Week 3 Day 2 “What I learned …”

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

WHAT I LEARNED is that scenes with twists can be very powerful and propel the story in a different direction. They are also surprising and entertaining…. Keeping the audience awake.

I have a few scenes with twists — the major one being the first time the couple calls off their marriage at midpoint.

They are planning their wedding at the wedding venue when their opposing obligations are revealed to each other — the audience already knows but would have been wondering how this would impact them. They call off the wedding.

Many of my scenes prolong the conflict until the end, it seems something will happen (or not) and then the opposite occurs — these are not really strong twists as much as not knowing what the outcome of a conflict will be.

OTHER TWIST SCENES:

Scene 2, it seems Jim is really into Ellie, but at the end it become a bet between him and friend about whether he can get her in bed.

Pp. 36-40, The club trip to Layo’s off-grid ranch, it seems Jim is really getting into Ellie, her uncle and the ranch (something like that had always been his dream) when Layo hears his last name and goes ballistic — we already know Jim is obligated to his Uncle Fred Higson, who we now find out is Layo’s arch enemy nemesis — Juliet finds out Romeo is a Capulet. Just when it looked promising for the couple.

Pp. 69-71, In the oil consultancy office — looks like it’ll be totally negative with Fred coming down hard on Ellie, and then she defuses it and:

Mexican stand-off. Then Fred throws up his hands.

FRED: You’ve disarmed me, gal.

ELLIE: (baby voice) Can I call you “Tio”?

Fred smiles.

FRED: I might could warm to that.

Pp. 79-80, Jim is about to carry Ellie into his bedroom, then he plonks her down on the sofa and says can’t go through with this. She asks, did you hear me object? Jim: I don’t mean thaaat. I mean I’m calling off the marriage. I can’t take you away from your uncle and what you could do to help him.

Pp. 84-5. Their wedding is on, they finished exams and are returning library books, then the power gets cut statewide and their wedding it off again.

Pp. 99-108. In a series of scenes the wedding venue is now on Layo’s off-grid ranch and we’re expecting Fred, Layo’s nemesis, to come and ?? maybe they’ll totally blow up of everything. It does get bad, but then calms down as the real truth of their conflict is revealed. Then the wedding is held up by Layo and Fred making plans for an alt energy business — both suggesting the couple should really wait a few years to get married.

Pp. 108-111. The wedding is now happening, they are exchanging rings, then cell phones go off. The Turtle Center is calling on locals to help save cold-stunned turtles. They all rush out to help.