Lesson 3

[William Whiteford]

Assignment 3: William Whiteford World and Characters
In this assignment, I learned the significance of conceptually outlining key script elements, including an intriguing world, the roles of characters, and their M.I.S. (Mystery, Intrigue, Suspense). This approach allows for a deeper exploration of these elements and enhances their overall effectiveness.
1. Concept and the Big M.I.S. of Your Story
Concept: A devious secretary conspires with his boss’s wife to frame the boss for animal cruelty. As the boss fights to clear his name, his wife betrays both men and flees the country.
• Big Mystery:
The central mystery revolves around Glen’s enigmatic secretary, Jack Hamilton, who attacks Glen and then disappears. The key question is: Who is Jack, and how can Glen find him? Additionally, can the 40-year-old Glen outsmart his 25-year-old adversary and bring him to justice?
• Big Intrigue:
Beneath the surface lies a hidden plot: Jack seduces Glen’s wife, Grace, and convinces her to flee abroad with him. To “neutralize” Glen, Jack frames him for a series of staged animal killings—a twisted idea stolen from Glen’s own thriller project—with the intent of getting the writer jailed.
• Big Suspense:
The primary danger Glen faces is the threat of being convicted for animal cruelty, which could land him in a psychiatric clinic or prison. However, when he escapes the clinic, a deadly showdown awaits him.
2. The Intriguing World of Your Story
The story is set in the following locations: a secluded, dense, overgrown park on the outskirts of the city; the secretary’s depressing den; the writer’s mysterious study in a basement; city streets; beaches; and an airport underground garage.
3. Character Roles and Analysis
• Glen (The Writer, Protagonist): Glen is the protagonist who chases and battles his devious secretary. After his wife flees abroad, he forms a connection with a female student.
• Jack (The Secretary, Antagonist): Jack is Glen’s opponent who devises an unprecedented scheme to frame Glen for animal cruelty. He also forges all the necessary documents to carry out his plan.
• Grace (Glen’s Wife, Deceiver): Grace is a false ally to Glen—she openly supports him but secretly conspires with Jack. She is a stake and pivotal character who ultimately betrays both men and escapes alone.
A. What is the Mystery of These Characters?
• Glen: Though he initially appears naïve and helpless, Glen regains his strength under pressure and ultimately defeats his antagonist.
• Jack: Jack is a man without a clear identity, a rejected writer who unconsciously seeks revenge on Glen and society.
• Grace: Grace secretly desires dark-skinned men. When the cunning and unscrupulous Jack enters her life, she seizes the opportunity to manipulate both Jack and Glen, ultimately achieving her goal of living on a Pacific island.
B. What is the Suspense of These Characters?
• Glen: Glen is the target of several attempts on his life by Jack. He tries to identify, locate, and capture Jack. After being manipulated during a TV interview, he faces imprisonment. Trapped in a psychiatric clinic, he escapes, only to be pursued by the police.
• Jack: Jack starts the story by burning down a publishing house. He then hacks Glen’s bank account and forges documents, all while fearing exposure. When Glen chases him with a gun in hand, Jack narrowly escapes.
• Grace: Grace plays a double role with Glen, who is at risk of discovering her betrayal at every turn.
C. What are the Intrigues of These Characters?
• Jack: Jack hacks, forges, and lies to achieve his goal. His main scheme is to imprison Glen for the staged animal killings, which also involves a manipulated TV interview.
• Grace: Grace’s plan is to support Glen while secretly conspiring with Jack, sell Glen’s property, and eventually escape abroad on her own.
# # #

[CHRISTOPHER WEBB]

ASSIGNMENT

What I learned doing this assignment is: That I need to be explicit about my main Character’s mystery, intrigue, and suspense. When I originally crafted the character, I had him as the role of the “straight man” against the crooked endeavors of those around him. But… as I was writing it I found the character boring and his story flat out uninteresting. I needed to make him more dynamic as far as being more than just a plot device for an aspiring storyteller.

The hardest and most time consuming part of this assignment was to create the mystery, intrigue, and suspect for the main hero. Not just that, but to make it good and compelling. I might still have to tweak it a bit because I didn’t get a good feeling about it as I wrote this assignments answers… but least it is a step in the right direction.

Concept Reminder: A disgraced former soldier must survive trained assassins, a criminal syndicate, and corrupt politicians after getting into the middle of criminal conspiracy involving a corrupt insurance company that caters only to the country’s most dangerous criminals.

Big Mystery: What is the main mystery of your story that will keep us wondering throughout the story?
Who is killing the criminals in this small town and how will the warring criminal syndicates vying for control of these criminals deal with Martin’s interference.

Big Intrigue: What is the covert, clandestine, underhanded part that will live under the surface for most of the movie?
The collection of ex-criminals under one regime. Will they fall under the whim of corrupt politicians hell bent on their own private army or will they fall under the control of the criminal syndicate?

Big Suspense: What is the main danger to your Hero that will continue to escalate throughout the script?
Caught in a war between two criminal syndicates, Martin will have to evade death and imprisonment as he attempts to solve a murder mystery while being targeted on multiple fronts.

2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Insurance. In this story Adherence Insurance provides umbrella coverage to current and former criminals who have exhausted other options. No mainline insurance companies will cover them or their policies are too expensive. Adherence Insurance helps them on the cheap… giving them tremendous leverage over those under their coverage.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:

Hero/Main Character – Martin Avery
A. What is the mystery of this character? – How does he find the serial killer and uncover the mystery of Adherence Insurance.
B. What is the suspense of this character? – As he and Ciella grow close, how will he be able to survive the criminal way that she is fully embedded in?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? – Why was Martin in military prison for 18 months and why his that part of his record sealed?

Secondary Antagonist/Protagonist – Ciella Lawrence
A. What is the mystery of this character? – How does she assist Martin in finding out the serial killer while staying alive and keeping her criminal past hidden from him.
B. What is the suspense of this character? – How will Ciella manage to stay alive while being a target of a criminal syndicate while maintaining a the guise of being an honest civilian?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? – Her ability to be smarter and deadlier than everyone else. She’s the brains of her criminal enterprise secretly orchestrates everything stateside.

Red Herring – Richard Russell – Adherence Insurance Actuary (figurehead)
A. What is the mystery of this character? – How does he manage the criminal clients under his care while keeping his family safe
B. What is the suspense of this character? – Can he keep his company from becoming under scrutiny from both the police and attorney general?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? – Keeping his clients alive and making sure they're not taken advantage of.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  CHRISTOPHER WEBB.

[William Peed]

Mike's Thriller

What I learned from this assignment:

Right now, my villain is unwitting and unknowing, and my hero has the underhanded plan that needs to be discovered.

THE BIG MIS OF THE STORY

1. The Big Mystery: Can Miguel get his friends and himself out of Pasha Hassan evil clutches?

2. The Big Intrigue: Pasha Hassan grants Miguel his freedom if Miguel can convince Daniella, the concubine they're both in love with, to marry Pasha Hassan.

3. The Big Suspense: If Pasha Hassan discovers that Miguel has been seeing Daniella behind his back, he'll have them killed

The Intriguing World Where I've Set My Story:

Algiers in 1580. The Pasha's Court. Pirate Kings and Harems and Concubines and Janissaries and Court Poets and palace intrigue in a city built on the slave trade.

Characters:

1. Hero: Miguel Cervantes

Mystery: Can he get Daniella and himself away from Pasha Hassan?

Intrigue: Will he choose fame and wealth and an easy life over Daniella's love?

Suspense: If Pasha Hassan finds out, he'll kill them all

2. Villain: Pasha Hassan

Mystery: Will he be able to convince Daniella to marry him?

Intrigue: He's asked Miguel to do the asking

Suspense: What will he do if Daniella says no?

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  William Peed.

[Antonia Roman]

What I learned in this assignment is that having a clear understanding of your character is key.

1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.

Big Mystery: What is the main mystery of your story that will keep us wondering throughout the story? Will the Event Planner admit that he caused his brother’s incarceration for thirty years?

Big Intrigue: What is the covert, clandestine, underhanded part that will live under the surface for most of the movie? The event planner will try to hide everything under the sun, while the twin brother will do everything to expose it.

Big Suspense: What is the main danger to your Hero that will continue to escalate throughout the script? His twin brother impersonates him and sabotages his every move.

2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
A capital venture enterprise company that caters to elitist groups.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:

Jonathan Briggs: Hero
A. What is the mystery of this character? Will he be able to outwit his twin brother?
B. What is the suspense of this character? Will Jonathan get to the top before his twin brother destroys him?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? Jonathan is determined to win big so he is recognized as the top leader in the new trend of event management acquisitions. Top Leader = $$$$$$.

Fabian Briggs: Villain
A. What is the mystery of this character? Why does Fabian want revenge against his brother?
B. What is the suspense of this character? Will Fabian be able to destroy Jonathan before he’s found out?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? He gained an engineering degree while in prison, enabling him to become a computer hacker. He’s built relationships with inmates who have specialty skills and are also out of prison.

Charlotte Briggs: Red Herring
A. What is the mystery of this character? Will Charlotte continue to favor one son over the other?
B. What is the suspense of this character? Will she reveal which son accidentally killed her husband?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? She’s held the truth behind Fabian’s imprisoned life but also wants to gain money through Jonathan’s success.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Antonia Roman. Reason: It's all clumped together when I post it

[Ann Jordan]

Ann Jordan – “An Older House”

What I learned doing this assignment is that that it’s mostly very helpful to delineate the various aspects of Mystery, Intrigue and Suspense ahead of actually writing scenes (or even a finished outline) when it comes to your main characters and your story. When you’re forced to really look at things and think, what IS the mystery here, anyway? it gives you a map for where to go with it in the outline, and also helps you think of new things about your characters and story.

1.
– Big Mystery: Is someone actually, in some way, threatening Meggie and her baby daughter, and were they possibly after her mom as well? Or is Meggie suffering from delusional post-partum depression and the remnants of her weird childhood? And if someone is indeed after Meggie, who are they and why are they interested in her?
– Big Intrigue: The covert, clandestine threat to Meggie and her family comes from Bridgid, a very long-lived woman who needs Meggie and/or her daughter in order to continue living her over-extended life in the way she wants to.
– Big Suspense: Meggie may be in danger of death or worse, as will her daughter, from the moment she sets foot in her inherited home.

2. The Intriguing World of the story:
– Meggie has always been a West Coast girl, but when she and her husband move to Kansas to live in her newly inherited house, everything she knows to be true will come to be questioned. Meggie’s new “world” of the shabby but charming old house itself, the apparently welcoming, leafy old neighborhood and its oddball inhabitants, and even the placid small town itself, over time will become a threatening microcosm that Meggie and her family may never escape.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
Top three characters: Meggie, Bridgid, Tyler (Meggie’s husband)

MEGGIE:
A. Mystery: Is Meggie mentally ill and possibly a danger to her newborn daughter, or is she a normal new mom, and a reliable witness to the increasingly frightening things going on around her?
B. Suspense: Is Meggie a frail reed, or can she prevail over the dangers proliferating around her? Can she count on her husband Tyler to help her when things get weird and tough? Does Meggie have the mental toughness and emotional fortitude to do what she thinks is right, no matter what everyone around her is saying?
C. Intrigue: Why is Meggie so eager to leave the West Coast, almost at a moment’s notice, and move somewhere else? Why did Meggie’s mother give her a boy’s name and basically disguise her as a boy, which lasted until her mom was killed in a (maybe) accident? Why does Meggie seem withdrawn and untrusting of Tyler, although he appears to be a great husband and father?
BRIDGID:
A. Mystery: Why is this woman who doesn’t know Meggie and her family so interested in them? Is she really trying to hurt them, and if so, why?
B. Suspense: Will Meggie believe her instincts and realize in time that Bridgid wants to dominate and even kill Meggie and her daughter for her own reasons?
C. Intrigue: What is Bridgid’s origin? What is the source of her mysterious power?
TYLER:
A. Mystery: Is Tyler the protective husband and father that he ideally should be? Why is Meggie distrustful of him? Or is she not so much distrustful, as disappointed in him?
B. Suspense: Does Tyler believe Meggie when she tells him what she thinks is going on? If he does believe her, is he brave enough to act on that?
C. Intrigue: Does Tyler have a reason to not support Meggie? Would he be okay with it if she somehow wasn’t around any more?

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Ann Jordan.

[Liz Holliday]

(With apologies for the very late posting – I've been unwell and swamped with domestic trivia.)

What I learned from this exercise: Sometimes, less is more. I had gone through all kinds of permutations of Amy being a climate activist and there being an undercover cop investigating them, but I eventually realised these elements were distracting me from both my interest and the main storyline – Amy’s investigation of Mark against the background of their dysfunctional family and her own prior bad behaviour.

Brief Story Concept: AMY a rebellious teenage girl discovers her stepfather, MARK, is cheating on her mother. But she discovers he’s actually serial killer and must overcome his manipulative behaviour to prove it, putting first her sanity and later her life at risk. Along the way, she comes to think that her mother may actually be the killer.

(NOTE: In the previous lesson Amy was a climate activist, but I decided this was detracting from the main story and ditched it.)

Big Mystery: Is Mark actually a serial killer, or is Amy just jealous of her mother’s affection for him?

Big Intrigue: Mark’s attempts to gaslight and undermine Amy at every turn, while fooling her mother too.

Big Suspense: At first, Amy’s sanity is in danger. Later, her life is at stake.

World: Family life when everyone in it is being manipulated by their mother’s new husband.

Characters

MAIN CHARACTER: Amy, a rebellious 16 year-old.

Character Mystery: Is Amy right? Is Mark a serial killer?

Character Intrigue: Amy is constantly in trouble with the police and at school because of her rebellious behaviour and the way she tells tall tales to cover it, which means no one believes her when she tells them about Mark, leaving her no option but to use the skills she learnt on the streets to investigate him.

Character Suspense: Will Amy end up sectioned (remanded against her will to a psychiatric hospital)? When she avoids this, her life is endangered when Mark goes after her physically.

VILLAIN: Mark, Amy’s stepfather.

Character Mystery: Is Mark actually a serial killer?

Character Intrigue: Mark’s clever manipulation of everyone around him.

Character Suspense: Will Mark succeed in first getting Amy sectioned, and when that fails, killing her?

RED HERRING: Amy’s mother, Janine.

Character Mystery: Could she really be the killer?

Character Intrigue: Does she know Mark is cheating on her? If she does, does she care?

Character Suspense: Will Janine be loyal to Amy or Mark?

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Liz Holliday.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Liz Holliday.

[Diane Caldwell]

Subject: Diane’s World and Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is finding the mystery, intrigue and suspense of the story’s intriguing world and characters helps the writer expand upon those things in more creative ways when writing the script.
Project – The Laughing Stalk
Concept – When a deranged failed comedian begins murdering sitcom stars, one show’s veteran producer must race against time to unmask the killer before he turns the show, and quite possibly the entire entertainment industry, into a nightmare of ghoulish horrors.
Big Mystery – Who is killing all these television stars and how can they be stopped?
Big Intrigue – An unknown killer who has successfully infiltrated the Hollywood entertainment industry and is out to silence everyone they feel has wronged them.
Big Suspense – Will Reno be able to determine who the killer is before they murder a member of his team?
Intriguing World – The dark underbelly of Hollywood, specifically inside the popular TV sitcom series, “Quirk and Circumstance.”
Top Character – Reno Jenks, producer of the hit sitcom, “Quirk and Circumstance.”
• Mystery – Will he be able to uncover the stalker disrupting production of his show?
• Intrigue – What is the extent of his personal relationships with Jessica and Ashley?
• Suspense – Will any of the mysterious accidents on set directly affect him?
Top Character #2 – Randy Lemke, technical director for the popular “Quirk and Circumstance” TV sitcom.
• Mystery – Is he the stalker/killer?
• Intrigue – If he is the stalker/killer, what compels him to stalk and kill?
• Suspense – Will he survive?
Top Character #3 – David Calloway, sound editor for the popular “Quirk and Circumstance” TV sitcom.
• Mystery – Is he the stalker/killer?
• Intrigue – If he is the stalker/killer, what compels him to stalk and kill?
• Suspense – Will he survive?

• This reply was modified 7 months, 4 weeks ago by  Diane Caldwell.

[Christine Torres]

Thriller Assignment #3
Chris’ World and Characters!
What I learned doing this assignment is… Doing all the character work now, will pay off later.

1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
• Big Mystery: Who are these members of the coven and why did they kidnap Jake?
• Big Intrigue: Sam tries to romance and manipulate Sarah to stop the ritual and save her son.
• Big Suspense: Will she save Jake in time?

2. WORLD: The secret Occult World in the backwoods bayou in Louisiana.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:

HERO: Sarah
• Mystery: Why did she leave her husband? Why did she leave her home town?
• Intrigue: She suffers from memory loss/fog. Has she been drugged or hypnotized? Is she under a spell?
• Suspense: As she gets closer to saving her son Jake, the more she finds herself in danger, her memories start coming back. Will she be stopped by the Witches?

RED HERRING: Sarah’s ex-husband, Remy
• Mystery: Did he kidnap his own son?
• Intrigue: Is he part of the Coven?
• Suspense: Will he kill Sarah to keep his son and will he steal their daughter as well?

VILLAIN: Det. Sam
• Mystery: Why is Sam going to such lengths to help Sarah get her son back?
• Intrigue: Who is Sam really and why is it so important to help Sarah get Jake back from his father, and the Coven?
• Suspense: Will the Demon succeed in preventing the coven from regenerating itself?

• This reply was modified 7 months, 3 weeks ago by  Christine Torres.