Lesson 10

[Joan Butler]

What I learned:

Old way: I’ve always thought people would find my script boring. New way: Since I watched 12 Angry Men and did this assignment, I think some people might find it interesting.

QUESTION CHALLENGES

1. Old way

Elizabeth says Mark always protects her when she leaves the house, he sold her car because two cars are bad for the environment, and Mark’s friends are her friends.

Question

Selma: Mark doesn’t let you leave the house alone, he’s taken away your car, and you no longer have your own friends. Can you see how he’s isolated you?

2. Old way

Elizabeth says Mark always gives her the money she needs it he’s in a good mood.

Question

Why should you have to wait until he’s in a good mood? You’re an adult with a good income!

3. Old way

Selma: Do you give Mark whatever he wants, whenever he wants it?

Elizabeth: As much as I can. I want him to be happy.

Question

Selma: Did you know that abusive men think their wants and needs should always come before the needs of their wives and children, even when their children are babies?

4. Old way

Selma: Those are all qualities you admire, but when Mark’s with you, he has none of them.

Elizabeth: It’s just his way.

Question

Selma: So, when he’s with you, do you admire him?

New way

Elizabeth: Not really.

Double Question

Selma: How do you feel?

New way

Elizabeth: I guess I feel… sorry for him.

COUNTEREXPAMPLES

1. Old way

Elizabeth believes Mark does not use psychological violence against her.

Counterexample

Selma asks Elizabeth to listen for these “red flags” because they are some of the ways he controls her: put downs, sulking, fear, confusion, guilt, threats, and charm.

2. Old way

Elizabeth believes she loves Mark.

Counterexample

Selma: “Trauma bonds can feel like love, but they’re not. It’s the addiction.”

3. Old way

Selma believes she is not strong and powerful.

Counterexample

Gaia says “You damn well are” and reminds Selma broke her vow of always telling the truth in order to save Elizabeth.

4. Selma tries to convince Elizabeth that she has some of the qualities of Florence Nightingale. One of them is courage.

Counterexample

Elizabeth: I’m not brave. I’m always frightened.

Double Counterexample

Selma: Even so, you ran from Mark.

Triple Counterexample

Elizabeth: Only for a few days.

5. Another quality is wisdom.

Selma: You had an overnight case and our phone number ready so you were prepared to run.

Counterexample

Elizabeth: I should have created a safety plan with the police. I kept putting it off. Pretty stupid.

[Marilynne Hebert]

I think your story is shaping up nicely! You’ve come up with some good counterexamples.

[Bob Zaslow]

Day 10

Bob’s Questions and Counterexamples to an Old Way

What I learned doing this assignment was that my play gets its humor and drive from the bad deeds of my protagonist and change character, Malvolio. But it is helpful to me to see how the audience might react as his vengeance spirals ever deeper.

1. Old Way: Sir Toby and others humiliate Malvolio. Question: Does anyone deserve to be kidnapped for the ‘sin’ of excessive pride? Toby’s group was clearly wrong. Counterexample: Sir Toby’s group could have stopped at the forged love letter and left that as humiliation enough.

2. Old Way: Malvolio is outwardly confident that he is superior to everyone he encounters but landed gentry and royals. Question: Isn’t that ‘confidence’ really a subterfuge for lack of confidence in ever being good enough? Counterexample: Malvolio is overbearing, yes, but he’s also well-organized and does his overseeing the servants’ job very well. He would have no need to preen and brag if he were confident in his own powers. (But then I’d have no play.)

3. Old Way: Malvolio forges a letter exposing Maria’s marriage to Toby as fraudulent and therefore, her child as a bastard. Questions: How can you live with the shame of making a mother-to-be suffer? And is it really anything resembling a fair punishment for Maria’s role in the prank? Counterexample: Instead of aiming at Maria, perhaps he could focus his ire at her new husband, Sir Toby.

4. Old Way: Malvolio sets up a bogus real-estate deal and Sir Andrew invests and loses thousands of pounds. Questions: Does that punishment fit Andrew’s crime? And are you willing to risk jail for years if you’re found out? Counterexample- Malvolio returns the money (because he’s smart enough to know he’d be caught) exposing Andrew for a gullible dimwit.

5. Old Way: Malvolio eases up on a prank against Fabian, the baker, but his mill, in a fluke accident, gets burned down. Questions: When does revenge become blind revenge and spiral downward out of control? Does this incident convince him to stop this madness? Counterexample: It did convince him. It was the event that turned things from retribution to reparation, as Malvolio revealed his lies, gave back some of the money, and paid to rebuild Fabian’s mill…and then ran far away.

[Ashley Sarikaya]

Ashley’s Counterexamples

This assignment is helping me add more depth to each scene. I’m starting to find the film’s deeper truth. A lot of “ah ha” moments over the past few days. For this assignment, I’m focusing on one “old way” to keep it clear with already so many layers. But I’m sure I will add more as I progress with the script.

Old Way: Playing “small” keeps you safe.

Question Challenge 1: What’s the worst thing that can happen? You are already all alone and dead inside. Is an un-lived life better than death?

Question Challenge 2: How can you survive and ensure the survival of your son without a planet? Earth needs your gift to be reborn in the next cycle.

Question Challenge 3: Do people truly feel more safe without “the One” to deliver the new world?

Question Challenge 4: Why were you given this gift if not to develop it?

Question Challenge 5: How does playing small serve yourself, your son, and the world?

Counterexample 1: Itzamna (the Change Agent) doesn’t play small. He uses his musical and psychic talents to create lasting change in his community. Yes, there are obstacles, but using his gift is empowering.

Counterexample 2: Martin (the protagonist’s son) also has the gift to communicate with birds. And he is worshiped in the Mayan tribe when his gift is discovered.

Counterexample 3: Hiding her gift made her “disposable” without a job or tribe. “We don’t need another translater. We have Jeronimo.”

Counterexample 4: Malinche uses her gift to communicate with birds and the Mexica people feel more optimistic about the future and want her leadership.

Counterexample 5: Hernando has the gift of truth. He has traveled the world and experienced other cultures, and he knows that his God has many faces. When he doesn’t share the truth, Jeronimo instigates a massacre of the Mexica people.

[Vivien Le]

Vivien’s Counterexamples

What I learned doing this assignment is to understand the role the Change Agent plays in guiding the protagonist through her Transformation Journey.

QUESTION CHALLENGES

1. Old Way

One must always tell the truth. We must tell Mother about Anthony’s passing.

Challenge

“Supposed you know that Mother will take her own life if she knows that she’s lost her son, would you still tell her?”

This question will force Alicia to put herself in Mother’s shoes instead of focusing on her (Alicia’s) own beliefs.

2. Old Way

One knows what’s best for one’s parents. Father should let Mother know that he’s in the hospital. Mother wants to care for her husband.

Challenge

“You’ve lived away from Mother since you were 16, but maybe you have a different perspective as a child. Your mother and I have been married for 40 years; sometimes when you are too close to someone you lose perspective. How do you think your mother will react when she thinks that I may die from the heartache.”

This question makes Alicia question if knows Mother well.

3. Old Way

Walk away is the best way to avoid conflict. I’ll (Alicia) go home, and Father can deal with Mother about Anthony as he sees fit.

Challenge

“Avoiding conflict does not make the problem go away. In the end we’ll still need to reveal the truth to Mother. That’s what you want, right? What do you think if the two of us brainstorm some ways to help Mother cope before we tell her about Anthony?”

Father makes concession to Alicia. He acknowledges her need, showing that he understands her position. Alicia is likely to make concession to Father and agree with his proposal.

4. Old Way

One must be in control. We give Mother the story she wants to hear. We’ll come up with new stories as needed.

Challenge

“Mother has great anxiety about Anthony’s wellbeing. She’s fixated in bringing him home and there’s nothing we can do to talk her out of it, except to tell her the truth.”

This realisation makes Alicia see that her quick fix scheme to deceive Mother will not last long and that she’ll need to work with Father to come up with a long-term solution.

5. Old Way

One should let go of outdated traditions. We need to stop hiding bad news from Mother.

Challenge

“I can appreciate that your generation sees your parents’ beliefs as old fashioned, but the older we get, the more difficult it is to change. Your Mother’s temperament won’t change, are you willing to work around it?”

This statement shows Alicia that it’s fine to have a different point of view, but if she wants to help Mother then she needs to accept her the way she is.

COUNTER EXAMPLES

1. CHARACTER – Alicia’s sister Amanda

Amanda is Alicia’s older sister. She lives with her parents in Australia. Amanda is a nurse at an aged care facility. She’s compassionate and patient with her elderly patients. Amanda looks after her parents at home with the same gentle attitude. Mother loves her and listens to her because Amanda understands her.

2. CHARACTER – Anthony’s secret girlfriend Cindy

Cindy is free-spirited and open minded. She does not understand the Vietnamese culture but accepts its tradition (of protecting the elderly from adverse situation) because she loved Anthony and is eager to help his family through the crisis.

3. DIALOGUE

Alicia believes that she must have strong opinions if she were to win her family over. Father and Amanda remind her time over again that the best way to win people over is to make them part of the solution.

4. EXPERIENCE

Alicia insists that Mother knows about Father’s heart attack and hospitalisation. She wants the family to include Mother in important family’s decisions. But when Alicia takes Mother to see Father in the hospital, Mother becomes frantic. She’s convinced that Father’s health will worsen and that she may lose him. She unwittingly creates chaos within her family and indirectly causes Father’s health to worsen.

5. EXPERIENCE

Alicia believes that she could discuss with Mother logically, but she learns that Mother is guided by emotion, not logic. When Mother plans to go to Vietnam to look for Anthony, Alicia tells her that she does not have Anthony’s address. But Mother is not deterred. She says that Father will provide the information to her, then she goes to the travel agency to get her ticket to Vietnam. Mother has faith that Father would give her the support she needs as always. Nothing is impossible to her.

[Hope McPherson]

Hope’s counterexamples

What I learned: Once I got started, this was fun to do. I can see how these add a new layer of depth to the blah first draft.

Charlie’s old way: Make $1 million by the time she’s 25 years old to achieve success.

Question challenge

Her mother, a B-movie actress asks her: LOIS: “Do you remember TRIGGER SAFETY?

CHARLIE: How could I forget? You left before I woke up for school and got home when I was finishing my homework before bed.

LOIS: I did it for you, you know.

CHARLIE: And to get into People Magazine.

LOIS: That, too. But that money is gone. So is the fame. What’s also gone is any chance of us being friends.

CHARLIE: I didn’t want a friend. I needed a mom.

LOIS: Be careful what you’re investing in now, Charlie.

Question challenge

AMBER: What are you waiting for? Put this farm out of its misery and finish making that million.

CHARLIE: Then what?

AMBER: You start on your second million!

CHARLIE: That doesn’t sound as amazing as it used to.

AMBER: But your medical bills … How else will you –

CHARLIE: I don’t know. But I’m starting to see what Great Aunt Charlotte saw in this place.

Question challenge

DANIEL: This is the offer you’ve been waiting for. What’s the problem?

JED: This isn’t something you can undo once you sign that contract.

DANIEL: Why would Charlie want to undo it? This is exactly what she came to town to do.

JED: Your great aunt is gone, Charlie. She left this farm to you. What’s going to be your legacy?

Counter example

Charlie spends her day exploring the farm. The donkey and the goat follow her like puppies. She’s taken aback by how much she’s falling for them.

CHARLIE (to the animals): You’re rejects? How can you be rejects? Why, why, I’d spend a million dollars on you two.

Counter example

Charlie’s farm is condemned, and she has only days to make the repairs before the town council meeting.

She asks Lois if she can talk to her TikTok viewers: She puts out a call for help: Bring your hammers and your paint brushes. Fight City Hall by making the little farm what it once was.

The next morning, cars start to arrive. People get to work. Taco brays!

AMBER: This isn’t going to get you a higher offer. The bulldozers don’t care about new paint.

CHARLIE: I do. And if this farm isn’t condemned, maybe my great aunt’s legacy has another chance.

Charlie’s old way: Fear of animals, especially livestock

Question challenge

JED: Look at those faces? How can you be afraid of those faces?

The donkey twitched his long nose and longer ears. The goat reaches for her coat. Charlie softens, but stays put.

CHARLIE: It’s not the faces that worry me. It’s those big hooves, and those pointy horns.

JED: The only thing they want from you is attention and love. They’re good judges of character.

Charlie inches closer, scratches Taco’s ears.

Counter example

Charlie watches her mother doing meditation with Taco, and she watches the videos go viral. One morning, she joins her and she finds herself doing donkey meditation. She hugs Taco.

Charlie’s old way: She’s tightlipped about her feelings and in denial about her recent diagnosis.

Question challenge

JED: Everyone has something. Do you think you’re the exception to the universe?

Counter example

Charlie reads her great aunt’s journal, discovering that she had the same illness that she has – and determined not to let it take over her life.

Counter example

Charlie pours over the latest information from her doctor. Her doctor tells her if there’s ever a time to have MS, now’s the time.

[Marilynne Hebert]

I liked the way you included your responses in the context of your script. Excellent idea!

[Marilynne Hebert]

Marilynne’s Old Ways: Challenges through Questioning and Counterexamples

What I learned doing this assignment… I recently watched the movie “A Man Called Otto” and new neighbor Marisol was a quintessential change agent – questioning Otto’s behavior and providing effective counterexamples. After this lesson they seemed easy to spot, but still found them a little harder to come up with for my story.

OW1: Chloe is used to being in charge and typically barrels ahead planning for a new project without other stakeholder input

Questioning: Rosemarie asks Chloe what she thinks will happen if she invited local stakeholders to a planning meeting

Counterexample through:

Experience – Chloe is invited to a planning session for a different program she is not involved with

Dialogue – a pregnant woman tells Chloe about how much she trusts her local nurse

OW2: Chloe feels her training and experience make her the “smartest one in the room” causing her to be arrogant and short-tempered with others

Counterexample through:

Character – a local woman with no formal training tells Chloe about how successful she has been with home deliveries

Experience – a local experienced African nurse is arrogant and short-tempered when Chloe isn’t aware of local knowledge

OW3: Chloe views her life through a filter of “what should have happened and her lifelong goal not being fulfilled” – not because of her choices.

Counterexample through:

Character – a local woman would like to continue her education and has no opportunities to do so

Dialogue – A member of the planning team invites several women leaders (including Chloe) to discuss their career choices and experiences with local women

OW4: Chloe sees education as the only solution for women moving forward in developing countries which blocks her ability to see other possible solutions

Questioning: Chloe is asked to comment on the progress of a local community development program.

Counterexample through:

Experience – she meets a strong community leader who has no formal education but is effective and commands respect

OW5: It’s everyone else’s fault she ended up in her current career and not her dream one

Counterexample through:

Dialogue – Chloe discusses her desire to stay in Africa with Rosemarie. She reminds Chloe of this prior to a SKYPE call with her family. During the conversation Chloe realizes she usually gives in and follows along with what they want her to do.

OW6: Chloe frequently compares her work environments: the great old one and challenging new one. She seems to be “stepping on someone’s toes” at every turn. People feel she is disrespectful – finding her both irritating and arrogant.

Questioning: Rosemarie observes an interaction between Chloe and a program supervisor. She asks Chloe if this happened in her old work environment and why she thought it was now happening in her new one.

Counterexample through:

Experience: Rosemarie helps Chloe build a partnership with a mentor who helps her fit in. She begins demonstrating respect and understanding that local partners appreciate.

[JD Angle]

JD’s Counterexamples

I learned that questioning the Old Ways are like setups and payoffs. I need to use gradients, hints and clues to get my lead characters into the New Ways of Act 3.

OLD WAYS: Jake does not believe in ghost stories or fairy tales.

– Jake sees a mermaid.

OLD WAYS: Jake is a womanizer.

– Jake’s sexual advances do not work on Lana.

– Jake sits by himself watching a couple watch the sunset together.

OLD WAYS: Jake is egotistical.

– Jake finds out his sponsor has hired another treasure hunter.

OLD WAYS: Jake is a self-centered loner.

– “I think you need some new friends.”

OLD WAYS: Jake is materialistic and only sees the cash value of things.

– Jake whittles a mermaid. — “That’s nice! You could sell that.” — “It’s nothing. Just passing the time.” — “Nothing? One day, someone will find that on a deserted island and put it in a museum as an artifact.”

– Jake gets a gift from Lana — a treasure that he did not have to steal.

– Meets a craftsman making jewelry by hand — sees the value of the craftsman over the value of the jewelry.

– “You’re just a grave robber. You must be pretty proud of yourself, stealing from the dead.” — “They don’t need it anymore!” — “Don’t they? Maybe they don’t. But maybe their people do. Maybe it’s important to their people; to their history; to their memory; to their spirit.”

– “What’s your legacy?”

[Brenda Boddy]

Brenda Boddy – OLD WAYS CHALLENGE CHART

What I learned: I went back through my script and changed some of the dialogue to question Karma’s actions, so that she thought of things in a different way. As she applied herself she also ‘learned’ new ways of viewing herself.

Old Ways Challenge

Karma doesn’t believe she has powers.–Kit challenges her, “What does it hurt to try?”

Karma hurts someone. Doesn’t want to use her powers.—Kit challenges her, “master them.”

Karma doesn’t believe who she is.—Kit makes her repeat that she is a ‘goddess’.

Karma doesn’t think she’s good enough to get the Godstones.—Zeus has no one else. Tells her she’s the “only one.”

Karma failes to get Zeus’s stone. Doesn’t think she can get Poseidon’s stone.—Zeus asks her, “What will happen if a being, such as Thamia, gets the power to rule creation?”

Karma feels they may have a chance if Zeus fights alongside her. When he is taken out, she believes she can handle this herself.

When Thamia injures Sobin, and chokes Karma to death…she rises, with the full strength of Zeus, and annihilates Thamia.

[Brenda Boddy]

Brenda Boddy – Counter examples

What I learned: I previously went back through my script and changed some of the dialogue to question Karma’s actions, so that she thought of things in a different way. As she applied herself she also ‘learned’ new ways of viewing herself. Now I’ve layered in some counter examples. There is a completely new scene where she wants to go back to being herself, but otherwise I’m not sure I’m doing this right.

Old Ways Counter examples

In the beginning…Karma doesn’t believe she has power, but there are incidents around her that demonstrate power—the radio talks to her, the remote-control flies into her hand, lightning ignites between her and Thamia.

Karma doesn’t believe she has powers.–Kit challenges her, “What does it hurt to try?”

Karma hurts someone. Doesn’t want to use her powers.—Kit challenges her, “master them.”

Karma doesn’t believe who she is.—Kit makes her repeat that she is a ‘goddess’.

Karma doesn’t think she’s good enough to get the Godstones.—Zeus has no one else. Tells her she’s the “only one.”

Karma failes to get Zeus’s stone. Doesn’t think she can get Poseidon’s stone.—Zeus asks her, “What will happen if a being, such as Thamia, gets the power to rule creation?”

NEW SCENE:

Karma is in the tub, mourning her nana, drinking. She tells Zeus and Kit, who are talking to her through the door, to go away. She wants her old life back.

Zeus rallies her. “There’s no going back. Thamia is coming for you.”

Karma feels they may have a chance if Zeus fights alongside her. When he is taken out, she believes she can handle this herself.

When Thamia injures Sobin, and chokes Karma to death…she rises, with the full strength of Zeus, and annihilates Thamia.

At the end, Karma feels like the normal people working in the streets of New York are a lifetime away from who she is now.

[Tom Minier]

Tom’s Counterexamples

What I learned from this scene was how to reimagine some of my scenes in terms of dialogue and questioning. Also, scenes have also exposed themselves in different ways to show how counterexamples could be happening in the action helping me to see the transformational map for my main character more clearly.

[Chhimed Drolma]

CHHIMED DROLMA’S COUNTEREXAMPLES

What I learned doing this assignment is that a lifetime goes in to each person’s decisions and we are all pretty entrenched in our beliefs. It takes a very skilled Change Agent with just the right non-threatening question or challenge to open us up to even consider new perspectives, but when we do, it can be healing for everyone.

5 Questions To An Old Way

1. (W.) Why are you hiring me when you could talk to your crew yourself based on your own difficulties and experiences?

Challenge: A.V. opening up to anyone at all.

Old Way: Vulnerability is weakness.

How it will play out: A.V. will have to learn that vulnerability is strength of self and strength of community.

2. (D.) Why won’t you let me in? We’ve known each other for 10 years and I am the best and safest person you could tell?

Challenge: A.V. opening up to even her best friend of ten years.

Old Way: A.V. thinks she needs to be professional and tough with everyone, even her best friend of ten years.

How it will play out: A.V. will open up to D., causing him to love and respect her even more.

3. (G. h.) I know we’ve just met, but I’d love to see you again and continue to get to know you.

Challenge: A.V. thinks, based on one very painful past experience, that “love” is pain and has removed her heart from the equation entirely.

Old Way: After her first love, A.V. doesn’t open up to lovers at all, ever.

How it will play out: A.V. will be challenged to open up again and let herself be loved, respected, cherished, supported, to love back, and to let all the love she has inside her out so she can lavish it on a significant other, her friends, family, and even her crew.

4. (C.S.) What if experiencing your nightmares could help you heal?

Challenge: A.V. is completely over the nightmares and has somewhat convinced herself she doesn’t need to know.

Old Way: After trying to remember them for so long, A.V. is burnt out and just wants the nightmares to disappear, which kind of happens when she drinks or distracts herself with women.

How it will play out: After integrating the experience from the nightmares, A.V. becomes more of a whole person, and more open and available to others and herself.

5.(T. and/or C.) You have everything, but not a significant other, why?

Challenge: A.V.’s belief that love is pain, weakens her, and that she can function better on her own.

Old Way: Avoiding love saves A.V. from pain, weakness, and allows her to function better on a daily basis.

How it will play out: Opening to healthy love will allow A.V. to experience deeper joy, and she will become more effective and powerful because of it.

5 Counterexamples To An Old Way

1. (W.) if relating with your crew directly could help you cut down on the number of fires you have to put out?

Challenge: A.V. never felt comfortable resolving crew issues and disputes so A.V, hired an empath, creating a barrier between A.V. and them.

Old Way: Remaining professional, removed, tough, and cool keeps A.V. in charge.

How it will play out: W. will still help, but A.V. will be challenged to cultivate closer relationships with her crew.

2. (D.) I just want to put it out there that I love you, you’re my best friend, and any new bit of information I get about you makes me love and respect you more.

Challenge: Revealing her trauma and wounds will cause people to love A.V. less and she has to hold on for dear life to the minimal love she has in her life.

Old Way: A.V. keeps her best friend at arm’s length because she doesn’t want him to lose respect for her as a person and for her leadership.

How it will play out: A.V. will be forced to reveal herself to her best friend and their friendship will deepen immensely.

3. (C.S.) Getting to know someone doesn’t mean you will be together forever! And it certainly doesn’t indicate a particular commitment – that has to be decided by TWO parties.

Challenge: People can make up their own rules in love.

Old Way: Instead of having her boundaries potentially crossed and feeling that pain, A.V. just avoids relationships entirely and focuses on non-committal sex.

How it will play out: A.V. will meet her match in C.S. and they will make up their own rules.

4. (M.) I used to have nightmares and when I remembered them they were so scary. But Grandma was there and talking to her helped me make sense of it – better out than in!

Challenge: Nightmares can be healing.

Old Way: Avoid nightmares at all costs!

How it will play out: A.V. will get help to face her nightmares and integrating that information will make her a healthier and more authentic person.

5. (T.) I think the bigger distraction for you seems to be NOT having a partner. Partners can be stabilizing, joyful – and work, don’t get me wrong, but also – something that adds to our greatest strengths.

Challenge: Maybe partners can be helpful? Fun? Balancing?

Old Way: Partners are hurtful, mean, thoughtless, and being in romantic partnership is for fools.

How it will play out: A.V. will try her luck with C.S.. They will be very respectful and encouraging of each other, work through problems, and help each other achieve their dreams and be their most authentic selves.