGNMENT
1. List out my structure using whatever Structure I am comfortable with.
o I am using the 4 ACT structure.2. Inside my Structure, fill in the gaps with the Life-Threatening situations, Mysteries, and Villain’s plan. Do this one at a time. This will keep me from getting confused.
3. Take a break for a few hours, then read it again and make any improvements. Remember, we are not writing scene, just filling in the key components to create a compelling Thriller.
4. What I learned is…
a. Reminder…
i. Big Mystery: The problem the Hero must solve that forces him into the Villain’s plan.
ii. Big Intrigue: The Villain’s plan that is covert and dangerous to the Hero.
iii. Big Suspense: The constant and ever-increasing danger to the Hero and others they care about.
b. Give myself freedom to do without any criticism. In future lessons, I am going to add many key components that will have this Thriller be amazing. But for the moment, I want to get my (M.I.S.) sequences built into the plot so I can work with it.
c. This is the first step in creating my Thriller outline.
d. Today I am going to intertwine the three sequences (M.I.S.) to build the rough draft of my outline. In future lessons, we will add in other key parts to flesh this out.
i. This means that this part does not have to be perfect. It is in fact, a chance to see how my story might work, but with each future step of this program, my outline will get stronger and more interesting.
e. Keep in mind the big benefit of doing this process, before I write even a word of my script, I will already have Mystery, Intrigue, and Suspense running throughout my entire story. This makes it a Thriller.
f. My Plot will come together as a combination of multiple sources, starting by combining my structure with the Big M.I.S. To me the Big M,I.S. is the Story, followed by Character M.I.S.
Using the sequences from Days 5-7 into a Plot, I organize the M.I.S. The structure is the guideline that I use as I fill in the gaps between the structural beats.Building My Plot:
Start with my structure as the overview of the story.
In between the beats of my structure, fill in the points of the Life-Threatening sequence.
Then, fill in the points of the Mystery sequence.
Then, fill in the points of the Villain’s Plan.g. Have FUN creating my Thriller Plot!
5. Post to forums.
ACT 1
OPENING
Doing research for an artificial intelligence certification, Our Hero comes across a file labeled “APT28”.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. Establish his prodigy.
2. Establish him living in an apartment 28.
3. Establish his wealth, old money, not new and wasteful.
4. During research in AI, he identifies a file labeled APT28.
Story Mystery: APT28.
Story Intrigue: Falsely accuse innocence of crime(s) they did not commit.Hero Mystery: Why is there a file labeled APT28?
Red Herring Mystery: Is RH guilty of the charges?
Red Herring Intrigue: Is RH contracted by us government?
INCITING INCIDENT-
• Our Hero lives in apartment 28.
• Cyber-attack.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. Strange things begin to happen.
2. Enter agents of change.
3. Character assassination begins…
Story Mystery: Divide and Conquer. Is there a profit to be made from war?Intrigue: Resources (gold, silver, platinum, uranium, cobalt, etc.).
Story Mystery: Was there an attempt to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election? If so, by whom / what / how / when / where?
Hero Intrigue: Hero lives in apartment #28.
Hero Intrigue: Is issue bigger than living in apartment #28?TURNING POINT 1-
When there is no enemy, create one. Falsely associating our Hero with a threat group APT28.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. Character Assassination continues…
a. Associating Hero with terrorist organization.
b. Loss of income adversely affecting credit.
c. Bankruptcy.
d. Tax problems, agents with guns.
e. Vehicle kill-switch.
2. Lawfare: Using and abusing Law enforcement as political warfare.
3. Sycophants with medical degrees on payroll and,
4. Corrupted politicians.Story Mystery: Have there been cyber-attacks on The US Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)? Nuclear weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and The Spiez Swiss Chemicals Laboratory?
Story Mystery: Have there been occurrences regarding Oil pipelines, Derailed trains, wild forest fires, disrupted financial systems, food shortages, ports of entry (marine, rail)?
Hero Mystery: What is Hero prodigy of?
Hero Mystery: Why is Hero targeted?Villain Mystery: Selling State secrets. Money over loyalty.
Villain Mystery: False flag attacks. Physical and cyber.
Villain Mystery: Lawfare as Warfare. Legal system as a weapon.ACT 2
NEW PLAN-
How deep does this rabbit hole go?Life-Threatening Sequence
Hero’s father is killed. Not for honor, but because of his cowardice.Villain Mystery: Trust not their smiles, for they deviously display their fangs.
Villain Mystery: Distorting history for future generational confusion.
Villain Mystery: Replace their God, with your own likeness.PLAN IN ACTION –
Down the rabbit hole, there is no there, there.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. The charismatic Indian personal banker who steals from him,
then ghosts him.
2. If Russia is such a threat, why did US rely on them to get astronauts into space between (years) at a cost of ($per seat)?
3. Why does the technology seem to be uniform?Villain Mystery: Always have an enemy, even within the ranks. When there is no enemy, create one.
Villain Intrigue: When there is no enemy, create one.
Villain Intrigue: Money over loyalty.MIDPOINT TURNING POINT –
Hero’s sister/brother are a part of the setup, with power of attorney, and eyes on an inheritance payout (if he is removed from the picture).
Blood is not thicker than (water) a thick wallet.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. He moves away from apartment 28, only to have his items ransacked by corrupted agents.
2. They want him to create a space weapon.
3. The real Villain vs the Red Herring.ACT 3
RETHINK EVERYTHING –
Trust no one, not even family.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. The fake friend who fucks and impregnates his girlfriend,
who turns out to be a for-hire bimbo.
2. Blood is not thicker than a fat wallet. The compromised family.
3. Microchipping his pet.
4. The War of 1782.NEW PLAN –
Get your passport, and move away.Life-Threatening Sequence
1. Mother is hospitalized.
2. Friends distance themselves.TURNING POINT -HUGE FAILURE /MAJOR SHIFT –
The dog has a tracking device implanted, moving items ransacked.Life-Threatening Sequence
o 1782 was a set-up, this is the crescendo.ACT 4
CLIMAX / ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF CONFLICT –
• The Cyber Attack is a false flag operation, planted with the intent on perpetual warfare.
• Plausible Deniability. APT 28 is an independent contractor in addition to APT29, APT30, APT32, APT33, APT37, APT38, APT39, APT41, APT5, and others. Contracted to conduct false flag operations resulting in plausible deniability on the part of the government.
Plausible Deniability: the ability of people, typically senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command, to deny knowledge of or responsibility for actions committed by or on behalf of members of their organizational hierarchy. -Wikipedia.
• The future of space, peace or war?Life-Threatening Sequence
1. The president is insignificant.
2. The People are insignificant.RESOLUTION-
To be concluded…Life-Threatening Sequence.
1. What happens to our Hero?
2. What happens to his dog?-
This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by Andre Howard. Reason: Added "Plausible Deniability"
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This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by
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David’d Thriller Plot (such as it is so far)
1. Opening
Someone sees a YouTube video of an English teacher teaching his class about spoken word poetry. This person wants the teacher in a body bag.
—Mystery: Why would someone want to kill an English teacher?
—Mystery 2: Who is the person who wants him dead?
—Intrigue: There is something about this English teacher we don’t know.2. Turning Point 1
Teacher notices he is being followed. Gives them the slip.
—Mystery: Who are the people in the Charger?
—Suspense: Is he about to get rolled?
—Intrigue: He is able to give them the slip.3. Act I Break
Confronted by two toughs who demand he come with them. They take off when the same car that was following him before shows up.
—Mystery: Who do they work for?
—Mystery 2: Who are the people in the Charger?
—Intrigue: When he goes to confront the charger, they drive off.
—Suspense: Will he go with them?4. Midpoint
Girlfriend is kidnapped
—Mystery: Who took her?
—Mystery: Where is she?
—Intrigue: The FBI shows up to help him. What does the FBI have to do with this?5. Turning Point 2
Sneaks away from FBI. Goes to Baltimore.
—Intrigue: He is able to evade the FBI.
—Suspense: Will the FBI stop him before he can save her?
—Mystery: Why doesn’t he want the FBI’s help?6. Climax
Goes with Baltimore cops to rescue his girlfriend. The cops act like they know him. Turns out Baltimore cops are corrupt.
—Intrigue: Why do the Baltimore cops act like they know him?
—Suspense: Will the corrupt cops deliver him to the villain?7. Resolution
TBDWill need to take some breaks and let it stew in my brain before filling in more.
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Day 8 : Intertwine Your Three Sequences to Create Plot
Cold Opening
In a near by river a newly pregnant woman’s bare legs walk out of the water. She comes to a tent and goes inside. Inside lies a man. She lays down with him.Life threatening event:
Suddenly Guerrilla soldiers invade their tent and drag the man out. They knock her down causing a facial scar. They beat him to almost death. His wife pleads for mercy. They drag her inside and try and rape her. The man’s body is tossed into the lake and crocodiles devour him. The soldiers inside get killed by the woman. She comes out covered ins blood. She stands by the river and weeps her lost love. She dives in the water.
Mystery: Who is this woman and how did she fight the soldiers off?
Mystery 2: Why would she dive into the water with the crocodiles?
Intrigue: There is something not normal about this woman but what?
Suspense: Will she survive the Crocodile infested waters?Hero OPENING: Our hero and his longtime sports agent arrive at Jungle expedition. He’s hungover and doesn’t want to go. The sports agent tries to convince and then the expedition is cancelled due to incremental weather.
Mystery1: How is this conceded sports legend our hero?
Mystery 2: Why is his agent so hell bent on going into the jungle?Life Threatening situation: Mudslides, flooding, treacherous terrain awaits them if they go in the jungle.
INCITING INCIDENT: A woman tells them she can take them into the jungle and the weather will be fine.
Mystery: Who is this strange woman that tells them it’s safe to go into the jungle,
Intrigue: The agent wants to still go even though he’s less adventurous and physically capable and despite all the other tour guides not going in, he eggs on our Hero to go.Suspense: What will happen when the go into the jungle.
TURNING POINT 1: The hero and his agent are left alone in the jungle and have no way out. They realize they cant get out alive without a guide.
Life threatening situations: There’s many predators that are in the jungle that can kill our hero. Snakes and pumas, and deadly spiders are everywhere in the jungle.
Mystery: Why does Magdalena eat a snake raw.
Intrigue: Why does her cold blood need warmth from the fire?Mystery: Something stalks them at night.
Mystery: What lurks in the shadows.
Suspense: The predator moves closer to strike.
Intrigue: Where did Magdalena go?Life Threatening :Lost in the jungle without water, the danger of hydration and potential death.
Intrigue: Why is the agent okay with being lost in the jungle? Mystery: Why does Agent keep putting them in dangerous circumstances? Cliff diving and climbing sketching rocks.
Intrigue: Does the agent have a death wish for our hero?
Suspense:Will he survive this trip?MIDPOINT: Magdalena returns and leads them to a cavern for safety. Our hero is glad to see our true villain.
Intrigue: Where did Magdalena go and why did she come back?
Mystery: What’s in the cave?Mystery: A maze in the cavern leads them to Lilith’s chamber where she waits to feed.
Mystery: Who is Lilith and why is she so pale?
Intrigue: Why does Lilith not go out in the daytime?Suspense: Will they see sunlight ever again.
Intrigue: The mother and daughter argue a lot. She wants to get out and see the world but its not safe.
Mystery: Why does Magdalena and Lilith go swimming at night with the crocodiles?
TURNING POINT 2:
Villain’s plan: Magdalena hold them hostage to drain their blood. The mother uses a rusty IV to transfuse blood from their arms to feed Lilith.
Mystery: Is Lilith a vampire?
Intrigue: Our hero tries take Lilith under his wing and pin her against her mother.Suspense: As the agent’s blood is almost gone and she plans a grand feast of the hero, but the daughter has second thoughts as she feels a connection to our hero as a father figure.
Life threatening events: The agent dead body is tossed in the riverHero’s false hope is dangerous as Lilith will need to feed again.
CLIMAX:
Villain’s plan: The mother decides to kill the hero because he is getting too close to her daughter. The hero and Lilith escape the mother as she falls to her death.RESOLUTION: Our hero takes on a father’s role and replaces Magdalena’s for getting Lilith food. The hero is forced to deal with Lilith’s hunger now.
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This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by Matteo Ribaudo.
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This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by
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Chris Wood’s Thriller Plot!
What I learned doing this assignment was how much the MIS sequences are so tightly wound together, sometimes I can’t even recognize if something is mystery, the villain’s plan, life threatening, or all three! Also learned that not all of my ideas are going to make it into the thriller – let go of the stuff that’s not fitting in, or save it for later.
OPENING: Lure us into the story and introduce the lead character in action.
Samantha Hamlilton’s roommate Betsie Wherley has a psychotic episode, or is it actually a prophetic vision?
Life Threatening: Dr. Marquis Allen chloroforms Johnny Anderson and kidnaps Holly Taylor in Johnny’s van.
Life Threatening: A cop pulls the van over, and Dr. Allen shoots the police officer with a pistol outfitted with a silencer.
Life Threatening: Samantha Hamlilton’s roommate Betsie Wherley has a psychotic episode and is evacuated from Rayburn University.
Mystery: Why did Samantha’s new roommate Betsie have a psychotic break?
Mystery: Why was Betsie spending so much time in the psych labs?INCITING INCIDENT: An event that propels the Hero on the Journey.
Dr. Allen comes looking to take Betsie’s personal effects, and warns Samantha not to get involved
Mystery: Who is the Navy Lieutenant collecting Betsie’s things? [herring]
Mystery: Why did the government show up?
Mystery: What was Betsie journaling about? Did something happen at the psych lab?
Mystery: Why does Samantha suddenly wake up with ESP?
Villain’s Plan: Samantha aces the Zener card test.
Mystery: How come David doesn’t seem to have any thoughts?
Life Threatening: Samantha’s dad’s secret will get out, and her scholarship will be taken away.
Life Threatening: Samantha is being watched by an unknown set of binoculars.
Villain’s Plan: Dr. Forsythe seduces Samantha and they have rough, passionate sex.
Mystery: Samantha steals Megan’s new boyfriend David. Is she a liar?
Life Threatening: Samantha experiences a psychic overload
Villain’s Plan: Forsythe breaks up with Samantha and encourages her to follow David out West.
Life Threatening: After eloping to the mountain cabin with David, Samantha feels uncomfortable, and a roommate seems to be paying too much attention to her.
TURNING POINT 1: A major twist that locks the hero into the conflict. Point of no return.
Samantha is seduced into a California drug cult, where she becomes the target of the FBI and a player and pawn in the Parallax Project
Life Threatening: Samantha and David move west, but are ambushed on the way by a biker gang.
Villain’s Plan: Things get deadly, and then Samantha turns on the gift.
Mystery | Life Threatening: : Who is the girl stalking Samantha at the Good Life Cafe? It’s Holly!
Mystery: Why is Holly stealing Samantha’s letters?
Villains Plan: What is the cult and why are they stealing banks and storing weapons?
Mystery | Villan’s Plan: Samantha is lured into the Good Life Cult, and is warned by crazy crazerkins to watch her back
Life Threatening: Crazy Crazerkins is expelled from the cult [and actually put into re-cognition]
Mystery: Is Elijah Kahn an ESP prophet?
Life THreatening: Why are people being kidnapped into Rapture?Life Threatening: Why are people DISAPPEARING from Rapture?
Mystery | Villain’s Plan: A landowner and his thugs appear on horseback. Why do they tolerate the cult and what is at the top of the mountain?
Villain’s Plan: Who continues to watch Samantha through binoculars?
MIDPOINT: A major revelation. The opposition is 10 times worse than thought.The Drug Cult is actually a front for a secret eugenics experiment involving ESP, and now Samantha is wanted by federal agents.
Mystery: What is in the building at the top of the mountain.
Life Threatening: The building is guarded by the landowner’s armed thugs!
Mystery: Why is there a photo of Forsythe with Dr. Allen? What were they doing in the Korean War?
Life Threatening: Elijah Kahn manipulates Samantha into a bank robbery where she is to be killed [really just a test].
Villain’s Plan: The robbery goes awry, but Samantha focuses her ESP into telekinesis to escape with her life AND the loot.
Life Threatening: Naval Intelligence [red herring] gets the camera footage, comes looking for Samantha and answers at Forsythe’s university office.
Mystery | Villains Plan: Why does Foresythe deny knowing where Samantha is or what PP is all about?
Life Threatening: Megan betrays Forsythe and Samantha, leads US Naval Intelligence agents toward Rapture.
TURNING POINT 2: Major setback. The lowest of the low.
After trying to escape, Samantha is brainwashed and prepared for recognition into Project Parralax.
Mystery: Why does Samantha take the spiritual hallucinogen and allow herself to be baptized into the Cult?
Life Threatening: Elijah Kahn lets Holly be kidnapped to the mountain top
Life Threatening: When Samantha tries to rescue and escape with Holly, they realize they’ve been double-crossed, and Boom Boom will pay the ultimate price.
Mystery: What is Forsythe doing in Rapture?
Villain’s Plan: Forsythe seduces | brainwashes Samantha back into the program, and then attempts to brainwash her.
Mystery: Why is Naval Intelligence after Forsythe?
Mystery: What are the experiments happening at the top of the mountain? [see on topo map, Witch mountain is not far off, in same range]CLIMAX: The ultimate expression of the main conflict.
Can Boom Boom, Holly, and Elijah reach Samantha before it’s too late?
Mystery: What is the purpose of the secret eugenics program Project Parallax?
Mystery: Who’s side is Dr. Allen on>
Life Threatening: Forsythe looks to drug Samantha, but is shot by Elijah Kahn | Dr. Allen.
Mystery: Samantha discovers the secret to Rapture and Project Parallax, but has a secret of her own: she’s pregnant. WHo is the father?
Life Threatening: Battle on the mountain
RESOLUTION: The end of the journey in an emotionally satisfying way.The Rainbow Child is born, and the true nature of Rapture is revealed.
Mystery: The government agents are gone, but Samantha is trapped in the lab at the top of the mountain. She’s also the de facto Cult Leader.
Villain’s Plan: Samantha contemplates a self-induced abortion, but instead gives birth to the Rainbow Child, who’s father is ________ as ________ and _________ and ______ watch on.
Mystery: Samantha gives birth to the Rainbow Child. Did anyone REALLY DIE?Villain’s Plan: IS RAPTURE just that? And the Rainbow Child [i.e. dominion over psychic energy] is the ultimate escape plan?
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