Day 6 Assignments

[Dan Evans]

DAN’S DELIVERING MULTIPLE LAYERS!

What I learned doing this this
assignment is how much plot and even character can change through
setting up layers! I had one idea for characters, but after exploring
layers I was taken through a little journey that led me to a place
that gets me very excited about the story! The characters have
changed, but in a good way. These new revelations present their own
challenges, but they are challenges I am happy to explore.

Note: I have not discovered the
reveals, yet. I think I’m going to try letting the plot development
reveal those things to me.

CHARACTER

Surface Layer: Marsha is a Medium (like
her parents) & brought in to exorcise the spirits from an
apartment in which a horrific murder/suicide occurred.

Beneath That: Marsha is dead. She is
the last spirit that needs to be exorcised. She’s also the one who
murdered her family and killed herself.

How Revealed:

CHARACTER

Surface Layer: Mable is a lowly
landlord who brings in Marsha to exorcise spirits from the apartment
so she may rent out the space.

Beneath That: Mable is Marsha’s mother
who is trying to get Marsha’s spirit to succumb to the devil.

How Revealed:

PLOT

Surface Layer: Marsha is sent in to
exorcise spirits of people who were murdered in the apartment and
currently haunt it.

Beneath That: Marsha is the spirit that
haunts the place and is tortured by the devil. She killed her family
and herself, and the devil wants her, but she won’t let go.

How Revealed:

LOCATION

Surface Layer: Apartment haunted by
spirits of a family who died there.

Beneath That: The apartment is not
haunted by spirits of the people…it is possessed by the devil. It
is a portal to hell.

How Revealed:

[Mark Hawk]

Mark Hawk’s Delivering Multiple Layers!

What I learned doing this assignment is that the details and timing of reveals can create additional conflict and friction for the story.

Plot Layers:

Surface Layer: An unknown substance is brought up in an ice core drill.

Beneath That: The substance is part of a much larger alien observation device that has been observing Earth and the evolving life.

How Revealed: The part of the alien device that was brought to the surface tries return. When it can’t accidents start happening. The mass of the alien device begins to shift and move to retrieve the portion that is on the surface.

Character Layers:

Surface Layer: Marta appears to be nothing more than a good maintenance worker. She is agreeable and easy to work with.

Beneath That: Marta has a PhD in Applied Physics from Caltech and is generally the smartest person in the room yet never displays it.

How Revealed: Marta reveals her knowledge and intelligence when she thinks out loud that the sample may not be organic in nature because of the effect it has on various electronic devices.

Location Layers:

Surface Layer: The drill room is cold with ice on the floor even though there are walls and a large, vaulted tent ceiling.

Beneath That: Down the drill shaft is the alien device that is never seen.

How Revealed: The floor of the drill room starts to deform as the alien device begins to rescue the portion that was brought up with the core sample.

[Michael Masurkevitch]

Michael’s Layers

What I learned is that – hoooooboy, its a fascinating rabbit hole. When you start asking these questions, you can go anywhere from finding an extra layer to throw in for a bit more intrigue, to completely changing the nature of your story… its a very cool process, its a cool way to make yourself think about possibilities and implications, and make more complex realities come to life.

Major scheme revealed – what if Boss was planning on killing Gerry and George anyway, when they were to return with the cash, and Casey knew?

Mystery revealed – what happened to the money?

Thought it was one thing, but it is another – Some item in the Ashram was actually for metal detection or phoning the FBI or something?

Major shift in Meaning – a Buddha holds gold? A weapon becomes a tool for healing? George’s tech becomes a way to help?

Hidden history

Hidden plan – what if Casey planned to betray them anyway? At Ashram or later?

2. Brainstorm potential character layers.

Secret identity – Criminal could secretly be fbi…

*** what if Monk, or Guru, is former ____ or even a detective, and did the money thing?

New monk showed up the day before who is fed?

Guru used to be some kinda badass?

Intrigue layers – the ghost of Fred, the hidden money

Hidden relationships and conspiracies – Guru to Boss? Or to FBI or Both?

Hidden Character history – Yeah, this is big.

Casey – her murders and childhood, her belief that she is not worth saving

Gerry – their history of abuse, and inability to accept being loved

George – his estranged daughter, and search for meaning in life through drugs

3. Brainstorm potential location layers.

Hidden operation – what if the Ashram made drugs?

Or some other criminal operation that makes sense for a remote area?
Or even something simpler like, provides weather-data to the weather network, but the criminals see bits of whirring tech and get super suspicious

Deeper meaning – what if Ashram was… also a cemetery? Burial ground? Creepy, could add horror element…. Portal to another realm? Might be too much… its already a place of spiritual healing…

Trap to draw prey – they are pretty remote so unlikely, although what a wild idea, “people come to heal their souls but they leave their souls behind” haha wow

Unique sub-world – the world of meditation, chakras, spirituality, kundalini

4. Tell us about the layers you’ve chosen.

Surface Layer: Three criminals wind up in a remote ashram on their escape from a heist. Part way through the money goes missing – then the boss comes to collect

Beneath That:
– three tortured souls that don’t know they are in need of healing, come to a sacred place to be changed forever.
– The unassuming guru is also an ex-criminal, who is recognized by the boss when the boss comes calling.
– Strange tech whirs in secret parts of the ashram – the criminals think its surveillance but actually its to record weather data

The guru took their money and gave it back to the FBI in exchange for dropping investigation

How Revealed:

Their history starts to leak out in flashbacks and confessions, breakdowns and emotions, growing their personality.

Also George gets into the kundalini stuff and his mind is blown, so then we explore it by him trying to tell Casey and Gerry and them getting annoyed

Casey sees machines and gets paranoid, tells the others, but they can’t find it.
Then sees a monk go to the machines, and pulls out a gun – only for the monk to show its weather data

When the boss shows up, asks why Gerry and George are still alive and Casey admits that she knew they were to be betrayed

An old chest with guns is found, and they start to suspect the guru – then the Boss recognizes guru right before the final showdown.

At the end, when they are leaving, they talk about being in hiding – Guru says, money was returned in exchange for dropped charges. They are like “why didn’t you say so?” and guru is like, “it wasn’t time to tell you.”

[Madeleine Vessel]

Madeleine Vessel’s Delivering Multiple Layers.

What I learned doing this assignment is this: Considering multiple layers in terms of plot, character, and location not only adds interest to the story, but it also helps flesh out the outline of the story. I’m really getting excited.

These are the layers I’ve chosen.

Plot layers:

1.

· Surface layer. Lilith agrees to help police officer Duncan deescalate the hostage situation.

· Beneath that. Lilith actually wishes Tristan were dead.

· How revealed. When she escalates the situation, hoping Duncan will have to shoot Tristan.

2.

· Surface layer. Duncan convinces Dory and Tristan to enter the backseat of the police unit ostensibly to transport them to the hospital and get Tristan back on his medication before he hurts someone.

· Beneath that. Duncan wants to get Dory out of Tristan’s clutches.

· How revealed. When Dory obediently gets into the backseat and then Tristan, Duncan yanks Dory’s door open and pulls her to safety.

3.

· Surface layer. The police believe that Tristan has a knife in the hand he’s holding to Dory’s throat, so does she.

· Beneath that, Tristan is carrying nothing in his hand.

· How revealed. When he lets go of Dory, so she can get into the police unit, we realize that he’s carrying nothing in his hand.

4.

· Surface layer. Duncan displays perspiring, shaking, etc. Con thinks he may have food poisoning.

· Beneath that, Duncan has PTSD.

· How revealed. Duncan tells Con he can’t get a previous hostage situation out of his head.

5.

· Surface layer. All are strangers to one another except Tristan and Lilith.

· Beneath that, Con recognizes Tristan as someone he knew in college just before he had a psychotic break.

· How revealed. When Con arrives as a fire fighter, Con realizes immediately what he’s up against and calls the police to negotiate the situation.

Character Layers:

1.

· Surface layer. Dory is a competent swimming pool manager, used to cheerfully handling all kinds of people.

· Beneath that, Dory is depressed.

· How revealed. Dory tells Tristan she understands what it means to have your whole life go to hell. She tells him she has just seen her fiancé cheating on her on nationwide TV. She bursts into sobs.

2.

· Surface layer. Duncan is an effective police officer.

· Beneath that. Duncan has PTSD, the result of a previous, failed hostage negotiation.

· How revealed. He trembles, perspires heavily, covers his eyes to protect them from the flash of gunfire.

3.

· Surface layer. Lilith is a caring sister eager to help the police deescalate the hostage situation.

· Beneath that. Lilith hates Tristan and wants him dead.

· How revealed. She does everything she can to escalate the situation, so Duncan will shoot Tristan.

4.

· Surface layer. Con steps back from the negotiation.

· Beneath that. Con actually cares about everyone’s well-being.

· How revealed. Con drags Lilith away screaming, but once she is away from the hostage scene, he comforts her. He understands her frustration. He shares with her his own struggle with a brother now in prison for a violent crime.

· How revealed. Realizing Duncan shows symptoms of PTSD, Con counsels him, tries to convince him to either stand down or do what has to be done.

· How revealed. Knowing Dory’s background, having seen her fiancé on nationwide TV with another woman, he cuts off her engagement ring near the end of the story.

Location Layers:

1.

· Surface Layer. Police unit

· Beneath that. The vehicle represents a vehicle for transporting criminals to jail.

· Beneath that. The police unit becomes a sort of ambulance to transport Dory and Tristan to a hospital.

· Beneath that. The police unit is a place of rescue.

· How revealed. Dory and Tristan both enter the back seat (cage) of the police unit. At the last minute, Dory is pulled out of the police unit in one fell swoop. She is saved from Tristan. Tristan, still in the cage, travels to the hospital. He, too, is saved.

2.

· Surface layer. Swimming pool.

· Beneath that. It’s a place of recreation and freedom.

· How revealed. At the start of the story, Dory is cleaning up toys left by children the day before. Later, she swims laps.

3.

· Surface layer. Swimming pool.

· Beneath that. It’s a place where drowning and death are possible.

· How revealed. Tristan comes on the scene and makes Dory get out of the pool and stay far away from it because he’s afraid she’ll drown. He doesn’t want her to die.

4.

· Surface layer. Street intersection.

· Beneath that. The street is where the hostage situation plays out. Almost everyone involved is at one kind of crossroad or another.

· How revealed. Tristan wants to be medicated, so he doesn’t hurt anyone. He’s also clearly terrified of everyone offering help, except Dory.

· How revealed. Dory wavers between wanting to die and wanting to live.

· How revealed. Duncan battles PTSD as he tries to negotiate Tristan’s surrender.

· How revealed. At first Lilith agrees to help the police. Then she wants Tristan dead and tries to escalate the hostage situation.

[Monica Arisman]

Subject: Monica Delivering Multiple Layers!

What I learned doing this assignment

1. Brainstorm potential plot layers.

Major scheme revealed: Usher in the 1000 years of peace with the
second coming of Christ
Mystery revealed: Maybe the
mother is the anti-Christ
Thought it was one thing, but
it is another: Thought that Christ is a man but this time around is a
woman – as Christ is an office – not a specific gender.
Major shift in Meaning: Thought
the mother just wanted her daughter to know her father but really she
wanted her daughter to take over the spiritual direction of society
Hidden history: Daughter starts to go through the secret
archives and discovers the multitude of lies the church has been teaching
the world – she now has proof.
Hidden plan: The new Pope and
the new Christ have to team up to beat the anti-Christ.

2. Brainstorm potential character layers.

Secret identity: The mother is
really the anti-Christ.
Intrigue layers: Satanic cult; paranormal
activity – ghosts of popes
Hidden relationships and
conspiracies:
Hidden Character history: The
daughter is supposedly the Second Coming of Christ and the new Pope is
supposedly the anti-Christ.

3. Brainstorm potential location layers.

Hidden operation: Team up to
stop the anti-Christ.
Deeper meaning: Bond between father
and daughter starts to form.
Trap to draw prey: Draw her to
the Last Judgement altar in the Sistine Chapel
Unique sub-world: The secret
world of the Vatican.

4. Tell us about the layers you’ve chosen. Use this format with each of them:

Surface Layer: The Vatican
Beneath That: The crypt where all the previous popes
are buried
How Revealed: The mother is planting bombs amongst the
tombs to bring the Vatican crashing to the ground – she’s caught. The
ghosts of the dead popes harasses her.

[Hope McPherson]

Hope’s delivering multiple layers

What I learned: This was an interesting assignment. As I brainstormed, several of the scenes to come – and the outline to come – began to emerge. I loved the act of discovery and I loved knowing that nothing is locked in at this point. I can and will continue to explore and discover as I shore up the evolving story.

Plot layers:

· Surface layer: Countess Rowena is kidnapped and held for $5 million.

· Beneath that: Countess Rowena is a broke hacker/orphan.

· How revealed: She confesses to Roger when he wants to sacrifice his life to save hers.

Character layers:

· Surface layer: Countess Rowena is a wealthy heiress.

· Beneath that: Countess Rowena is a hacker/foster kid who aged out of the system.

· How revealed: She confesses to Roger when he wants to sacrifice his life for hers.

Location layers:

· Surface layer: A university closed for Christmas break.

· Beneath that: The place where Ruby was abandoned as a newborn; and years later, where Ruby and kidnapper Hugh’s daughter attended the same class.

· How revealed: At the end, when Ruby explains why she was “coming home”; and when Hugh mentions the high cost of tuition at the school.

[Mark Lynch]

What I learned doing this assignment: It makes the story more complex and dynamic.

Marc Lynch Delivering Multiple Layers

Character Layers: Helen

Surface: A loner and a self-destructive teenager.

Beneath: An A student but lazy

Beneath that: A real fighter and not “quitter.” Very self-reliant.

How revealed: A conversation she has with her father on the drive from the airport to her new home.

Also, how she reacts to adversity in the desert wilderness.

Location Layers:

Surface: The New Mexico Wilderness is peaceful and natural.

Beneath: A vicious mountain lion terrorizes all humans who enter her territory.

Beneath that: When Helen arrives into the New Mexico wilderness it changes the tone of the story changes from “realism” to “magical realism.”

How revealed: As Helen walks the wilderness looking for medical assistance for her injured Father, animals, trees, cactus talk to Helen. This technique helps expose Helen’s internal conflict.

Plot Layers:

Surface: Helen is sent by her mother to live with her father after being expelled from school.

Beneath: Helen goes on a hot air balloon test run with her father days before the balloon festival is to begin.

Beneath that: Her father blacks out from a medical condition during the test run. Helen cannot fly the balloon and crashes it in the mountain wilderness.

How revealed: Helen survives the balloon crash but realizes her father has lost consciousness. Helen starts to walk into the wilderness looking for help.

[Micah Delhauer]

MICAH’S DELIVERING MULTIPLE LAYERS!

What I learned doing this assignment is that each exercise is worth doing even if you only get one new idea out of it.

Surface Layer: Jennifer is a high class prostitute

Beneath That: Jennifer is a married woman

Beneath That: Jennifer is keeping her job and past secret from her husband.

How Revealed: First, Jennifer eyes her wedding ring while she’s in the bathroom, unable to bring herself to sleep with her client; then, while Jennifer is scrambling to dispose of her client’s body, she gets a call from her husband who says he’s coming home early.

Surface Layer: an opulent bedroom in a brothel

Beneath That: actually the bedroom in Jennifer and Richard’s summer cabin

How Revealed: Once she learns her husband is on his way home, Jennifer quickly strips down cabin, revealing a rustic summer home with pictures of herself and Richard everywhere.

[Frank Kim]

Assignment 1

Brainstorm potential plot layers.

· Major scheme: Officer Espinoza is actually trying to recruit Jordan. Cesar has set a trap to destroy his enemy.

· Mystery revealed: Roy seems to be staying sober and he’s holding down his job, but something is off to Jordan. Maybe Roy seems like he’s withholding something. Or there’s a slight inconsistency in something Roy said and his actions.

· Not one thing, it’s another: It’s not just an AA meeting, it’s an information-gathering session for Jordan.

· Major shift in meaning: Jordan is not helping his sponsees, he’s driving them toward addiction.

· Hidden history: Jordan’s abuse of power in D.C.

· Hidden plan: Cesar has set a trap for Jordan in his very own 12-step meeting hall. Espinoza is shadowing Jordan to evaluate him for possible membership into the BLM organization.

Assignment 2

Brainstorm potential character layers.

· Secret identity: Jordan is a masked vigilante. Espinoza is working for another organization. Roy is hiding the extent of his drug abuse.

· Intrigue layers: Roy sells out his friend to Cesar in exchange for drugs. Espinoza is closing in on Jordan.

· Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Roy is getting drugs from Cesar. There is a conspiracy in the police department.

· Hidden character history: Jordan’s addiction to physical violence.

Assignment 3

Brainstorm potential location layers.

· Hidden operation: a bunker somewhere where the BLM org is headquartered. Cesar’s base is a seemingly innocent looking business or store or domicile.

· Deeper meaning: a Narcotics Anonymous meeting hall that is a vigilante base, and then becomes a drug and alcohol-laden trap for Jordan.

· Trap to draw prey: yup, the NA meeting hall. And Roy himself is a trap for Jordan.

· Unique sub-world: an underground base for BLM activists that are taking a more active role in transforming police from within.

Assignment 4

Tell us about the layers you’ve chosen. Use this format with them:

Surface layer: a group of Narcotics Anonymous members who meet a couple of times a week to support each others’ sobriety.

Beneath that: It’s a base of operations for one of the members to wage a campaign of violence and terror against drug dealers and bad influences in the lives of his sponsees.

How revealed: Through a scene where a masked vigilante brutalizes a low-level drug dealer to the vigilante hiding in a park and taking off his mask, and match cutting to the man leading an NA meeting.

What I learned from doing this assignment is:

I learned that my brain is starting to get this because I had already answered a lot of these question in my story before I did the assignments. And where I hadn’t already created solutions, this structure for creating deeper meanings was really useful. I found that I could imagine the world of this story in greater detail and depth.