-
Day 1 Assignments
Reply to post your work.
-
8 Replies
-
Tara’s transformational journey
I learned that confidence is easy to find and hold onto, and that I can have fun with my ideas just by letting go of needing anything specific from my writing other than to enjoy it and entertain myself.
1. My hero is a 38 yr old woman, Kayla, from a small town who has recently moved to the city and has a new career working as a social worker at a jail. She longs for love.
Internal journey: From naive and insecure to confident and strong
External journey: Small town innocent looking for love without a defined self to a strong, self assured woman with the love of her life.
2. Old Ways: Insecure, people pleaser, boundary-less, naive, fantasy based
New Ways: Confident, wise, boundaried, reality based, secure
-
Joe’s Transformational Journey
What I learned doing this assignment is to not fear my writer voice but to embrace it – and just as my character will embark on journeys, I will as well with my writing.
1. Bobby is a twelve-year old boy on the cusp of adolescence. He still has some childhood innocence and is looking to lose it – he wants to be grown up so bad he will do just about anything.
Internal journey: From troubled and childish to empathetic and generous.
External journey: Young troubled boy who hangs with the wrong crowds grows up into a thoughtful and accountable young teen.
2. Old Ways: Troublemaker, low-self esteem, ignorant, chaotic, pessimistic
New Ways: Empowered, knowledgeable, serene, optimistic, hopeful
-
Will’s Transformational Journey
What I learned… As often happens, it’s worthwhile to try and distill just a couple basic waypoints in a character’s journey, and the more disparate they are, the more inherently compelling I find the arc.
LAUREN KILKENNY is seventeen and an outcast in Ambition, Arizona; born to an Irish father and a Navajo mother, who spends much of her time in a Laudanum stupor, unaware of her role in a fight against a centuries’-old evil.
INTERNAL JOURNEY: From a self-pitying outcast to a confident woman who has the strength to assume an enormous responsibility.
EXTERNAL JOURNEY: From drug-addled loner to a leader in the fight against evil.
OLD WAYS
- Numbing her pain and fear with opium
- Ashamed of her Navajo blood
- Always looking outside to others for help
NEW WAYS
- Sober and clear-eyed
- Proud of her heritage and finding a balance between the two halves
- Accepting a role in leading others herself
-
Rachel’s transformational journey
I learned that it is okay to allow myself to feel empowered about writing, to not be afraid of writing something imperfect (see: this assignment), but to write the imperfect and let it breathe and evolve. And hoo boy, is it going to be imperfect at the beginning…
HERO:
VICTORIA (33) is a grieving widow struggling to parent her troubled stepdaughter while running their family ranch in 1900s Colorado.
INTERNAL JOURNEY:
From feeling that she doesn’t belong, to grounded and “home”.
EXTERNAL JOURNEY:
From stuck in her ways and hobbled by the past, to resilient and able to face the present with confidence.
OLD WAYS:
– projecting insecurities onto those around her
– blinded by self-pity and grief
– feeling adrift, like she doesn’t belong
– stuck in the past, unable to move forward and live in the present
NEW WAYS:
– secure in her sense of self, able to meet others on their own ground
– confident, forward-thinking
– grounded, adaptable
– feeling that she is “home” and finding a sense of belonging in her blended family
-
In the first script, I learned that the importance of the “inner” and the “outer” journeys can vary, so long as there is at least some of both at the beginning. My main character’s inner journey in my one script is a small one, and the main character’s inner journey in my other script is extremely important to the movie: its the main meat/message. Good to ponder that and be ok with that at the very beginning. On the 2nd script I learned that putting the soul into my main character is more important right now than putting the skin and bones on them.
SCRIPT 1 – “TREK”
2. Who is your Hero and what is their Character Arc that represents a transformation?
Internal Journey: Intentionally putting “Looking out for the safety of his wife” as a priority over “looking out for the safety of his winnebago.”
External Journey: Surviving the attacks of their pursuer and getting him and his wife to California safely.
3. What are the Old Ways and New Ways?
Old ways: self-centered, focusing on petty problems and losing the joy of life. Being ruled by anger and fear.
New ways: Seeing his place in the grand scheme of things, and seeking a better solution by not leaning on his own understanding.
SCRIPT 2: THE SEARCH FOR THE WINTER WARLOCK:
2. Who is your Hero and what is their Character Arc that represents a transformation?
Internal Journey: Discovering the true value of older family members. They’re not just a burden on society. They have irreplaceable value.
External Journey: Discovering the deeper meaning behind cryptic entries in an otherwise monotonous farmers journal.
3. What are the Old Ways and New Ways?
Old ways… self-centered. The world exists for his own amusement/pleasure/satisfaction. What else is there, when you boil it all down?
New ways… making others happy because he actually cares about them as much as he cares about himself.
-
What I learned doing this assignment is…it doesn’t take that long to post these notes on the forum.
Who is your Hero and what is their Character Arc that represents a transformation? My hero is a female, 40s, with a perfect image who must find herself after divorce.
Internal Journey: Discovering her identity
External Journey: Divorce
3. What are the Old Ways and New Ways? Her old ways are meeting the needs of others, picture prefect image, no boundaries. New ways are discovering herself, likes, dislikes, and a new way of life.
-
Karen’s Transformational Journey
As someone who is new to screenwriting, I learned the tremendous value in approaching a story with this kind of structure. It helped me consider major aspects of my characters and their stories. Thank you!
KATE is a tightly wound forty-something corporate exec and solo parent who finds her self-worth in her accomplishments, always striving to exceed expectations and check all the boxes. An introvert masquerading as an extrovert.
INTERNAL JOURNEY:
· From a striving-to-prove-herself cynic living life the way she thinks she should to a self-aware, joyful person living life on her terms.
· From walking on eggshells to speaking her truth
· From outer turmoil to inner peace
EXTERNAL JOURNEY:
· From corporate exec to published author
· From co-dependent to independent relationships with her children
OLD WAYS
· Gossiping, complaining, bitter, negative
· Enables her adult children’s dysfunction
NEW WAYS
· Encouraging, uplifting, fun, lighthearted, hopeful
· Facilitates her adult children’s autonomy
Quick note: I am playing catch-up after an absence that was necessitated by the flu. Ugh. All good now and eager to get to work!
-
What I learned doing this assignment is: It’s easier to break this down into bits rather than trying to come up with something brilliant from the start.
Character: Danny Sinclair is a 22-year-old kid who has enough emotional baggage to check at an airport. The son of a convicted criminal, his childhood was tumultuous and unstable. Since then, he’s never been able to find his way.
Internal Journey: From a mousy kid who lacks the conviction of his dreams to a confident man who stands up for himself and others.
External Journey: From being the victim of a dysfunctional family to breaking that cycle by starting a family of his own.
Old Ways:
1. Timid, won’t stand up for himself
2. Afraid to tell the girl he loves how he feels
3. Desperate for his dad’s approval
4. Blames himself for his dad going to prison
New Ways:
1. Able to stand up to his father and anyone else who tries to manipulate or hurt others
2. Marries the girl he loves
3. Defines excellence for himself, doesn’t need his father’s approval
4. Accepts responsibility for his own life, not his father’s
Log in to reply.