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Day 6 Assignments
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What I learned doing this assignment is…you just have to start typing for a few minutes to get more on the page.
Start with the Character Arc and the list of Old Ways and New Ways.
Katie needs to be herself.
OLD WAYS
She’s living a lie that’s exposed on a social media stream.
She has to tell her kids, family, and friends the truth.
She experiences humiliation.
Her brand suffers.
She loses followers.
She loses respect for herself.
NEW WAYS
She sets up a different platform (dating, divorce) but then later adapts.
She gains followers, true friends, and support.
She must reject her husband’s proposal to stay married.
3. Make a list of 6 – 8 changes or steps that need to happen for that character to go from who they are in the beginning (Old Ways) to who they are in the ending (New Ways).
Katie must face the humiliation.
She must lose everything she has worked for.
Her brand has to suffer for her to find true happiness in her work.
She must find herself.
She must commit to living her life, free of others’ approval.
She must continue her new life even after her husband proposes to go back to the norm.
4. Sequence the steps from easiest to most difficult. This will imply the journey the character takes.
She starts off in denial with a fake social media image.
Her husband comes out of the closet in the most humiliating way possible, during a live stream.
She tries damage control but it doesn’t work.
Her image and brand suffers.
She loses respect for herself.
She loses followers and has to find a way to get those followers back.
She sets up another page trying to exploit the dating in your 40s.
She is still unhappy and living for the approval of others.
5. Brainstorm dramatic events or tests that could cause those changes for the character.
She meets someone who challenges her actions.
Katie must determine what’s best for her.
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I learned that writing a story can be broken down into essential, easy to understand components and I can have confidence by applying the system, it’s surprisingly easy, with the 30% rule top of mind.
Protagonist – Kayla
Old ways – Fearful, co-dependent, low self esteem, lonely, depressed, controlling
New Ways – Assertive, self possessed, honest, energized
List of steps:
1. Recognize that she is alone now, the past is gone
2. Steps into new city, new job, new apt.
3. Struggles mercilessly with job, making friends, dating.
4. Realizes death isn’t an answer, she wants to live, let’s go.
5. Gives up her fear and tries honesty and courage.
6. Sees some success with clients and dating, friends
7. Faces her worst fears and survives
8. Finds herself, then love and work that could fulfill her
Tests/Examples:
1. Tries to crawl into grave with her mother. Minister helps her with job and apt in city.
2. Faces awful experiences at job with clients, tries to quit but is unable to. Embarrassing attempts to make friends.
3. Makes a friend of her neighbor.
4. Decorates her apt., agrees to 10 online dates.
5. Finds attraction with man, starts to date. Progress with a few inmate/clients.
6. Faces reality when date cheats/dumps her and a prison riot erupts and a client his killed.
7. Fights for change at prison, quits.
8. 10th date / new job. New self.
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Rachel’s Transformational Events
What I learned:
It does become much less overwhelming when broken down into components and puzzle pieces that you can fit together. Plus with this kind of puzzle, there isn’t just ONE way the pieces all fit together. There can be many different ways as the story takes shape.
I don’t think I have this assignment completely figured out yet, and maybe did it wrong…still messy and clunky.
But progress is happening and things are becoming more concrete!
Old Ways:
– Vic is hobbled by grief, self-pity, and the past
– Uncomfortable trying to be a parent
– Fearful of risk and overly concerned for Sarah’s safety
– projecting her insecurities onto those around her
– feeling adrift, like she doesnt belong
– stuck in the past, unable to move forward
New Ways:
– grounded, adaptable, able to think forward and make changes in how she does things and relates to people
– feeling that she is “home”; sense of belonging
– understands what’s truly important in life
– can step confidently into the role of parent
– secure in her sense of self, able to meet others on their own ground
Changes and steps from old ways to new ways:
I do not yet know the order of easiest to most difficult.
1. Understand that it’s okay to grieve but to also keep living in the present
2. See Sarah as her own person, not just an extension of her father
3. Channel her protectiveness over Sarah into the ways she does need it (against her crazy mother)
4. See that she and Sarah are not each other’s antagonists after all
5. Be willing to sacrifice her safety to protect Sarah
6. Accept that their life and future will be different than before their loss, and that they can still find good things in it together.
7. Be willing to fight to keep something (her family)
Brainstorm dramatic events or tests that could cause those changes for the character.
– Vic finds that someone has cut down fences in their pasture and set a bunch of horses loose
– their barn is set on fire
– when Vic still refuses to sell the ranch, she gets shot at while out working in the hills by herself
– Sarah figures out how to push Vic’s buttons and make her feel like an outsider
– Vic and Sarah have a major falling out/argument, saying things they regret, the equivalent of ‘I wouldn’t care if you were dead’
– Vic finds the ransom note and realizes she really does care about Sarah’s safety/welfare and that this is important enough to her to really make a big change
– Vic finds out that Sarah has been aiding her mother in the sabotage attempts, and was the one to leave the ransom note (she was duped into helping her mother, but still…)
– Vic has a chance to escape from Catherine, but returns to make sure Sarah has escaped – the final, most difficult, and most significant step in her parenthood journey
– later on, as they begin their “life after”, Vic lets Sarah help her work with the horses.
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I learned: that each of these exercises builds upon each other – and these building blocks can only help me – but first I must help myself by trying my best not to procrastinate, procrastination being my greatest weakness and my greatest enemy as of late.
Protagonist – Bobby
Old Ways: Troublemaker, low-self esteem, ignorant, chaotic, pessimistic
New Ways: Maturity milestone, knowledgeable, optimistic, hopeful
List of steps:
1. Learns that a life of crime is not the path for him – he wants to do better, he wants to be better
2. Battles a lot of inner strife, he knows his mother is not right in the head but he doesn’t know what to do about it
3. Become a better student, try to be the son his father would be proud of
4. Discover that he cannot trust his friends or his mother – who is his true mentor? It’s not the gang member he idolizes but his arts teacher Mrs. Williams
5. Takes a step back from his gang friends and tries to be engaged in school and the arts
6. Gets in trouble with both his gang friends and his mother – who finds his friend’s drug stash
7. Starts believing in himself, his mother gets taken away from him and he starts a new life on the other side of town with his father, and his father’s family
Tests/Examples:
1. Wants to be a part of something so he joins a gang – they introduce him to petty crime and other mischief
2. Has some close calls with getting caught – almost goes to juvie and sees a friend die in a freight train hijacking gone wrong
3. Confides in a teacher at school – Mrs. Williams – she tries to convince him to join after school arts activities
4. His friends make fun of him for his interests at school – he agrees to stash drugs at his home for his friends
5. Discovers he likes the arts and wants out of his friends gang activities
6. Chaos ensues when his mother finds the drug stash at home – they argue she tries to burn him with a hot iron in the shape of a cross – he runs away
7. He has no one to turn to – he confides in Mrs. Williams, his mother is taken away
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What I learned: 3 things that Hal said ring true for me in this assignment:
1- this will evolve, one step at a time.
2 – Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, keep writing
3 – You never know when those “Eureka moments” are going to manifest.
I came up with at least 3 things in this assignment that are going to be really strong moments in the film. The dry bones are starting to come together into livng skeletons. Good thing I’m writing a horror/thriller!
Chuck’s old ways (in no particular order):
– Argues with wife trying to explain his way, feeling totally justified, doing everything to try to make her see, but instead of building bridges, it feels like he’s must’ve just built a wall.
– Doesn’t want to learn how to use the new GPS’s or the new Iphones. Happy with an old-fashioned map.
– Afraid of failing his wife. Afraid his early-retirement was more of a form of quitting than it was a victory.
– When faced with his shortcomings, he gets fearful, then defensive, then angry, then doesn’t stop to think or seek help, but instead, hastily jumps into A-mode.
New ways:
– takes time to be still and listen, and look around at all the options.
– Sees wife as a wise helper/partner, as opposed to a burden.
– Accepts his shortcomings and can reach out for assistance; even from those younger than him.
– not afraid of new technology, and will accept it for what its worth, and try to learn how to use it.
STEPS:
– his first thought is to escape/outrun, throw the ghost-car off course, but that doesn’t work because the ghost car has an updated GPS, and he doesnt. But he remains in denial, highlighting his stubborness.
– his 2nd thought (but his wife’s first thought) is to call the police. But when the police can’t find the car, he feels made a fool of. He says he’s not going to contact authorities again without proof of some sort, which starts a fight with his wife.
– his 3rd thought is to sabotage the car. but if he did it entirely his way, it is clear it would backfire. But because of something his wife suggested, he modifies his approach, and it succeeds. This makes him feel justified, affirming his lack of trust in the new-tech. (He doesn’t give his wife credit for her part of the solution)
– When the kid appears and starts chasing them in his own car, it is a metaphoric manifestation of the struggle between the old generation and the new generation. Chuck can’t blame technology anymore. Now its about an age-ist prejudice of values. Which generation is the “real America”? Which one is “valid/important” to society? Both sides are wondering who is “worthy of survival” and are put to the test in a duel.
– When he runs over a flurry of rocks (that the kid setup as a trap), and then his steering doesn’t work, he flies into a fit of rage, humiliating himself in front of his wife. This makes us wonder what is the deeper cause of so much rage? (wife knows its his fear of inadequacy)
– The kid will leave them stranded in the desert, and drive off and he has to protect his wife against the wildlife of the desert for a night. This highlights his fear of not having the tools and skills to take care/protect/provide for his wife with basics of food, water and shelter.
– He might risk killing the kid when the kid sabotages their RV, but his wife’s pleas hold him back from going that far. This highlights his problem of not listening to his wife.
– Considers buying a gun at a pawn shop, but he’s never owned a gun before, and must ask the pawn shop owner for advice on how to use it. This highlights his feelings like if he has to ask for help/advice, he’s a failure. But its practice for the next two things he has to ask advice on:
– must take time to sit and learn a new app from a youngster that will help him track the kid.
– must take time to sit and learn from his wife about the potential psychology of their enemy and how to “reach” him.
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LIAM’S TRANSFORMATIONAL EVENTS
It’s interesting to me that while I had a bunch of scenes in mind throughout the story, I didn’t have any real transformative qualities attached to any of them. Running through this exercise helped me consider the poles that are holding up the fabric of the transformation. Cool stuff.
LAUREN KILKENNY’S OLD WAYS
Numbing her pain and fear with opium
Ashamed of her Native American blood
Always looking outside to others for help
LAUREN KILKENNY’S 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.Some steps along the way in her transformation, in pretty much chronological order:
See that there’s something out there that can balance the evil of the vampires
In Act I, the nuttiness that ensues that night, she sees John Kelley in action against Jean Cayatte.
Quit the drugs
In Acts I and II, especially as she nears the Homestead Conflict at the midpoint
Accept that vampires exist
Seeing the way WIL TUCKER is killed in the saloon, and realizes that the monsters are real.
Take some pride in her appearance (the logical upshot of gaining some self esteem)
Act II, as she and Ben are riding, she cleans herself up at a river, at first to put some cold water on her face, which burns from the withdrawals
Show the first hint of leadership
When KATE BOGGINS offers to help out and Ben refuses. Lauren overrides him and says absolutely.Admit that she killed Father Byrne, but didn’t bring on the plague
In Act Two, in conversation with Ben Wheeler.
Discover that she has strength and can hurt the vampires
In the Homestead Ambush scene, she tries out the wooden stake to the heart idea, and discovers it works.
Accept the Native American side of her life
After the Homestead Massacre, she’s told of the history of the Apaches and vampires, and is given a hint at who her father was.
Make a choice about her own fate and not depend on someone else
After the midpoint, she tells Kelley that he’s not going to fight Cayatte alone, and the others follow her lead.
Learn the ways of the Threshold
At the entrance to the mine, in Act III, when John Kelley gives her a primer on the weapons of the Threshold.
Choose to sacrifice her own life and become the ultimate expression of a hero
In the battle at the end, when all is lost and they’re trying to run away, she realizes that she has an opportunity to go back and light that fuse, sacrificing herself but destroying Cayatte and the vampires.
Commit to the fight, both in the immediate and in a long-term way.
Conrad Parsons’ thunderous speech in the wake of his daughter’s disappearance inspires her to join the posse. Or try to.
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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
Make a list of 6 – 8 changes or steps that need to happen for that character to go from who they are in the beginning (Old Ways) to who they are in the ending (New Ways)
1. He needs to gain self-confidence
2. He needs to be able to stand up for himself
3. He needs to be able to go for what he wants
4. He needs to become his own man
5. He needs stand up to his dad
6. He needs to give himself approval rather than needing it from others
7. He needs to take ownership of his own choices and life
Brainstorm dramatic events or tests that could cause those changes for the character.
1. Danny is invited to go skeet shooting. He is nervous about it, but it turns out he’s a natural
2. Danny tries to fight Rooster and Patch when they threaten his family. He gets all hell beat out of him, but he feels better about himself for having done it
3. Danny dresses himself all up to go get that bank loan … that he doesn’t get
4. Danny will have to make a choice – kill his father to save the sheriff
5. He’ll have to circle back to someone from the beginning where once he needed their approval he now doesn’t. Still working on this one, but it will show the full growth in the aftermath of it all
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