[jamie handley]

My name is Jamie (female), I live in Arizona but born and raised in Southern California. Left California in 1991 and moved to Incline Village, Nevada (Lake Tahoe) then went to a very small town in Montana ( Potomac) had 20 acres, built my home and then had to leave Montana after a horrific accident I was involved in. My body could no longer deal with the cold so off to Arizona. I have a lot of metal in my body which really hurts from the cold. Been in Arizona since 2006, bought a home there and have acclimated to the heat.

I love California, miss the ocean (I lived in Carlsbad/Encinitas area) and the greenery. I also miss the smell of the pine, the night sky filled with stars and a lot of other things.

I’ve been taking classes from ScreenwritingU for a very long time. It seems like something always gets in my way to finish his course(s). Death’s in my family, COVID, 2 major surgery’s that really set me back (both shoulder replacements) and couldn’t use computer. Pissed me off but that’s life. But here I am again, reaching for the stars and completing his classes.!! I have about 8 or 9 scripts that need work in order to present, so I’m very happy to have taken most his beginning classes offered with AI, which I did finish! So taking the WIM with AI is rather exciting. I’ve had a few little set backs (called it’s life!) but it’s not stopping me.
That’s it for now folks…got to go work on script. See you in class.

2. How many scripts you’ve written?

3. What you hope to get out of the class?

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?

We look forward to working with you all!

[jamie handley]

Jamie Handley, “I agree to the terms of this release form.”

GROUP RELEASE FORM

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s First Scenes

Tell us how the process went for you.
I am so glad I went back to Module 4 and the layering lessons. I was behind at that point. I had my car totaled and had to buy a new one, that's what set me off track. HOWEVER, I have been behind before and wasn't able to continue. This time, no matter what I promised myself that I would jump back in. AND I DID!!! It has been easy because what the lesson in this module are very important. I could NOT not do them. So glad I did. It all makes sense now.

4. At the top of the page, tell us your one-sentence vision for your success from this program.
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

5. Under your vision, answer the question, “What I learned from doing this assignment is…?” It is so very clear to me the "why do we do this" in an outline. It is really helping me to stay focused. I know I NEED to change several things and almost started to make adjustments BUT I DIDN'T. For that I am happy. Going back and listening to the class session was also helpful. I had attended the classes in my absence but couldn't take the time to really write so I revisited the video. That in itself is very helpful to do. So now I'm catching up and feel empowered more and more each day.

6. Post your answers to the forums, but do not include the scene.

Subject line: (Your Name) First Scene (place in first line)

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Jamie's Scene requirements
What I've learned: The most important thing I discovered is how important this lesson is. I was "behind" and just sent what I had in the moment to go forward in Module 5. I am so glad I did this. It all make sense, the importance of layering. I don't have an ending yet but will cross that one when I'm in Module 5

CONCEPT
The root of addiction remains but the act of betrayal surfaces again when the older sister is diagnosed with colon cancer and opts for assisted suicide in lieu of spending her final days with her reconciled daughter and the family. In a quest to salvage the remnants of familial love’s bond, the dying sister’s sister shares the family’s matriarch’s journals offering a chance to rebuild their bond and uphold the legacy of love, and hope she intended for them.

After their matriarch's passing, a family faces their terminally ill sister’s choice of assisted suicide. This family that is shattered by addiction, betrayal, abandonment, and secrets finds hope and unity through the journals left in the hands of the next matriarch.

My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.
++ACT 1
1 Time Lapse – 1969 – 1980’s
Scene Arc: It begins with the two sisters becoming adults until they part ways.
Essence: To establish that older sister, Sadie and middle sister Lindsey, had a very close relationship, once upon a time. And shows Sadie’s multiple tragedies that will impact Lindsey’s life.
Conflict: Sadie is on the road of self-destruction and abandons Lindsey. This is where the war begins.
Subtext: Sadie is running away from everyone in her life, drugs and alcohol take over. This is an old wound for Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: We hope something good happens to reunite the sisters and their daughters. And we fear that this could end their relationship and their daughters.

2. INT. COURT HOUSE – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey filed for guardianship of her niece, Brooke and it is granted.
Essence: Sadie makes her appearance, but it is too late.
Conflict: Lindsey takes full responsibility while Sadie acts as though she doesn’t care.
Subtext: Sadie’s appearance was just for show.
Hope/Fear: Hopeful that Lindsey made the right decision for her niece and fears the damage that Brooke will experience
3. INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Clearly Lindsey is overwhelmed and grieving the loss of her mother, Sarah, as her daughter, Gracie walks on eggshells while she helps her sort things out “per the will”.
Essence: Lindsey is trying to stay in control, she avoids conversations and contact with everyone, Gracie strives to smooth things over.
Conflict: Lindsey isn’t fond of Dylan, Gracie’s significant other, Emma, Lindsey’s younger sister, picks through her mother’s belongings, the tension is very high with everyone.
Subtext: Lindsey is masking her pain with avoidance. There is an internal war going on in the family and she’s about to explode.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey will find some peace but fear that if she has a breakdown, it will cause trouble in the family.
4. INT. SARAH’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: The packing is almost done, days have passed. Emma fills her vehicle as Lindsey quietly falls apart.
Essence: Lindsey begins her meltdown when Gracie discovers the box of her grandmother’s journals. Lindsey shuts down.
Conflict: Lindsey’s buttons are pushed to the limit. Gracie and Lindsey exchange words that put Lindsey in her place.
Subtext: The reality of being the next matriarch hits Lindsey hard. She doesn’t want responsibility.
Hope/Fear: Can Lindsey pull herself out of the rut? How will she deal with Sadie and Brooke? Fear that a family feud will break out.
5. INT. LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey is so exhausted, falls asleep. Gracie’s in the kitchen cooking. Lindsey has a dream.
Essence: Somethings wrong with this picture when Gracie cooks. Brooke shows up unknown to Lindsey.
Conflict: The dream wakes Lindsey up. What was she dreaming? Is it really a dream when Brooke walks in.
Subtext: Lindsey is holding back her fears and tears. She’s not strong enough to deal with everyone’s emotions, like her mother did.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey and Gracie can have a good conversation like she had with her mother. Can Lindsey let go of being in total control and become more understanding and kind?
6. INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A big surprise, Brooke arrives in Arizona. Brooke confides in Gracie, the mother-daughter relationship isn’t working, Sadie sees Brooke as a carer and not a daughter.
Essence: Sadie has taken a turn or the worse. Brooke wants help but is afraid to ask Lindsey, aka “mom”.
Conflict: Lindsey becomes “Aunt Lindsey” for the first time in years. Lindsey must let go of being called mom if she goes to Oregon.
Subtext: Lindsey needs her sister as much as she needs Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Is Lindsey going to go to Oregon? Will she refuse?
7. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Brooke spills the beans about her mom with Gracie; her illness, drugs, and becoming her caregiver.
Essence: More reality for Lindsey to face, her grief intensifies.
Conflict: Lindsey’s heart is breaking for Brooke. Lindsey must accept the change for everyone’s sake and answer to being Aunt Lindsey.
Subtext: Lindsey feels abandoned again.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be strong enough to deal with Sadie and be the sister she once was? Or will Lindsey stay at home?
8. EXT. BACKYARD – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey has no one she can talk with.
Essence: Lindsey faces the reality of her losses as she goes through her mother’s journal.
Conflict: She hasn’t talked with her lifelong friend, Lauren, in months.
Subtext: She’s afraid to say I’m sorry.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey reach out to Lauren? Will she shut down even more?
9. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie brings out the journals that she’s hidden. They plan a trip for Gracie.
Essence: Gracie and Brooke go through the photos and journals. They discover that Gracie’s father left a suicide note to Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke is angry that information was withheld from her.
Subtext: Will Brooke confront her mother or will she ask Lindsey about her father?
Hope/Fear: Hope that Brooke begins to understand her mother’s pain or will she keep it buried?
10. INT. CAR – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke pick up Lindsey’s prescriptions, have a heavy conversation about what’s going on with Sadie and the toll of caring for her mother.
Essence: They both begin to see a bigger picture of Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke wants to be a daughter not her caregiver.
Subtext: Old wound surfaces for Brooke when she came to live with Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Can she accept her mother as she is or is she afraid to ask her mother questions?
11. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM –
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke bring Lindsey into a conversation then inform her that it would be good if Gracie came with her to Oregon.
Essence: Brooke wants back up when she goes home. Lindsey needs time for herself.
Conflict: Lindsey is surprised when they have already purchased the flight for Gracie.
Subtext: Brooke needs Gracie’s help. Lindsey must take inventory of her needs and time alone is one.
Hope/Fear: Hope that all goes well and afraid of hearing the truth.
12. EXT. MEDFORD AIRPORT OREGON – DAY
The girls arrive, get into Brooke’s car and drive away.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie is very surprised to see her niece. Sadie dismisses Brooke who leaves and goes to her home.
Essence: Shows the difference in the relationship between Sadie and Gracie and how Sadie dismisses Brooke.
Conflict: Sadie treats Brooke like her aid. Gracie receives affection from Sadie.
Subtext: Sadie is accepted by Gracie. Gracie relates to Sadie’s drug problem.
Hope/Fear: That Gracie gets to see how Sadie treats Brooke and fear it will cause more damage for Brooke.
13. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity and drug usage surfaces in front of Gracie and a trip to the pharmacy, except Sadie backs the car into garage door.
Essence: Sadie’s drug use is exactly what Brooke shared, forcing Gracie to go to pharmacy alone.
Conflict: Gracie doesn’t know how to get to the pharmacy and very concerned with the amount of drugs Sadie already has.
Subtext: Gracie is seeing who her aunt really is and it scares her, as well as having feeling for Brooke.
Hope/Fear: Sadie slows down her drug use but afraid that something could go badly.
INT. PHARMACY – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie can’t get one of the prescriptions. Calls Brooke for help. Gracie explains to Sadie and calms her down.
Essence: Everyone knows what a drug seeker Sadie is.
Conflict: Gracie is afraid her aunt will be upset.
Subtext: Gracie remembers her drug days.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie’s actions don’t spark Gracie’s interest in drugs. Or, maybe Gracie will try Sadie’s drugs.
14. INT. OREGON HOME – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A power outage scares Sadie and forces Gracie to drive over to Brooke’s home in the pouring rain and hail. Sadie brings her stash of pills.
Essence: Sadie’s drugs are very important.
Conflict: The drugs spill all over the car. Gracie worries about the drugs if pulled over.
Subtext: Gracie is perplexed while Sadie finds it funny.
Hope/Fear: Will Gracie get pulled over or will she make it to Brooke’s.
15. INT. BROOKE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity, routine and selfishness surfaces. Brooke makes breakfast.
Essence: Sadie’s need to be in her home is more important than being with her daughter and acting as a family. and has her usual routine come before everything.
Conflict: Sadie demands to go home. Brooke’s feelings are hurt.
Subtext: Sadie wants everything her way. Gracie is seeing how Brooke is treated.
Hope/Fear: Will Sadie apologize and thank Brooke or will she continue to treat Brooke like her aid.
16. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke’s day begins with checking on Sadie’s drugs, pillbox is screwed up, Gracie sees her routine. Brooke has reports to get out to her employer and doesn’t have time to be with Gracie.
Essence: Gracie gets a full day from Brooke’s point of view.
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to be disturbed as she changes her bag but ends up needing Brooke’s help. Pills are in secret hiding places.
Subtext: Brooke is afraid to question her mother.
Hope/Fear: Hope Sadie’s attitude changes and Brooke can have a good conversation with Gracie’s help, but Brooke knows it won’t happen.
17. EXT. OREGON HOME – PORCH – DAY
Scene Arc: Day is done, Gracie brings out the two journals,
Essence: Brooke is exhausted and torn. Gracie shares information with Brooke about Colorectal Cancer that her mother discovers and has even talked with new surgeons, new medical trials and lawyers about her botched surgery and to consider a malpractice lawsuit.
Conflict: Sadie will never file a lawsuit and doesn’t want any more medical help. Brooke is forced to tell Gracie exactly what Sadie’s intentions are.
Subtext: Lindsey is always looking out for Sadie. Brooke is forced to let Gracie know that Sadie is on palliative care and wants to go into hospice as soon as she can qualify.
Hope/Fear: She hopes that Sadie will listen to Gracie while Brooke knows Sadie’s real intentions. She wants to die on her terms.
18. EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BACKYARD
Scene Arc: Lindsey is still grieving over Gram and Sadie’s health. Gracie arrives back home via Lyft. Lindsey is very surprised. Gracie is happy to be home. Gracie returns the journals she secretly took.
Essence: Things really haven’t changed at home. Lindsey makes a new plan and shares with Gracie, but Gracie withholds what she’s experienced and learned about Sadie.
Conflict: Items that were to go to Sadie are missing. Is Lindsey ready to hear that Sadie wants to go into hospice and is presently in palliative care. She’s been left out of the loop.
Subtext: Gracie questions her thoughts about time shared with Sadie and what she knows.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be able to handle Sadie’s wishes, and will it backfire if Gracie doesn’t let her know.
19. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BATHROOM
Scene Arc: Lindsey’s is going to stay with Sadie for a while. Gracie shares everything with Lindsey. Lindsey has moral issues but is still going to Oregon.
Essence: Lindsey needs her sister more than anything.
Conflict: Lindsey has mixed feelings about dying with dignity but thinks she can change her mind.
Subtext: Lindsey doesn’t believe Sadie and it’s all an act for attention.
Hope/Fear: Hoping Sadie will change her mind or tell the truth but she could be serious and it’s all about getting more drugs.
20. INT. MIKE’S TRUCK – DAY
MEDFORD AIRPORT
Scene Arc: Mike, a friend of her mother and sister, picks Lindsey up. Lindsey probes Mike on his position of dying with dignity since Oregon’s laws allow it. Mike is all for it.
Essence: Lindsey wants to know what Mike knows about Sadie’s health and drug use.
Conflict: Mike is all for assisted suicide but it’s a moral issue for Lindsey.
Subtext: She picks his brain to see how close Sadie and Mike are.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey believes she will change Sadie’s mind, but Mike is supportive of Sadie’s decision. After all he has ALS.
21. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey arrives with Sadie’s warm embrace as tears stream down their faces. Lindsey settles in. Sadie demands Lindsey to take a sleeping pill and have a hit of a joint.
Essence: Sadie wants Lindsey to be drugged up like she is.
Conflict: Lindsey sleeps for two days, wakes upset.
Subtext: Sadie knows what’s best for everyone.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey will be pissed when she finally wakes but hope she doesn’t stir the pot.
22. INT./EXT OREGON HOME -DAY
Scene Arc: We see a week pass as Sadie and Lindsey do various things around the house until Sadie backs her car out and crashes into garage. Lindsey drives off with Sadie taking more pills.
Essence: How close are Lindsey and Sadie?
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to let Lindsey in on her medical status.
Subtext: Sadie is hiding the truth.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie will trust Lindsey and fear an argument will happen.
23. INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Sadie has her pod, aka friends, over then goes to her bedroom leaving Lindsey to take care of the party.
Essence: Lindsey is being used. Sadie wants to take over while Sadie parties with her friends.
Conflict: Lindsey is pissed at Sadie; knows she’s using her then counts her own pills.
Subtext: Sadie wants Lindsey to charm her friends.
Hope/Fear: Hope Sadie will find time with Lindsey, fear it won’t happen at all.
24. INT. LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: She discovers new hiding places with Sadie’s drugs but is exhausted and goes to bed. Lindsey’s shoulder breaks.
Essence: Lindsey’s done too much and reaches the wrong way and her shoulder breaks and must wait till Sadie wakes in the morning.
Conflict: Sadie won’t wake up as Lindsey screams out for her help.
Subtext: Lindsey needs help, but no one is there to help. She won’t call Brooke.
Hope/Fear: Hope Lindsey calls for an ambulance. Fear of leaving Sadie.
25. EXT. OREGON HOUSE – DAY
GET INTO AMBULANCE.
Scene Arc: Lindsey needs help, but Sadie wants help too.
Essence: Sadie fools the paramedics.
Conflict: Lindsey doesn’t understand what Sadie is up to.
Subtext: Sadie found a way to meet criteria for hospice.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey gets help and fear this is the last straw for Lindsey and Sadie.
26. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Time for Lindsey to go home after a huge argument. Calls Gracie to pick her up.
Essence: Sadie got what she wanted and doesn’t need or want any help from Lindsey.
Conflict: Lindsey’s had enough of Sadie’s bullshit. Brooke takes her to the airport.
Subtext: Sadie used Lindsey for the last time. Lindsey still doesn’t know about Sadie’s palliative care.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Lindsey will get over it and fear that they never talk again.
27. EXT. AIRPORT – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie picks up her mother, takes her to the doctor’s and is rushed to have surgery.
Essence: Lindsey glad to be home, safe in Gracie’s care.
Conflict: This is a second surgery for the same shoulder. Pissed at the doctor who replaced her shoulder the first time. Malpractice.
Subtext: Lindsey wants to sue the doctor.
Hope/Fear: Hope the surgery goes well and fear there could be more problems.
28. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Surgery is done, Lindsey becomes bedridden, slowly mends, P.T., up and back reading the journal.
Essence: Healing time in more ways than expected.
Conflict: Gracie and her mom get into an argument. She shuts out both Gracie and Brooke.
Subtext: Gracie confesses about Sadie and wanting into palliative care and withhold about hospice.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey will understand and fear it damaged the relationship.
29. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey has an ah ha moment after reading the journal.
Essence: Lindsey tries to focus back on her life.
Conflict: She’s still not talking to the girls. Something strikes her in the journal.
Subtext: Lindsey feels lost, confused and hurt.
Hope/Fear: Will something from the journal will help Lindsey. Will she change?
30. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie and Dylan argue. Gracie wants to him move out and Dylan thinks it’s a joke, but his phone shows many calls to another woman. Gracie calls Brooke.
Essence: Gracie feels caught in the middle with her mother and Dylan.
Conflict: Dylan’s cheating on Brooke and won’t tell her the truth.
Subtext: Gracie’s mad at herself for hiding important information from her mother.
Hope/Fear: Glad that Gracie finally fesses up. Will Dylan and Gracie split up?
31. INT. BROOKE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke and Gracie try to make amends with Lindsey. The hospice nurse arrives unexpectedly and brings good news. Brooke makes a promise to her mother. New doctor, new trial and new surgical procedure. Sadie gets more drugs.
Essence: Things seem to be going from bad to worse.
Conflict: Sadie is flying high as a kite and fakes being sick. Brooke is conflicted but calls Lindsey but withholds the promise she made with her mother.
Subtext: Sadie plays sick to get more drugs.
Hope/Fear: Maybe Brooke will call Lindsey and apologize, but fears hurting Lindsey more with the news of hospice.
32. INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: After her call from Brooke Lindsey goes to bed EARLY and has a dream. Awaken, she calls, leaves a message for Sadie. She hears the message but won’t pick up the phone.
(DREAM – Lindsey is with the girls at the pool. Brooke asks a serious question to Lindsey. Would you love me no matter what? Even if I was an axe murderer? Brooke and Gracie were 14 at the time).
Essence: Lindsey’s grief for Sadie surfaces and becomes perplexed.
Conflict: Internal grief fills their hearts. Sadie is planning her death day.
Subtext: Brooke yearns for belonging and motherly love, as does Lindsey but for everyone.
Hope/Fear: Somethings need to change for everyone or maybe it won’t.
33. INT. BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey packs her bag, goes to spend time with Lauren. Gives Gracie and Dylan time to figure out what they want to do with their lives.
Essence: Lindsey escapes the turmoil in the house, leaving them alone to see how they handle Lindsey’s idea for them to move out on their own.
Conflict: Gracie and Dylan are at odds about commitment. Lindsey lets Dylan know how she feels about him; his lack of taking care of Gracie and helping her with her business.
Subtext: Lindsey is trying to let go or taking care of everything and needs to clear her head.
34. EXT. / INT. HIGHWAY 93 TO VEGAS – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey needs a reprieve from everything and everyone. Spends a week and returns home. They share personal issues and when they need assistance. What then?
Essence: Exhaustion and self-care are long overdue. They question what they will do when they reach the point of being cared for, by who?? Or go into a home.
Conflict: Gracie is pissed, leaves her hanging. Lindsey doesn’t want Gracie to care for her when she’s older. Lauren disagrees.
Subtext: Lindsey wants her daughter to figure out what she wants in life.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Lindsey is doing the right things or Gracie and Dylan move out.
35. EXT. LAS VEGAS HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lauren and Lindsey discuss growing old. Lindsey gets answers.
Essence: The medical system sucks at any age.
Conflict: Sadie calls to look for Lindsey. Sadie lets Lindsey know she’s in hospice, causing a riff. Why haven’t the girls let her know about palliative care?
Subtext: Lindsey sees right through Sadie, agreed upon by Lauren.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey makes a turn for the better or she’ll be real upset leaving Sadie on a more strained relationship.
36. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey returns home feeling better but betrayed by the girls. Nothing in the refrigerator.
Essence: Time for Lindsey to confront Gracie and Dylan.
Conflict: Lindsey is disappointed in Gracie. Gracie and Dylan don’t have answers.
Subtext: Gracie is hiding her true feelings about Dylan.
Hope/Fear: Hope for the family mending and afraid it’s at a standoff.
37. INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey prepares dinner. Gracie makes floral arrangements for her customers while Dylan lays in bed.
Essence: Lindsey tries to have a nice dinner.
Conflict: Dylan refuses to help deliver arrangements for Gracie, pushing Lindsey’s buttons.
Subtext: Dylan doesn’t know what he wants in his relationship with Gracie. Lindsey refuses to react.
Hope/Fear: Hopefully the dinner is pleasant, and tension eases up but certain it won’t be.
38. INT. LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey discovers the suicide note Sadie’s husband left for her and several other things about herself. 1. When Sadie and Lindsey were growing up their mother gave more attention to Sadie. Lindsey left feeling neglected and abandoned. 2. When their father and mother divorced, her father wanted nothing to do with Lindsey
Essence: Lindsey begins to understand Sadie’s lifelong pain and hers. Lindsey is holding on to old scars.
Hope/Fear: Will she address this to Sadie or not?
39. INT. ARIZONA HOME –
Scene Arc: The seasons change, Lindsey addresses her Thanksgiving cards and breaks down crying about everything.
Essence: Lindsey seems to understand why the family is so dysfunctional.
Conflict: No one is really talking to each other. Gracie brings that to Lindsey’s attention.
Subtext: Lindsey misses the family.
Hope/Fear: What is Lindsey going to do next? Time is going by too fast, how close is Sadie to dying?
40. EXT. SADIE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Christmas decorations are put up throughout the house and deck.
Essence: Sadie wants to give Brooke a day/time to remember her by.
Conflict: Sadie is ignoring all of Lindsey’s calls. Gracie pushes buttons about Sadie and Christmas.
Subtext: The reality of Sadie’s death worsens for Lindsey
Hope/Fear: Hope Lindsey will accept Sadie’s decision, fear she won’t.
41. EXT. SADIE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie plans a Christmas gathering and pays the way for the family. Her plan works. Lindsey hesitates but she and Gracie arrive days before the party
Essence: Lindsey needs her family and be with Sadie. Could this be her last Christmas?
Conflict: Lindsey wasn’t invited but shows up anyway.
Subtext: Lindsey misses all the family.
Hope/Fear: What is Sadie going to do?
42.INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey and Gracie make their entrance. Sadie’s plan worked.
Essence: Will this be Sadie’s last Christmas, and can they make amends?
Conflict: Lindsey struggles to accept Sadie’s death.
Subtext: Lindsey tries to make amends.
Hope/Fear: We hope she won’t bring it up.
43. INT. LIVINGROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Emma and others arrive as they gather, and it feels like a normal family.
Essence: Everyone is on eggshells.
Conflict: Emma and Lindsey seem at odds still. Everyone wonders if she will commit suicide.
Subtext: Sadie wants a perfect day.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey and Emma make amends?
44. INT. LIVINGROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey shares the journal and diary with the family, their mother’s last wishes for all. A heart-wrenching moment until later when Lindsey
Essence: Lindsey voices her opinion, guessing that her day to die would be on Sadie’s birthday.
Conflict: Sadie gets pissed knowing that is her plan and leaves the room. Sadie gets twisted on pot and laughter fills the air.
Subtext: Lindsey doesn’t want to let go of Sadie.
Hope/Fear: Will things get settled with the family or worsen?
45. INT. LIVINGROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Christmas Eve day, all is well, Sadie’s first white Christmas. Or, so it seems. Sadie hands out gifts with a note, “Do not open until January 1st”.
Essence: How will they celebrate the day?
Conflict: Sadie told everyone not to bring any presents.
Subtext: Sadie wants to be remembered for being the matriarch, her one last opportunity.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey hopes Brooke will see Sadie as her mother and Sadie treat Brooke like her daughter. Will this be a Christmas everyone will hold dear.
46. INT. SADIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Last night together. Before Lindsey and Gracie return home, Sadie and Lindsey have a private conversation. Lindsey makes promises. Gracie takes photos. Brooke remains close to Sadie.
Essence: Lindsey’s heartbroken. Lindsey sees Brooke’s pain.
Conflict: Lindsey feels lost and abandoned.
Subtext: She doesn’t know how to say goodbye.
Hope/Fear: All hope seems gone, knowing that this is her last time with her. Grief sets in.
47. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Christmas is over, days go by. Sadie starts experimenting her drugs, Brooke calls Lindsey when Sadie has a serious fall. Asks her not to come, she can handle it.
Essence: Sadie is testing out the drugs in various combinations to find what works the best.
Conflict: Lindsey wants to go be with Sadie but Brooke doesn’t need her. Gracie argues with Lindsey, she wants Lindsey to pack up and go be with Brooke and Sadie.
Subtext: Sadie wants to die.
Hope/Fear: We hope Brooke reaches out but she won’t.
48. INT. OFFICE – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke is conflicted between her mother’s requests and her dependence and loyalty to Lindsey. She is afraid to help her mother die.
Essence: Brooke doesn’t know what to do.
Conflict: Brooke struggles with Lindsey’s moral beliefs.
Subtext: Brooke doesn’t know if she can go through with helping her mother die.
Hope/Fear: Hope she calls out for help.
49. INT. SADIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie has fallen and becomes combative and falls. Brooke calls on the friends for help. Sadie cries out for Lindsey. Lindsey gets the call from Brooke, and leaves for Oregon. Lindsey talks to Sadie for the last time, she heard her.
Essence: Lindsey is needed when Brooke calls her “mom” again and is wanted by Sadie who thinks Brooke is Lindsey.
Conflict: Will she make it in time?
Subtext: Lindsey becomes speechless.
Hope/Fear: Hope she makes it in time.
50. EXT. PORTLAND AIRPORT – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey is transferred to a different airport due to snow and fog. Calls Brooke. Brooke with her friends by her side starts drinking shots of tequila.
Essence: Lindsey is stuck in the airport and emotionally.
Conflict: Feelings of guilt surface, she should have listened to Gracie
Subtext: Lindsey needed to know that she was wanted by Brooke.
Hope/Fear: Hope she’ll make it in time.
51. INT. SADIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s been taking drugs all day, some unknown to Gracie and falls and hits her head in the bathroom and gets stuck. Brooke calls for help, she needs Lindsey.
Essence: Sadie will die today.
Conflict: Brooke’s promise to assist in her passing with the pills frightens Brooke. She feels she’s killing her mom.
Subtext: Brooke wants her mother, afraid to let go.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Brooke finds strength.
52. MOMENTS LATER
Scene Arc: After getting Sadie into bed, Sadie cries out to Lindsey but it’s Brooke at her side. Brooke gets on her knees and prays as she gives her more pills.
Essence: Sadie wants her sister by her side. Sadie dies before Lindsey arrives.
Conflict: Brooke struggles to give her the last pill.
Subtext: This is Sadie’s last day.
Hope/Fear: Will she pass peacefully but doesn’t.
53. INT. OREGON HOME – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey has arrived but an hour too late. Brooke, exhausted, drunk, sobbing, clings onto Lindsey when she walks in.
Essence: Sadie has passed, Brooke and Lindsey grieve together. Lindsey sends everyone home. Lindsey says her goodbyes to Sadie and begins to change her clothes and fix her bruises.
Conflict: Emotional breakdown for Brooke and Lindsey. Lindsey keeps her promise to make Sadie look good.
Subtext: Brooke hides her anger. Lindsey has to be strong for Brooke.
Hope/Fear:
54. INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke is processing and can’t bring herself to come over. Funeral home comes for Sadie. Brooke gives Lindsey an envelope (from Sadie) but she doesn’t look at it.
Essence:
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55. INT. LIVINGROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: MONTAGE – Two weeks pass. Lindsey cleans up house for auction. Brooke decides that she doesn’t want anything, takes only a few things, leaves it to Lindsey to pack up. She boxes it up and ships it to Gracie. It’s a “someday” box meant for Brooke. Sadie’s car is filled, a friend drives it to Arizona. There is a burning of papers with Brooke and Lindsey on the deck.
Essence: Time to move on.
Conflict: Lindsey thinks she’s making a mistake but respects Brooke’s decision.
Subtext: Brooke is deeply hurt, abandoned again. Lindsey learns to let go.
Hope/Fear: Will Brooke come back and forgive her mother?
56. EXT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey packed up, then stops and walks out of the house to get on a plane.
Essence: Time for Lindsey to grieve and return home.
Conflict: Lindsey faces more things to go through when she comes home.
Subtext: She’s still grieving the loss of her mother, now Sadie.
Hope/Fear: Hope Lindsey gives herself time to grieve.
57. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY TWO MONTHS PASS
Scene Arc: Gracie and Lindsey are dividing up items for the family to ship.
Essence: Lindsey is still multi-tasking.
Conflict: She wants answers from Gracie but doesn’t get any.
Subtext: Lindsey is still trying to control everything and everybody.
Hope/Fear: When will she stop and care for herself?
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• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Making Every Scene Fascinating
My scripts get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hard working professional.
What I have learned is that even though I only have 22 scenes done to date but I am working on my script and will resubmit when I get it done.

ACT 1 Time Lapse – 1969 – 1980’s
Scene Arc: It begins whit the two sisters becoming adults until they part ways.
Essence: To establish that older sister, Sadie and middle sister Lindsey, had a very close relationship, once upon a time. And shows Sadie’s multiple tragedies that will impact Lindsey’s life.
Conflict: Sadie is on the road of self-destruction and abandons Lindsey. This is where the war begins.
Subtext: Sadie is running away from everyone in her life, drugs and alcohol take over. This is an old wound for Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: We hope something good happens to reunite the sisters and their daughters. And we fear that this could end their relationship and their daughters.

2. INT. COURT HOUSE – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey filed for guardianship of her niece, Brooke and it is granted.
Essence: Sadie makes her appearance, but it is too late.
Conflict: Lindsey takes full responsibility while Sadie acts as though she doesn’t care.
Subtext: Sadie’s appearance was just for show.
Hope/Fear: Hopeful that Lindsey made the right decision for her niece and fears the damage that Brooke will experience
3. INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Clearly Lindsey is overwhelmed and grieving the loss of her mother, Sarah, as her daughter, Gracie walks on eggshells while she helps her sort things out “per the will”.
Essence: Lindsey is trying to stay in control, she avoids conversations and contact with everyone, Gracie strives to smooth things over.
Conflict: Lindsey isn’t fond of Dylan, Gracie’s significant other, Emma, Lindsey’s younger sister, picks through her mother’s belongings, the tension is very high with everyone.
Subtext: Lindsey is masking her pain with avoidance. There is an internal war going on in the family and she’s about to explode.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey will find some peace but fear that if she has a breakdown, it will cause trouble in the family.
4. INT. SARAH’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: The packing is almost done, days have passed. Emma fills her vehicle as Lindsey quietly falls apart.
Essence: Lindsey begins her meltdown when Gracie discovers the box of her grandmother’s journals. Lindsey shuts down.
Conflict: Lindsey’s buttons are pushed to the limit. Gracie and Lindsey exchange words that put Lindsey in her place.
Subtext: The reality of being the next matriarch hits Lindsey hard. She doesn’t want responsibility.
Hope/Fear: Can Lindsey pull herself out of the rut? How will she deal with Sadie and Brooke? Fear that a family feud will break out.
5. INT. LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey is so exhausted, falls asleep. Gracie’s in the kitchen cooking. Lindsey has a dream.
Essence: Somethings wrong with this picture when Gracie cooks. Brooke shows up unknown to Lindsey.
Conflict: The dream wakes Lindsey up. What was she dreaming? Is it really a dream when Brooke walks in.
Subtext: Lindsey is holding back her fears and tears. She’s not strong enough to deal with everyone’s emotions, like her mother did.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey and Gracie can have a good conversation like she had with her mother. Can Lindsey let go of being in total control and become more understanding and kind?
6. INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A big surprise, Brooke arrives in Arizona. Brooke confides in Gracie, the mother-daughter relationship isn’t working, Sadie sees Brooke as a carer and not a daughter.
Essence: Sadie has taken a turn or the worse. Brooke wants help but is afraid to ask Lindsey, aka “mom”.
Conflict: Lindsey becomes “Aunt Lindsey” for the first time in years. Lindsey must let go of being called mom if she goes to Oregon.
Subtext: Lindsey needs her sister as much as she needs Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Is Lindsey going to go to Oregon? Will she refuse?
7. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Brooke spills the beans about her mom with Gracie; her illness, drugs, and becoming her caregiver.
Essence: More reality for Lindsey to face, her grief intensifies.
Conflict: Lindsey’s heart is breaking for Brooke. Lindsey must accept the change for everyone’s sake and answer to being Aunt Lindsey.
Subtext: Lindsey feels abandoned again.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be strong enough to deal with Sadie and be the sister she once was? Or will Lindsey stay at home?
8. EXT. BACKYARD – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey has no one she can talk with.
Essence: Lindsey faces the reality of her losses as she goes through her mother’s journal.
Conflict: She hasn’t talked with her lifelong friend, Lauren, in months.
Subtext: She’s afraid to say I’m sorry.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey reach out to Lauren? Will she shut down even more?
9. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie brings out the journals that she’s hidden. They plan a trip for Gracie.
Essence: Gracie and Brooke go through the photos and journals. They discover that Gracie’s father left a suicide note to Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke is angry that information was withheld from her.
Subtext: Will Brooke confront her mother or will she ask Lindsey about her father?
Hope/Fear: Hope that Brooke begins to understand her mother’s pain or will she keep it buried?
10. INT. CAR – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke pick up Lindsey’s prescriptions, have a heavy conversation about what’s going on with Sadie and the toll of caring for her mother.
Essence: They both begin to see a bigger picture of Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke wants to be a daughter not her caregiver.
Subtext: Old wound surfaces for Brooke when she came to live with Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Can she accept her mother as she is or is she afraid to ask her mother questions?
11. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM –
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke bring Lindsey into a conversation then inform her that it would be good if Gracie came with her to Oregon.
Essence: Brooke wants back up when she goes home. Lindsey needs time for herself.
Conflict: Lindsey is surprised when they have already purchased the flight for Gracie.
Subtext: Brooke needs Gracie’s help. Lindsey must take inventory of her needs and time alone is one.
Hope/Fear: Hope that all goes well and afraid of hearing the truth.
12. EXT. MEDFORD AIRPORT OREGON – DAY
The girls arrive, get into Brooke’s car and drive away.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie is very surprised to see her niece. Sadie dismisses Brooke who leaves and goes to her home.
Essence: Shows the difference in the relationship between Sadie and Gracie and how Sadie dismisses Brooke.
Conflict: Sadie treats Brooke like her aid. Gracie receives affection from Sadie.
Subtext: Sadie is accepted by Gracie. Gracie relates to Sadie’s drug problem.
Hope/Fear: That Gracie gets to see how Sadie treats Brooke and fear it will cause more damage for Brooke.
13. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity and drug usage surfaces in front of Gracie and a trip to the pharmacy, except Sadie backs the car into garage door.
Essence: Sadie’s drug use is exactly what Brooke shared, forcing Gracie to go to pharmacy alone.
Conflict: Gracie doesn’t know how to get to the pharmacy and very concerned with the amount of drugs Sadie already has.
Subtext: Gracie is seeing who her aunt really is and it scares her, as well as having feeling for Brooke.
Hope/Fear: Sadie slows down her drug use but afraid that something could go badly.
INT. PHARMACY – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie can’t get one of the prescriptions. Calls Brooke for help. Gracie explains to Sadie and calms her down.
Essence: Everyone knows what a drug seeker Sadie is.
Conflict: Gracie is afraid her aunt will be upset.
Subtext: Gracie remembers her drug days.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie’s actions don’t spark Gracie’s interest in drugs. Or, maybe Gracie will try Sadie’s drugs.
14. INT. OREGON HOME – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A power outage scares Sadie and forces Gracie to drive over to Brooke’s home in the pouring rain and hail. Sadie brings her stash of pills.
Essence: Sadie’s drugs are very important.
Conflict: The drugs spill all over the car. Gracie worries about the drugs if pulled over.
Subtext: Gracie is perplexed while Sadie finds it funny.
Hope/Fear: Will Gracie get pulled over or will she make it to Brooke’s.
15. INT. BROOKE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity, routine and selfishness surfaces. Brooke makes breakfast.
Essence: Sadie’s need to be in her home is more important than being with her daughter and acting as a family. and has her usual routine come before everything.
Conflict: Sadie demands to go home. Brooke’s feelings are hurt.
Subtext: Sadie wants everything her way. Gracie is seeing how Brooke is treated.
Hope/Fear: Will Sadie apologize and thank Brooke or will she continue to treat Brooke like her aid.
16. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke’s day begins with checking on Sadie’s drugs, pillbox is screwed up, Gracie sees her routine. Brooke has reports to get out to her employer and doesn’t have time to be with Gracie.
Essence: Gracie gets a full day from Brooke’s point of view.
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to be disturbed as she changes her bag but ends up needing Brooke’s help. Pills are in secret hiding places.
Subtext: Brooke is afraid to question her mother.
Hope/Fear: Hope Sadie’s attitude changes and Brooke is able to have a good conversation with Gracie’s help, but Brooke knows it won’t happen.
17. EXT. OREGON HOME – PORCH – DAY
Scene Arc: Day is done, Gracie brings out the two journals,
Essence: Brooke is exhausted and torn. Gracie shares information with Brooke about Colorectal Cancer. She’s even talked with new surgeons, new medical trials and lawyers about her botched surgery and to consider a malpractice lawsuit.
Conflict: Sadie will never file a lawsuit and doesn’t want any more medical help. Brooke is forced to tell Gracie exactly what Sadie’s intentions are.
Subtext: Lindsey is always looking out for Sadie. Brooke is forced to let Gracie know that Sadie is on palliative care and wants to go into hospice as soon as she can qualify.
Hope/Fear: She hopes that Sadie will listen to Gracie while Brooke knows Sadie’s real intentions. She wants to die on her terms.
18. EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BACKYARD
Scene Arc: Lindsey is still grieving over Gram and Sadie’s health. Gracie arrives back home via Lyft. Lindsey is very surprised. Gracie is happy to be home. Gracie returns the journals she secretly took.
Essence: Things really haven’t changed at home. Lindsey makes a new plan and shares with Gracie, but Gracie withholds what she’s experienced and learned.
Conflict: Items that were Sadie’s are missing. Is Lindsey ready to hear that Sadie wants to go into hospice and is presently in palliative care. She’s been left out of the loop.
Subtext: Gracie questions her thoughts about time shared with Sadie and what she knows.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be able to handle Sadie’s wishes, and will it backfire if Gracie doesn’t let her know.
19. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BATHROOM
Scene Arc: Lindsey’s is going to with Sadie for a while. Gracie shares everything with Lindsey. Lindsey has moral issues but is still going to Oregon.
Essence: Lindsey needs her sister more than anything.
Conflict: Lindsey has mixed feelings about dying with dignity but thinks she can change her mind.
Subtext: Lindsey doesn’t believe Sadie and it’s all an act for attention.
Hope/Fear: Hoping Sadie will change her mind or tell the truth but she could be serious and it’s all about getting more drugs.
20. INT. MIKE’S TRUCK – DAY
MEDFORD AIRPORT
Scene Arc: Mike, a friend of her mother and sister, picks Lindsey up. Lindsey probes Mike on his position of dying with dignity since Oregon’s laws allow it. Mike is all for it.
Essence: Lindsey wants to know what Mike knows about Sadie’s health and drug use.
Conflict: Mike is all for assisted suicide but it’s a moral issue for Lindsey.
Subtext: She picks his brain to see how close Sadie and Mike are.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey believes she will change Sadie’s mind, but Mike is supportive of Sadie’s decision. After all he has ALS.
21. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey arrives with Sadie’s warm embrace as tears stream down their faces. Sadie settles her in. Sadie demands Lindsey to take a sleeping pill and have a hit of a joint.
Essence: Sadie wants Lindsey to be drugged up like she is.
Conflict: Lindsey sleeps for two days, not to Lindsey’s liking.
Subtext: Sadie knows what’s best for everyone.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey will be pissed when she finally wakes but hope she doesn’t stir the pot.
22. INT./EXT OREGON HOME -DAY
Scene Arc: We see a week pass as Sadie and Lindsey do various things around the house.
Essence: How close are Lindsey and Sadie?
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to let Lindsey in on her medical status.
Subtext: Sadie is hiding the truth.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie will trust Lindsey and fear an argument will happen.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  jamie handley.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Fascinating Scene Requirements
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

What I’ve learned is that it’s ok that I am behind (just for now) and that this is the first draft of the outline. I started catching up but then I realized that I needed to go forward and accept that this is good enough for the moment. I will catch up if I give myself permission to be behind and fall back/forward as I continue my classes. This is partial and probably too much for this lesson but am turning it in anyway. Since then, I have seen where I am weak with my protagonist and missing the actions the character needs to have.

What I have learned is I did give AI the first 22 scenes and what I have here is what AI sent back. I’m not sure why AI didn’t do the breakdown of each of the scenes submitted but AI has presented me with various decisions and points of views to consider.
What I am turning in is what AI sent me back.
Learning how to layer in steps is very helpful and, I don’t want to “NOT” do the work on the first draft as I feel it very important. I will try the 22 scenes tomorrow and see what happens. Below are the 22 scenes I sent over to AI, and got back the following 6 scenes.

Scene 1
INT. LINDSEY’S HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – DAY

Description: Lindsey sorts through her deceased mother’s belongings while grappling with grief. Her sister Emma packs selfishly, and Gracie discovers a box of journals labeled “For Lindsey Only.”

Beginning (Mystery): Lindsey discovers hidden journals among her mother’s belongings, sparking curiosity about their contents.
Middle (Intrigue): Gracie shows interest in the journals, hinting at secrets about their family’s past, intensifying Lindsey’s curiosity and grief.
Ending (Cliffhanger): Emma leaves hastily with items not meant for her, leaving Lindsey worried about the implications of the journals’ secrets.

Scene 2
INT. LINDSEY’S HOUSE – LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Description: As the night deepens, Lindsey begins to pack for her trip to Oregon, reflecting on the family dynamics and the looming confrontation with her sister Sadie.

Beginning (Internal Dilemma): Lindsey feels torn between her duty to her family and her own emotional exhaustion.
Middle (Character changes radically): As she packs, Lindsey finds an old photo that reminds her of better times with Sadie, changing her resolve to confront her sister.
Ending (Uncertainty): Lindsey goes to bed with unresolved feelings about her trip, questioning if she can truly help Sadie or only worsen their strained relationship.

Scene 3
EXT. AIRPORT – DAY

Description: Lindsey arrives in Oregon, filled with apprehension about meeting Sadie, who has been increasingly dependent on medications.

Beginning (Suspense): Lindsey’s plane lands in Oregon, her anxiety peaks as she anticipates seeing Sadie after years apart.
Middle (Misinterpretation): Lindsey misreads Sadie’s welcoming gesture as genuine warmth, but underlying tension hints at Sadie’s ulterior motives concerning her health.
Ending (Betrayal): Sadie subtly manipulates the conversation to gauge Lindsey’s stance on assisted suicide, leaving Lindsey feeling used and betrayed.

Scene 4
INT. SADIE’S LIVING ROOM – EVENING

Description: An intense debate unfolds about assisted suicide, revealing deep-seated family secrets that isolate Lindsey further.

Beginning (External Dilemma): The family gathers to discuss Sadie’s wish for assisted suicide, forcing Lindsey to choose between supporting her sister’s decision or opposing it based on her moral beliefs.
Middle (Betrayal): Secrets about past betrayals are revealed during the debate, causing Lindsey to feel isolated and betrayed by those she trusted.
Ending (Major Twist): Gracie unexpectedly supports Sadie’s decision, deepening Lindsey’s sense of betrayal and isolation.

Scene 5
INT. SADIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Description: Sadie’s health rapidly deteriorates, leading to a heartbreaking climax where she nearly loses her life prematurely.

Beginning (Superior Position): The audience knows that Sadie has hidden a stash of potent medication not yet revealed to Lindsey.
Middle (Surprise): Sadie, under the influence of her medications, falls, causing severe injury that accelerates her decline.
Ending (Cliffhanger): As Sadie’s life hangs in the balance, Lindsey must decide whether to respect her sister’s wishes or intervene to save her, with emergency services on the way.

Scene 6
EXT. LAGUNA BEACH – DUSK

Description: A year after Sadie’s death, the family gathers at Laguna Beach to scatter her ashes, where Lindsey announces passing the matriarchal role to Gracie.

Beginning (Closure and Hope): The family reunites in a peaceful setting, reflecting on their journey and the lessons learned from Sadie’s life and death.
Middle (Starting New Traditions): Lindsey initiates a new family tradition of gathering at the beach, symbolizing new beginnings and healed bonds.
Ending (Final Acceptance): Lindsey passes the role of matriarch to Gracie, accepting her new role in the family dynamics and embracing a future of unity and support.

THIS IS WHAT I SENT IN CHATGPT.
ACT 1
1 Time Lapse – 1969 – 1980’s
Scene Arc: It begins whit the two sisters becoming adults until they part ways.
Essence: To establish that older sister, Sadie and middle sister Lindsey, had a very close relationship, once upon a time. And shows Sadie’s multiple tragedies that will impact Lindsey’s life.
Conflict: Sadie is on the road of self-destruction and abandons Lindsey. This is where the war begins.
Subtext: Sadie is running away from everyone in her life, drugs and alcohol take over. This is an old wound for Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: We hope something good happens to reunite the sisters and their daughters. And we fear that this could end their relationship and their daughters.

2. INT. COURT HOUSE – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey filed for guardianship of her niece, Brooke and it is granted.
Essence: Sadie makes her appearance, but it is too late.
Conflict: Lindsey takes full responsibility while Sadie acts as though she doesn’t care.
Subtext: Sadie’s appearance was just for show.
Hope/Fear: Hopeful that Lindsey made the right decision for her niece and fears the damage that Brooke will experience
3. INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Clearly Lindsey is overwhelmed and grieving the loss of her mother, Sarah, as her daughter, Gracie walks on eggshells while she helps her sort things out “per the will”.
Essence: Lindsey is trying to stay in control, she avoids conversations and contact with everyone, Gracie strives to smooth things over.
Conflict: Lindsey isn’t fond of Dylan, Gracie’s significant other, Emma, Lindsey’s younger sister, picks through her mother’s belongings, the tension is very high with everyone.
Subtext: Lindsey is masking her pain with avoidance. There is an internal war going on in the family and she’s about to explode.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey will find some peace but fear that if she has a breakdown, it will cause trouble in the family.
4. INT. SARAH’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: The packing is almost done, days have passed. Emma fills her vehicle as Lindsey quietly falls apart.
Essence: Lindsey begins her meltdown when Gracie discovers the box of her grandmother’s journals. Lindsey shuts down.
Conflict: Lindsey’s buttons are pushed to the limit. Gracie and Lindsey exchange words that put Lindsey in her place.
Subtext: The reality of being the next matriarch hits Lindsey hard. She doesn’t want responsibility.
Hope/Fear: Can Lindsey pull herself out of the rut? How will she deal with Sadie and Brooke? Fear that a family feud will break out.
5. INT. LINDSEY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Lindsey is so exhausted, falls asleep. Gracie’s in the kitchen cooking. Lindsey has a dream.
Essence: Somethings wrong with this picture when Gracie cooks. Brooke shows up unknown to Lindsey.
Conflict: The dream wakes Lindsey up. What was she dreaming? Is it really a dream when Brooke walks in.
Subtext: Lindsey is holding back her fears and tears. She’s not strong enough to deal with everyone’s emotions, like her mother did.
Hope/Fear: Hoping that Lindsey and Gracie can have a good conversation like she had with her mother. Can Lindsey let go of being in total control and become more understanding and kind?
6. INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A big surprise, Brooke arrives in Arizona. Brooke confides in Gracie, the mother-daughter relationship isn’t working, Sadie sees Brooke as a carer and not a daughter.
Essence: Sadie has taken a turn or the worse. Brooke wants help but is afraid to ask Lindsey, aka “mom”.
Conflict: Lindsey becomes “Aunt Lindsey” for the first time in years. Lindsey must let go of being called mom if she goes to Oregon.
Subtext: Lindsey needs her sister as much as she needs Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Is Lindsey going to go to Oregon? Will she refuse?
7. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Scene Arc: Brooke spills the beans about her mom with Gracie; her illness, drugs, and becoming her caregiver.
Essence: More reality for Lindsey to face, her grief intensifies.
Conflict: Lindsey’s heart is breaking for Brooke. Lindsey must accept the change for everyone’s sake and answer to being Aunt Lindsey.
Subtext: Lindsey feels abandoned again.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be strong enough to deal with Sadie and be the sister she once was? Or will Lindsey stay at home?
8. EXT. BACKYARD – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey has no one she can talk with.
Essence: Lindsey faces the reality of her losses as she goes through her mother’s journal.
Conflict: She hasn’t talked with her lifelong friend, Lauren, in months.
Subtext: She’s afraid to say I’m sorry.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey reach out to Lauren? Will she shut down even more?
9. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie brings out the journals that she’s hidden. They plan a trip for Gracie.
Essence: Gracie and Brooke go through the photos and journals. They discover that Gracie’s father left a suicide note to Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke is angry that information was withheld from her.
Subtext: Will Brooke confront her mother or will she ask Lindsey about her father?
Hope/Fear: Hope that Brooke begins to understand her mother’s pain or will she keep it buried?
10. INT. CAR – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke pick up Lindsey’s prescriptions, have a heavy conversation about what’s going on with Sadie and the toll of caring for her mother.
Essence: They both begin to see a bigger picture of Sadie.
Conflict: Brooke wants to be a daughter not her caregiver.
Subtext: Old wound surfaces for Brooke when she came to live with Lindsey.
Hope/Fear: Can she accept her mother as she is or is she afraid to ask her mother questions?
11. INT. GRACIE’S BEDROOM –
Scene Arc: Gracie and Brooke bring Lindsey into a conversation then inform her that it would be good if Gracie came with her to Oregon.
Essence: Brooke wants back up when she goes home. Lindsey needs time for herself.
Conflict: Lindsey is surprised when they have already purchased the flight for Gracie.
Subtext: Brooke needs Gracie’s help. Lindsey must take inventory of her needs and time alone is one.
Hope/Fear: Hope that all goes well and afraid of hearing the truth.
12. EXT. MEDFORD AIRPORT OREGON – DAY
The girls arrive, get into Brooke’s car and drive away.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie is very surprised to see her niece. Sadie dismisses Brooke who leaves and goes to her home.
Essence: Shows the difference in the relationship between Sadie and Gracie and how Sadie dismisses Brooke.
Conflict: Sadie treats Brooke like her aid. Gracie receives affection from Sadie.
Subtext: Sadie is accepted by Gracie. Gracie relates to Sadie’s drug problem.
Hope/Fear: That Gracie gets to see how Sadie treats Brooke and fear it will cause more damage for Brooke.
13. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity and drug usage surfaces in front of Gracie and a trip to the pharmacy, except Sadie backs the car into garage door.
Essence: Sadie’s drug use is exactly what Brooke shared, forcing Gracie to go to pharmacy alone.
Conflict: Gracie doesn’t know how to get to the pharmacy and very concerned with the amount of drugs Sadie already has.
Subtext: Gracie is seeing who her aunt really is and it scares her, as well as having feeling for Brooke.
Hope/Fear: Sadie slows down her drug use but afraid that something could go badly.
INT. PHARMACY – DAY
Scene Arc: Gracie can’t get one of the prescriptions. Calls Brooke for help. Gracie explains to Sadie and calms her down.
Essence: Everyone knows what a drug seeker Sadie is.
Conflict: Gracie is afraid her aunt will be upset.
Subtext: Gracie remembers her drug days.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie’s actions don’t spark Gracie’s interest in drugs. Or, maybe Gracie will try Sadie’s drugs.
14. INT. OREGON HOME – NIGHT
Scene Arc: A power outage scares Sadie and forces Gracie to drive over to Brooke’s home in the pouring rain and hail. Sadie brings her stash of pills.
Essence: Sadie’s drugs are very important.
Conflict: The drugs spill all over the car. Gracie worries about the drugs if pulled over.
Subtext: Gracie is perplexed while Sadie finds it funny.
Hope/Fear: Will Gracie get pulled over or will she make it to Brooke’s.
15. INT. BROOKE’S HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Sadie’s vanity, routine and selfishness surfaces. Brooke makes breakfast.
Essence: Sadie’s need to be in her home is more important than being with her daughter and acting as a family. and has her usual routine come before everything.
Conflict: Sadie demands to go home. Brooke’s feelings are hurt.
Subtext: Sadie wants everything her way. Gracie is seeing how Brooke is treated.
Hope/Fear: Will Sadie apologize and thank Brooke or will she continue to treat Brooke like her aid.
16. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Brooke’s day begins with checking on Sadie’s drugs, pillbox is screwed up, Gracie sees her routine. Brooke has reports to get out to her employer and doesn’t have time to be with Gracie.
Essence: Gracie gets a full day from Brooke’s point of view.
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to be disturbed as she changes her bag but ends up needing Brooke’s help. Pills are in secret hiding places.
Subtext: Brooke is afraid to question her mother.
Hope/Fear: Hope Sadie’s attitude changes and Brooke is able to have a good conversation with Gracie’s help, but Brooke knows it won’t happen.
17. EXT. OREGON HOME – PORCH – DAY
Scene Arc: Day is done, Gracie brings out the two journals,
Essence: Brooke is exhausted and torn. Gracie shares information with Brooke about Colorectal Cancer. She’s even talked with new surgeons, new medical trials and lawyers about her botched surgery and to consider a malpractice lawsuit.
Conflict: Sadie will never file a lawsuit and doesn’t want any more medical help. Brooke is forced to tell Gracie exactly what Sadie’s intentions are.
Subtext: Lindsey is always looking out for Sadie. Brooke is forced to let Gracie know that Sadie is on palliative care and wants to go into hospice as soon as she can qualify.
Hope/Fear: She hopes that Sadie will listen to Gracie while Brooke knows Sadie’s real intentions. She wants to die on her terms.
18. EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BACKYARD
Scene Arc: Lindsey is still grieving over Gram and Sadie’s health. Gracie arrives back home via Lyft. Lindsey is very surprised. Gracie is happy to be home. Gracie returns the journals she secretly took.
Essence: Things really haven’t changed at home. Lindsey makes a new plan and shares with Gracie, but Gracie withholds what she’s experienced and learned.
Conflict: Items that were Sadie’s are missing. Is Lindsey ready to hear that Sadie wants to go into hospice and is presently in palliative care. She’s been left out of the loop.
Subtext: Gracie questions her thoughts about time shared with Sadie and what she knows.
Hope/Fear: Will Lindsey be able to handle Sadie’s wishes, and will it backfire if Gracie doesn’t let her know.
19. INT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BATHROOM
Scene Arc: Lindsey’s is going to with Sadie for a while. Gracie shares everything with Lindsey. Lindsey has moral issues but is still going to Oregon.
Essence: Lindsey needs her sister more than anything.
Conflict: Lindsey has mixed feelings about dying with dignity but thinks she can change her mind.
Subtext: Lindsey doesn’t believe Sadie and it’s all an act for attention.
Hope/Fear: Hoping Sadie will change her mind or tell the truth but she could be serious and it’s all about getting more drugs.
20. INT. MIKE’S TRUCK – DAY
MEDFORD AIRPORT
Scene Arc: Mike, a friend of her mother and sister, picks Lindsey up. Lindsey probes Mike on his position of dying with dignity since Oregon’s laws allow it. Mike is all for it.
Essence: Lindsey wants to know what Mike knows about Sadie’s health and drug use.
Conflict: Mike is all for assisted suicide but it’s a moral issue for Lindsey.
Subtext: She picks his brain to see how close Sadie and Mike are.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey believes she will change Sadie’s mind, but Mike is supportive of Sadie’s decision. After all he has ALS.
21. INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Scene Arc: Lindsey arrives with Sadie’s warm embrace as tears stream down their faces. Sadie settles her in. Sadie demands Lindsey to take a sleeping pill and have a hit of a joint.
Essence: Sadie wants Lindsey to be drugged up like she is.
Conflict: Lindsey sleeps for two days, not to Lindsey’s liking.
Subtext: Sadie knows what’s best for everyone.
Hope/Fear: Lindsey will be pissed when she finally wakes but hope she doesn’t stir the pot.
22. INT./EXT OREGON HOME -DAY
Scene Arc: We see a week pass as Sadie and Lindsey do various things around the house.
Essence: How close are Lindsey and Sadie?
Conflict: Sadie doesn’t want to let Lindsey in on her medical status.
Subtext: Sadie is hiding the truth.
Hope/Fear: Hope that Sadie will trust Lindsey and fear an argument will happen.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Reveals
This lesson kicked in the need to layer and in this fashion. In other words, I’m getting it, little by little. Over a week ago I was really behind, almost 11 classes. Accident, new car and that’s just a wee bit of BUT I am catching up. For this class I started doing the reveals, integrity etc. but only made it to the 3 Act. So I’m sending it in as-is and move forward in order to keep up with class. Besides, it’s only the first draft!! Right now I know that a lot is going to change, finally get that too.
ACT 1
TIME LASPE – 1969 – 1980’s Photos of Lindsey and Sadie over the years. We see the closeness of the two sisters, Sadie and Lindsey’s relationship. Marriages, births, multiple photos at Laguna Beach hanging out and with the girls (toddlers).
Lindsey’s divorce (him cheating on her) then Sadie’s divorce (her husband overdoses on heroin) they move in together, party time, day jobs Lindsey working downtown L.A. garment industry, Sadie a hairstylist, they get a second job (week-end nights- trying to make ends meet, go-go dancers at a strip club), Sadie starts drinking, staying drunk then, pot and valiums. Sadie moves out, a wealthy man by her side. Gracie, (Lindsey’s daughter) and Brooke (Sadie’s daughter) same age, crying as Sadie drives off. Lindsey gives her the finger.
OPENING
INT. – COURT – DAY
The JUDGE and SOCIAL WORKER talk with BROOKE (11) asking questions. They return to the main court room; Brooke sits at table with lawyer and Social Worker. LINDSEY (30’S) and CHRIS (40) stand when they walk back in. Lindsey is granted custodial rights for Brooke. When the gavel slams down…
INT-ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
PRESENT DAY
INTRIGUE – BOX OF JOURNALS. COVERT – GRACIE STASHES A COUPLE OF JOURNALS.
EMOTIONAL DILEMMA – SET UP
Lindsey sits thinking, staring out in space when daughter, GRACIE (50) DROPS the box startling her, she jumps. Lindsey is despondent, a room filled with boxes and papers, clothes, nick-nacks, boxes with people’s names on them.
She is going through a box of her mothers who has passed away. Gracie quickly puts the box into the sunroom. Later Lindsey discovers one journal that upsets her, labeled “Personal”.
Lindsey is quiet and overwhelmed. Gracie helping, as is her significant other, Dylan as he brings in mail.
INTRIGUE – LINDSEY LIES. SHOWS WHO’S IN CONTROL. SET UP – FAMILY AND LINDSEY’S SECRETS
Lindsey tries to avoid any conversation, even when the phone rings, it’s SADIE, her older sister, and doesn’t want to take it.
She makes decisions as to who gets what, hands it off to Gracie who puts it in the proper box. Lindsey snaps redirecting her to place it where she said to. Gracie brings up the will, busting her with questions and replaces the item.
Gracie takes two of her grandmother’s journals, quickly stashing them.
Younger sister, Emma pops in with a bunch of clothes and a silver fox coat, asks if she can have it. It’s a given, Emma wants it to sell, it would never fit her. They talk a moment. Gracie chimes in. Everyone is edgy.
B.G. is a computer and desk filled with papers. The computer has several screens open, two have written words, another screen is on pause from Studio Binder, we can’t make out anything.
Lindsey gets up off the floor, puts on her back brace that hangs on her chair.
Lindsey briefly looks down in a box of papers, takes out a bunch of old writings and stories of hers. Calmly, walks over and turns off the computer, then sits. Gracie, snippy, asks if they’re done in an almost reprimanding way. Words exchanged.
DAYS PASS – everything almost gone.
EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
Emma packs her SUV. Asks for one of their mother’s diamond rings. No, it’s for Sadie. Emma puts the ring in her wallet, drives away.
INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – NIGHT
SET UP – BACK STORY OF BROOKE
KITCHEN – Gracie is cooking, something she rarely does.
Lindsey is exhausted, pissed and grieving, and falls asleep.
PAY OFF – BROOKE CALLS SADIE “MOM”. How will Brooke and Lindsey deal with Brooke calling her aunt “mom” in front of her mother, Sadie?
This will LATER play havoc with Lindsey and Sadie.
Lindsey wakes abruptly as Brooke’s suitcase drops and she leans in calling Lindsey “mom” to wake her up. A big surprise for Lindsey.
Gracie knew she was coming, the reason she was cooking. Lindsey puts on both braces, one for her arm, the other a back brace.
KITCHEN
Conversation at the kitchen table.
BEDROOM
Gracie and Brooke plan the trip to Oregon secretly. They chit-chat as they look through photos of Sadie and Lindsey. Gracie is brought up to date on Sadie’s botched colon cancer surgery.
Gracie shows her the two journals, packs them. They continue talking then show Lindsey the tickets for the next day as they laugh the night away.
EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
Gracie and Brooke are picked up by Lyft.
INT. CAR – DAY
Gracie and Brooke have a heavy conversation about what’s going on with her aunt Sadie and the toll of caring for her mother.
EXT. OREGON HOME – DAY
SURPRISE FOR SADIE. EXCITEMENT & BONDING BETWEEN GRACIE AND SADIE.
Sadie is very surprised to see her niece. Sadie dismisses Brooke who leaves and goes to her home.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Sadie waits on Gracie who wants to make her feel at home.
EXT. OREGON HOME – DAY
SET UP – SADIE IS WASTED AND TESTING GRACIE
Sadie backs into garage door. She asks Gracie to make a run to the pharmacy for her. Calls Brooke to update while driving to pharmacy.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Sadie takes out her stash of pills and pot as she stares into the mirror on the kitchen island.
INT. PHARMACY – DAY
GRACIE PANICS – Gracie can’t get one of the prescriptions. Too early- it’s a narcotic.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Gracie explains to Sadie and calms her down.
INT OREGON HOME – NIGHT
SET UP – SHOWS SADIE’S FEAR.
Power outage. Sadie wakes Gracie and must go and spend the night with Brooke.
INT. CAR – NIGHT
It’s pouring rain and fog. Sadie’s pills drop all over the front seat and floor. Pull into Brooke’s home. This is an emotional dilemma for Gracie. What if she gets pulled over?
INT. BROOKE’S HOME – NEXT DAY – EARLY MORNING
SUBTEXT – Shows Sadie’s vanity and routine.
Brooke has breakfast ready. Sadie doesn’t want to eat and wants to go home to put on her make-up. Sadie wants to drive home, Gracie refuses to let her. Brooke will meet her there later.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
SET UP – BROOKE WANTS LINDSEY’S HELP – TAKING CARE OF SADIE – GIVING BROOKE A BREAK. Shows differences between Brooke and Sadie.
Brooke arrives, Sadie sleeps, Brooke goes to the office she uses for work. Gracie wants Brooke to spend the day with her, but she has zoom meetings with her work. Later…
Sadie’s BOUDOIR ROOM – LATER
Sadie isn’t drinking. SET UP a promise she made with her mother stated in a journal.
SECRETS – Sadie had an abortion. Who is the love of Sadie’s life? Sadie and Lindsey worked in a strip bar.
Gracie and Brooke have cocktails. Meanwhile, Sadie is still asleep. More information is exchanged about the family, Brooke lets Gracie know that Sadie is on palliative care which shocks her.
THIS IS A SECRET BETWEEN SADIE AND BROOKE.
Gracie gets one of the journals that she brought for Brooke. Some serious information is exchanged and talked about, things only their grandmother knew. Brooke is exhausted and torn.
SET UP – Gracie shares information with Brooke, stuff Lindsey has found about Colorectal Cancer. She’s even talked with lawyers.
EXT. ARIZONA HOME – DAY
BACKYARD
Lindsey is still grieving over Gram and Sadie’s health.
Gracie arrives back home. Lindsey is very surprised; she arrives via Lyft. Gracie is happy to be home. Gracie returns the journals she secretly took. GRACIE WITHHOLDS INFORMATION.
INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM
New plan. Lindsey is going to go spend time with Sadie. Lindsey makes new plans about who gets what.
A SURPRISE FOR GRACIE – There are items that she gave to other people than what is in her will.
GRACIE – it’s a MORAL ISSUE.
Lindsey decides to mail what Sarah listed in the will instead of driving to California because of COVID BUT wants to go be with her sister. There are items missing, like some of her jewelry and artwork etc. SET UP – Who took the diamond ring and the story behind it?
INT. PLANE – DAY
SET UP – A magazine that deals with colon cancer.
Lindsey is reading a magazine, Beyond Blue.
EXT. MEDFORD AIRPORT – DAY
Mike picks up Lindsey and drops her off at Sadie’s home.
INT. MIKE’S TRUCK – DAY
Mike, an older friend of Sarah’s and Sadie. Lindsey probes to find out how Sadie is and his view on dying with dignity since Oregon’s laws allow it. Mike is all for it for personal reasons.
COVERT – LINDSEY IS FISHING TO GET HIS OPINION OF SADIE.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Sadie and Lindsey embraced each other and sobbing. Mike brings in luggage and drives off.
INT. BEDROOM – DAY
Sadie is trying to impress Lindsey while she lets Lindsey know how hard it was for her to do it all -empathy.
Sadie has made her room perfect as well as having gifts waiting for her. Sadie babies her, demanding that she climb into bed and rest, first. She implores her to take a pill and a hit of her pot, which she does.
SET UP SADIE USES THIS TIME TO GO THROUGH HER PILLS.
Sadie peeks in on Lindsey as she sleeps through two days. Brooke laughs with Sadie watching her sleep but then Brooke gets a bit worried. Lindsey wakes as she dashes to the bathroom. comes out laughing as Brooke and Sadie wait for her entry in the kitchen. This is the third day.
INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Sadie acts differently with her pod.
Lindsey doesn’t remember changing into her pajamas. Sadie has made a ton of food. She has also invited several of her “pod” over for dinner. Lindsey dresses, goes through her prescriptions and counts.
DINNER PARTY
Lindsey sees Sadie in a different light. IS SHE REALLY THAT SICK?
Lindsey learns who is who and their relationship with Sadie. Sadie gets waisted, leaving Sadie to be the “hostess” and clean up. Sadie has passed out, wakes up a day later. Lindsey is a little pissed off.
NOTE – GO OVER VENUES WHERE SADIE AND LINDSEY MIGHT GO OR DO OVER A FEW DAYS TOGETHER. Like, goes to restaurant but Sadie doesn’t eat.
PAY OFF – LINDSEY QUESTIONS SADIE’S HEALTH.
Over the next few days, Sadie begins to take more and more drugs as the two lay around, watching movies and Sadie showing Lindsey who gets what when she passes away until Sadie walks in with the CRC magazine, BEYOND BLUE (all about Colon Cancer) and Lindsey’s list of lawyers. An argument heats up and each slips away to their rooms.
INCITING INCIDENT
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
SCHEME – Sadie gets into ambulance just to get more pills and a way to be accepted in hospice.
MORAL ISSUE FOR LINDSEY – DISTRESS AND BETRAYAL – LINDSEY IS BEING USED
Lindsey’s shoulder breaks. Lindsey cries out but Sadie is wasted and passed out. Reluctant to ask for help she suffers through the night until Sadie comes out. Lindsey explains that she is calling for an ambulance. Sadie goes to her room and gets back into her pajamas, messes up her hair, removes make-up.
INT. AMBULANCE – DAY
SURPRISE – Sadie goes with her.
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
WOUND for Brooke, her mother is playing games with both Brooke and Lindsey that bring up old feelings with her mom.
Both are in separate rooms. Lindsey hears Sadie talk to the doctor.
Brooke picks them up. – Brooke is horrified, upset and embarrassed.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Brooke is speechless but helps Lindsey pack. Sadie enters with magazine and lawyer list in hand and throws them at Lindsey.
EMOTIONAL DILEMMA, WOUNDS AND HURT FEELSING EXCHANGED.
Harsh words are exchanged bringing tears to Lindsey’s eyes. As though they will never speak again. Brooke offers to take Lindsey to the airport, but a man comes and picks her up from Lyft. Brooke feels hurt but Lindsey doesn’t want to put Brooke in that position and whispers in her ear.
TURNING POINT
INT. ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
Lindsey has had her surgery and searches through the journals hoping to find words of wisdom left by her mother.
Lindsey is in bed with her new arm brace, unable to use the computer but tries to write notes as she goes through a journal. She makes a list. Her lifelong friend Lauren calls. Lindsey breaks down. Lindsey reminds her of some of her mother’s quotes hoping to make her laugh, like; This too shall pass!
DAYS PASS – Lindsey takes off brace and begins to do her physical therapy. Each day she gets better. Her list gets longer. Soon she is on the computer.
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
New information. Surprise. Brooke upset, words exchanged then leaves, Sadie announces her plan to die.
Palliative nurse shows up unexpectedly. Sadie is too well dressed. Informed that a doctor is willing to do correctional surgery. Sadie declines, shares all her reasons. Later throws literature away, then burns it. Sadie tells Brooke that all she wants is her drugs and to die.
ACT 2
INT. – ARIZONA BEDROOM – DAY
Lindsey looking in journals. *NOTE – something about Sadie and Lindsey.
Lindsey, wanting to make amends starts to call Sadie but takes a nap.
LINDSEY HAS A DREAM – Gracie and Brooke are in the pool, Brook surfaces where Lindsey sits. They are 17 years old. Brooke asks a serious question to Lindsey. Would you love me no matter what? Even if I was an axe murderer? Lindsey responds with great affection, like a mother.
PHONE RINGS – IT’S BROOKE. She wakes Lindsey up. Brooke rants, Lindsey gets upset over Sadie’s decision.
LINDSEY IS PROTECTIVE OF BROOKE.
Lindsey makes a call to Sadie, talks about her decision to die. Brooke is going to support her mother’s decision. * Part of the reason is because she feels abandoned again and pissed with a so-what attitude.
*NOTE – NEED A SCENE WITH GRACIE AND DYLAN WITH LINDSEY. Maybe shopping, what are they doing for Christmas, looking at photos of olden days of Christmas. Gets out Christmas boxes. Debate on having Christmas or not? Christmas ornaments and bring laughter in. Gracie cleaning flowers and making arrangements, fixing her website.
Lindsey returns to the journals with the hope she will find words of wisdom her mother might have shared with her daughters.
Lindsey is trying to manipulate Sadie to change her mind. Lindsey is deeply afraid of losing her sister and being the next matriarch, something she doesn’t want.
MIDPOINT TURNING POINT
Discoveries of manipulation and deceit by Sadie, particularly regarding her drug-seeking behavior push Lindsey to her limits, forcing her to bluntly oppose Sadie’s selfish and drastic choices
(* note come back and find location and scene)
Lindsey is holding on to old scars. 1. When Sadie and Lindsey were growing up their mother gave more attention to Sadie. Lindsey left feeling neglected and abandoned. 2. When their father and mother divorced, her father wanted nothing to do with Lindsey.
ACT 3
INT. OREGON HOME – DAY
Sadie plans a Christmas gathering and pays the way for the family. Her plan works.
EXT. OREGON HOME – DAY
The deck is full of garland, lights and Christmas. Sadie’s helpers are working away.
The entire house is decorated with Christmas to the max.
BEDROOM
Sadie goes through her closet wondering what to wear. Lots of bling and glitz. She brings out a basket full of gifts, perfectly wrapped even with holly in the bows.
Lindsey makes her entrance. Lindsey hesitates but she arrives days before the party. Lindsey brings one of the journals with her. She enters the house, plops her handbag and Mike brings in her luggage.
Lindsey goes to Sadie’s room. Much to her surprise. They go into kitchen and begin talking. Gracie stays home. She has an event.
NEXT DAY
Emma arrives in Oregon, much to Lindsey’s surprise. Sadie failed to share that Emma was coming.
Emma and Lindsey have a deep conversation. Lindsey shares some information.
Sadie proves to the family she is in control of her life and knows what she is doing.
Everyone believes this is when she will end her life, except Lindsey.
The group “pod” gathers in the living room.
Lindsey shares the journal and diary with the family, their mother’s last wishes for all. A heart-wrenching moment.
Sadie wants to be remembered for being the matriarch, her one last opportunity, Christmas.
Lindsey lets everyone know she will not be the matriarch. She reads their mother’s words, hoping that Sarah’s words will change Sadie’s mind, but it backfires, calling bullshit.
Lindsey voices her opinion, then out of the blue guesses that her day to die would be on her birthday, come spring. Sadie gets pissed knowing that is her plan and leaves the room.
Sadie comes back swinging. She’s going to have the last words.
Sadie starts in, taking heavier doses, trying to be funny, as she hands out the gifts. There is a note on each gift, “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 15th”, their mother’s birthday.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s New Outline Beats
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

What I’m learning in this lesson is still a new approach for me to learn about beats and improving them in this pattern, trusting that it will all make sense at some point. I mean I’m getting it, I know I’ve overdone it rather than keep it very tight. But, I’ll keep trying. I have made notes, which I’ve not done in the past, where I need to develop a scene or two, so that’s good.

ACT 1
TIME LASPE – 1969 – 1980’s Photos of Lindsey and Sadie over the years. Then to the present day. This shows the closeness of Sadie and Lindsey’s relationship, up until Sadie’s divorcing Brooke’s father and Sadie begins alcohol, pot and valiums. It’s all downhill from then on to the present day.

OPENING

Lindsey PJ – Working in the Arizona room, Lindsey is sifting through boxes, dividing her mother’s belongings as mentioned in her will, to give to the family and her friends. Lindsey is overwhelmed with dual burdens of grief and responsibilities. Gracie brings in boxes from the attic.
Lindsey multitasking, on the phone with lifelong friend, Lauren about colon cancer.
Daughter Gracie is by her side. Gracie finds a special box labeled “For Lindsey Only” and sets it aside. Emma, Lindsey younger sister, packs up and leaves to return home to California. She got what she wanted plus a few items she had taken without letting Lindsey know. Gracie’s significant other, Dylan, helps load Emma’s car.
Deeper Layer – Gracie hides the box when she sees her grandmother’s journals and wants to know family secrets. She wants to know everything about her mother and Sadie.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey orchestrates, dictates who gets what, in total control. Dylan tries to calm her down.
Emma takes things that she can sell right away.
Deeper Layer – Emma needs money.
That night Lindsey had a dream. (DREAM – Her niece, Brooke is with the Judge. Lindsey is granted custodial rights for Brooke.
Brooke PJ – She shows up, unannounced. Gracie and Brooke converse in a different room. Brooke is still calling her aunt “mom”.
Deeper Layer – Brooke and Gracie have a plan, a way to get Gracie to see her aunt and fly back to Oregon with Brooke.
Gracie and Brooke arrive in Oregon.
Lindsey PJ – Lindsey feels abandoned and lost.
Sadie AJ – Sadie puts on a show for Gracie. A rain and lightning storm scares Sadie. There is a power outage the power in the house. Sadie and Gracie take off to Brooke’s house. Sadie grabs her drugs they spill in the car. Sadie is deeply frightened. Next day Brooke makes breakfast but Sadie won’t eat, wants to go home.
A week passes, (* need to expand on time with Sadie and Gradie) Gracie is devastated by her aunt’s drug use. Soon she returns home and insists that her mother go spend time with Sadie.
Deeper Layer – Gracie wants Lindsey to go knowing how much she is grieving her mother but really wants her to help Sadie change her mind.

INCITING INCIDENT

LINDSEY PJ – On the plane she reads the article from the magazine, Beyond Blue, all about CRC Colo Rectal Cancer. She arrives in Oregon wanting to be consoled. Brooke picks her up at the airport, discuss her calling her mom in front of Sadie and now must let go and call her Aunt Lindsey. This weighs on both of their souls.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey has hope for Sadie. Lindsey discovers new options for her colon cancer in a medical journal. Lindsey wants Sadie to sue the doctors. What Lindsey needs is consoling from her sister, the one she once was many years ago.
Sadie AJ – Sadie’s drug use escalates as she cares for Lindsey in their weeks together. Days later Lindsey needs to go to the store. Sadie takes her to lunch but doesn’t eat.
Sadie crashes into the garage door and makes Lindsey make the run to the pharmacy for Sadie. Has trouble getting one of her prescriptions.
Deeper Layer – Sadie wants some of Lindsey’s drugs knowing she’s been on opioids for years from an accident.
Lunch at Sadie’s – her “pod” show up, time to party. Sadie prompts Lindsey to take a hit of her pot and one of her pills. She refuses. Later Sadie leaves the room, passes out, leaving Lindsey to pick them up and send them off.
Lindsey’s shoulder breaks. Ambulance comes. Sadie fakes being ill and gets into the ambulance with Lindsey.
Deeper Layer – Sadie found a way to meet criteria for palliative care, and later an explosive argument ensues.
Lindsey returns home the next day upset and in pain, argues with Gracie.
Deeper Layer – Sadie rejects Lindsey’s input to sue and doesn’t need her help, leaving her more overwhelmed and abandoned, as it challenges her role within the family, especially when Gracie and Brooke withheld information and manipulated her.

TURNING POINT

Lindsey PJ – Out of surgery and home. Lindsey is held up in bed, unable to do anything for weeks. Lindsey delves back into her mother’s journal. Lindsey finds her mother’s diary, learns much more about her mother and Sadie and their relationship.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey begins to understand the family dynamics and why it’s so dysfunctional. Lindsey’s attempt to gain back control.
Sadie AJ -Sadie is accepted into hospice, Brooke is the only one who knows. She makes a promise to her mother to help her die.
Deeper Layer – Brooke is trying to hold onto her dream of having a mother-daughter relationship.
Lindsey PJ – Lindsey has another dream. (DREAM – Lindsey is with the girls at the pool. Brooke asks a serious question to Lindsey. Would you love me no matter what? Even if I was an axe murderer? Brooke and Gracie were 14 at the time).
Deeper Layer – Brooke yearns for belonging and motherly love.
Sadie AJ – Hospice nurse shows up unexpectedly. Sadie is dressed well with all her jewelry on. Sadie gets informed that there is a doctor willing to do correctional surgery. Sadie takes the literature and burns it.
Deeper Layer – All she wants is more drugs and to plan her death on her terms.

ACT 2

NEW PLAN –
Lindsey PJ – Lindsey reaches out to Sadie; she wants to make amends.
Sadie PJ – Sadie informs Lindsey that she is going into hospice, but it will be in-home care.
Deeper Layer – She is trying to prove that she is much sicker than everyone knows and there is no hope for her, she’s getting worse.
Lindsey PJ – This pushes Lindsey to her limits. Harsh words are exchanged. Lindsey begins to look up the laws of dying with dignity.
Deeper Layer – Sadie takes control over Brooke to become her caregiver, something Lindsey opposes. Her protective wings for Brooke come out.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey knows the difficulties of being a caregiver and the scars that will remain. Brooke’s old feelings of abandonment will surface, she’s trying to protect Brooke.
Brooke PJ – She meets with the hospice nurses. Brooke now supports her mother’s wishes.

PLAN IN ACTION

Lindsey PJ -Lindsey returns to the journals with the hope she will find words of wisdom her mother might have shared with her daughters.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey is trying to manipulate Sadie to change her mind. Lindsey is deeply afraid of losing her sister and being the next matriarch, something she doesn’t want.
MIDPOINT TURNING POINT
Discoveries of manipulation and deceit by Sadie, particularly regarding her drug-seeking behavior push Lindsey to her limits, forcing her to bluntly oppose Sadie’s selfish and drastic choices
(* note come back and find location and scene)
Deeper Layer – Lindsey is holding on to old scars. 1. When Sadie and Lindsey were growing up their mother gave more attention to Sadie. Lindsey left feeling neglected and abandoned. 2. When their father and mother divorced, her father wanted nothing to do with Lindsey.

ACT 3

RETINK EVERYTHING
Sadie AJ – Sadie plans a Christmas gathering and pays the way for the family. Her plan works. Lindsey hesitates but she and Gracie arrive days before the party. Lindsey brings one of the journals with her. Emma arrives in Oregon, much to Lindsey’s surprise.
Emma and Lindsey have a deep conversation. Lindsey shares some information.
Deeper Layer – Sadie proves to the family she is in control of her life and knows what she is doing.
Deeper Layer – Everyone believes this is when she will end her life, except Lindsey.

NEW PLAN

Lindsey PJ – Lindsey shares the journal and diary with the family, their mother’s last wishes for all. A heart-wrenching moment. Lindsey voices her opinion, guessing that her day to die would be on Sadie’s birthday. Sadie gets pissed knowing that is her plan and leaves the room. Sadie starts in, taking heavier doses, trying to be funny, as she hands out the gifts. There is a note on each gift, “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 15th”, their mother’s birthday.
Deeper Layer – Sadie wants to be remembered for being the matriarch, her one last opportunity.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey lets everyone know she will not be the matriarch, hoping that Sarah’s words will change Sadie’s mind, but it backfires.

MAJOR SHIFT

Lindsey PJ – Before Lindsey and Gracie return home, Sadie and Lindsey have a private conversation. Lindsey makes promises that she doesn’t believe she can live with.
(* find location with scene)
Sadie AJ – Sadie makes the decision to die on a given date, refuses to share it with the family. Mike and Brooke are told.
Deeper Layer – Sadie deals with her guilt and shame but it’s her only way of making Brooke feel she is important.

ACT 4

Sadie PJ –Sadie’s drug use increases daily. Each day gets worse, she begins falling and passing out.
(* Several scenes between Brooke and Sadie, and calls to Gracie)
Deeper Layer – Sadie is testing out the drugs in various combinations to find what works the best.
Brooke PJ – Brooke calls Lindsey when Sadie has a serious fall. Asks her not to come, she can handle it.
Deeper Layer – Brooke is conflicted between her mother’s requests and her dependence and loyalty to Lindsey. She is afraid to help her mother die.
Gracie PJ – Gracie pleads for her mother to go be with Sadie and Brooke, but she refuses.
Deeper Layer – Gracie knows Brooke needs Lindsey to be with both. Lindsey is reluctant to help her die and faces the reality of her dying.
Brooke PJ – Calls Lindsey. She needs and wants her help A.S.A.P. “She’s calling me Lindsey, she thinks I’m you. She keeps calling out for you. Hurry and get here”.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey needed to know that she was wanted by Brooke.
Lindsey PJ – Packs up and flies to Oregon but the plane is delayed because of the fog and snow.
Deeper Layer – Feelings of guilt surface, she should have listened to Gracie.
CLIMAX
Sadie dies before Lindsey can reach her, leading to a deeply emotional reckoning for Lindsey, Brooke, and Gracie. They confront their guilt and grief, and the legacy left behind.
RESOLUTION
(* Need a heartfelt moment scene)
Brooke is heartbroken again and angry.
Brooke has Lindsey help her pack up the house but then stops and walks out of the house.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey knows what to pick and keep, knowing Brooke wants nothing from the estate. She boxes it up and ships it to Gracie. It’s a “someday” box meant for Brooke.
Emma arranges a Zoom meeting. Everyone opens their gift. Each gift holds a note just for them and an envelope of cash.

NEW WAYS
Lindsey reads her note (from Sadie) explaining that she would hope that she hands over the role of matriarch to Emma and give her the car. More importantly, she wants her to go back to writing, the promise she made to both Sadie and her mother, Sarah. She is given a banker’s bag full of cash.
Deeper Layer – Sadie shows her love for Emma, wanting her to be a part of the family and not the best recluse she’s been.
Lindsey gets out the journals and begins to take notes, she begins to write a memoir, as she embraces her mother’s legacy of love and forgiveness.

FINAL SCENE
In the sunset, Brooke, Gracie, and Lindsey all walk down to the beach. One by one the family joins them. Emma orchestrated the gathering to release both Sarah and Sadie’s ashes on the shores of Laguna Beach. Once done they all look to the hotel and have a toast to the memories they hold dear.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Beat Sheet Draft 1
What I learned in this lesson, because this is so new to me I have to trust that it will all work out. There are so many layers that I get ahead of myself and question if this is correct or how it all ends up. Oh well, we shall see.
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

Concept = “A family shattered by decisions of death and abandonment finds unbreakable bonds and new beginnings through the last wishes documented in a matriarch’s journal.”

ACT 1

TIME LASPE – 1969 – 1980’s Photos of Lindsey and Sadie over the years. Then to the present day.

OPENING

Lindsey PJ – Lindsey is sifting through boxes, dividing her mother’s belongings as mentioned in her will, to give to the family and her friends. Lindsey is overwhelmed with dual burdens of grief and responsibilities.
Daughter Gracie is by her side doing the same thing. Gracie finds a special box labeled “For Lindsey Only” and sets it aside. Emma, Lindsey younger sister packs up and leaves to return home to California. She got what she wanted plus a few items she had taken without letting Lindsey know.
Deeper Layer – Gracie hides the box; she sees her grandmother’s journals. She wants to know things about her mother and her sister
Emma takes things that she can sell right away.
Deeper Layer – Emma needs money.
That night Lindsey had a dream. (DREAM – Her niece, Brooke is with the Judge. Lindsey is granted custodial rights for Brooke.
Brooke PJ – She shows up, unannounced. Gracie and Brooke converse in a different room.
Deeper Layer – Brooke and Gracie have a plan, a way to get Gracie to see her aunt and fly back to Oregon with Brooke.
Gracie and Brooke arrive in Oregon.
Gracie is devastated by her aunt’s drug use, returns home and insists that her mother go spend time with Sadie.
Deeper Layer – Gracie wants Lindsey to go knowing how much she is grieving her mother but really wants her to help Sadie change her mind.

INCITING INCIDENT

LINDSEY PJ – She arrives in Oregon wanting to be consoled.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey has hope for Sadie. Lindsey discovers new options for her colon cancer in a medical journal. Lindsey wants Sadie to sue the doctors. What Lindsey needs is consoling from her sister, the one she once was many years ago.
Sadie AJ – Sadie’s drug use escalates as she cares for Lindsey in their weeks together.
Deeper Layer – Sadie wants some of Lindsey’s drugs knowing she’s been on opioids for years from an accident.
Lindsey’s shoulder breaks. Ambulance comes. Sadie fakes being ill and gets into the ambulance with Lindsey.
Deeper Layer – Sadie confesses that she found a way to meet criteria for palliative care, and an explosive argument ensues.
Lindsey returns home the next day upset and in pain, argues with Gracie.
Deeper Layer – Sadie rejects Lindsey’s input to sue and doesn’t need her help, leaving her more overwhelmed and abandoned, as it challenges her role within the family, especially when Gracie and Brooke withheld information and manipulated her.

TURNING POINT

Lindsey PJ – Out of surgery and home, Lindsey delves back into her mother’s journal. Lindsey finds her mother’s diary, learns much more about her mother and Sadie and their relationship.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey begins to understand the family dynamics and why it’s so dysfunctional. Lindsey’s attempt to gain back control.
Sadie AJ -Sadie is accepted into hospice, Brooke is the only one who knows. She makes a promise to her mother to help her die.
Deeper Layer – Brooke is trying to hold onto her dream of having a mother-daughter relationship.
Lindsey PJ – Lindsey has another dream. (DREAM – Lindsey is with the girls at the pool. Brooke asks a serious question to Lindsey. Would you love me no matter what? Even if I was an axe murderer? Brooke and Gracie were 14 at the time).
Deeper Layer – Brooke yearns for belonging and motherly love.
Sadie AJ – Sadie gets informed that there is a doctor willing to do correctional surgery.
Deeper Layer – All she wants is more drugs and to plan her death on her terms.

ACT 2

NEW PLAN –

Lindsey PJ – Lindsey reaches out to Sadie; she wants to make amends.
Sadie PJ – Sadie informs Lindsey that she is going into hospice, but it will be in-home care.
Deeper Layer – She is trying to prove that she is much sicker than everyone knows and there is no hope for her, she’s getting worse.
Lindsey PJ – This pushes Lindsey to her limits. Harsh words are exchanged.
Deeper Layer – Sadie takes control over Brooke to become her caregiver, something Lindsey opposes. Her protective wings for Brooke come out.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey knows the difficulties of being a caregiver and the scars that will remain. Brooke’s old feelings of abandonment will surface, she’s trying to protect Brooke.
Brooke PJ – She meets with the hospice nurses.

PLAN IN ACTION

Lindsey PJ -Lindsey returns to the journals with the hope she will find words of wisdom her mother might have shared with her daughters.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey is trying to manipulate Sadie to change her mind. Lindsey is deeply afraid of losing her sister and being the next matriarch, something she doesn’t want.

MIDPOINT TURNING POINT

Discoveries of manipulation and deceit by Sadie, particularly regarding her drug-seeking behavior push Lindsey to her limits, forcing her to bluntly oppose Sadie’s selfish and drastic choices.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey is holding on to old scars. 1. When Sadie and Lindsey were growing up their mother gave more attention to Sadie. Lindsey left feeling neglected and abandoned. 2. When their father and mother divorced, her father wanted nothing to do with Lindsey.

ACT 3

RETINK EVERYTHING

Sadie AJ – Sadie plans a Christmas gathering and pays the way for the family. Her plan works. Lindsey hesitates but she and Gracie arrive days before the party. Lindsey brings one of the journals with her. Emma arrives in Oregon, much to Lindsey’s surprise.
Deeper Layer – Sadie proves to the family she is in control of her life and knows what she is doing.
Deeper Layer – Everyone believes this is when she will end her life, except Lindsey.

NEW PLAN

Lindsey PJ – Lindsey shares the journal and diary with the family, their mother’s last wishes for all. A heart-wrenching moment. Lindsey voices her opinion, guessing that her day to die would be on Sadie’s birthday. Sadie gets pissed knowing that is her plan and leaves the room. Sadie starts in, taking heavier doses, trying to be funny, as she hands out the gifts. There is a note on each gift, “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 15th”, their mother’s birthday.
Deeper Layer – Sadie wants to be remembered for being the matriarch, her one last opportunity.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey lets everyone know she will not be the matriarch, hoping that Sarah’s words will change Sadie’s mind, but it backfires.

MAJOR SHIFT

Lindsey PJ – Before Lindsey and Gracie return home, Sadie and Lindsey have a private conversation. Lindsey makes promises that she doesn’t believe she can live with.
Sadie AJ – Sadie makes the decision to die on a given date, refuses to share it with the family. Mike and Brooke are told.
Deeper Layer – Sadie deals with her guilt and shame but it’s her only way of making Brooke feel she is important.

ACT 4

Sadie PJ –Sadie’s drug use increases daily. Each day gets worse, she begins falling and passing out.
Deeper Layer – Sadie is testing out the drugs in various combinations to find what works the best.
Brooke PJ – Brooke calls Lindsey when Sadie has a serious fall. Asks her not to come, she can handle it.
Deeper Layer – Brooke is conflicted between her mother’s requests and her dependence and loyalty to Lindsey. She is afraid to help her mother die.
Gracie PJ – Gracie pleads for her mother to go be with Sadie and Brooke, but she refuses.
Deeper Layer – Gracie knows Brooke needs Lindsey to be with both. Lindsey is reluctant to help her die and faces the reality of her dying.
Brooke PJ – Calls Lindsey. She needs and wants her help A.S.A.P. “She’s calling me Lindsey, she thinks I’m you. She keeps calling out for you. Hurry and get here”.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey needed to know that she was wanted by Brooke.
Lindsey PJ – Packs up and flies to Oregon but the plane is delayed because of the fog and snow.
Deeper Layer – Feelings of guilt surface, she should have listened to Gracie.

CLIMAX

Sadie dies before Lindsey can reach her, leading to a deeply emotional reckoning for Lindsey, Brooke, and Gracie. They confront their guilt and grief, and the legacy left behind.

RESOLUTION

Brooke is heartbroken again and angry.
Brooke has Lindsey help her pack up the house but then stops and walks out of the house.
Deeper Layer – Lindsey knows what to pick and keep, knowing Brooke wants nothing from the estate. She boxes it up and ships it to Gracie. It’s a “someday” box meant for Brooke.
Emma arranges a Zoom meeting. Everyone opens their gift. Each gift holds a note just for them.

NEW WAYS

Lindsey reads her note explaining that she would hope that she hands over the role of matriarch to Emma and to give her the car.
Deeper Layer – Sadie shows her love for Emma wanting her to be a part of the family and not a recluse.
Lindsey gets out the journals and begins to take notes, she writes a memoir, as she embraces her mother’s legacy of love and forgiveness.
FINAL SCENE

In the sunset, Brooke, Gracie, and Lindsey all walk down to the beach. One by one the family joins them. Emma orchestrated the gathering to release both Sarah and Sadie’s ashes on the shores of Laguna Beach. Once done they all look to the hotel and have a toast to the memories they hold dear.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Deeper Layers
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

What I’ve learned with this lesson is knowing the purpose of the multiple layers and how it can help to change the story and make it better. Not only for the plot but also for the characters.

Surface Layer: Lindsey is trying to be strong implementing the will and property.

Deeper Layer: She resents doing it as it should have been Sadie’s job. She resents Sadie. She has secrets that were shared with her mother about Sadie that no one else knows.

Major Reveal: Gracie finds the journals and doesn’t share them with her mother but knows and understands the strained relationship with Sadie. Sadie’s husband and Brooke’s father killed himself in an overdose and left a note for Sadie. Sadie fell in love with another man and had an abortion.

Influences Surface Story: Once the journals are examined by Lindsey, she is caught in the middle of confronting Sadie which could damage Brooke’s lasting memory of her mother.

Hints: Gracie knows the truth and confronts her mother. Brooke overhears a conversation and joins in. Everyone’s world begins to unravel.

Changes Reality: The complexities of Sadie’s life are finally exposed which makes the family understand Sadie’s damaged life.
3. Add the rest of the structure to the characters to the script. Try to get to the point as we’ve done in the Six Sense example above.

Act 1: Foundations of Conflict
Opening: Lindsey is overwhelmed by the dual burden of grief and responsibility as she sorts through her mother Sarah’s estate. Her physical and emotional struggles set the stage for her journey. Lindsey studies the failed colon cancer surgery and thinks the doctor is at fault. Brooke arrives in Arizona, tells Gracie she has moved to Oregon to care for her mother, Sadie, which shifts the family dynamics, deepening Lindsey’s feelings of abandonment and challenging her role within the family.
Inciting Incident: Lindsey arrives in Oregon hoping for consolation from Sadie. The tension escalates when Sadie, suffering from terminal colon cancer and addiction, manipulates a situation to seek drugs, straining her relationship with Lindsey further. Lindsey calls for an ambulance, her shoulder breaks.
Turning Point: Sadie uses Lindsey to get help, (drugs) at the hospital to meet with the criteria for hospice, unknown to Lindsey. Lindsey returns home, Gracie makes a trip to see her aunt then returns home to help her mother, Lindsey deals with her medical needs. They discuss the medical malpractice issue. Gracie and Lindsey discuss the journals

Act 2: Escalating Tensions

New Plan: Lindsey, seeking understanding and guidance, delves into her mother’s journals. This exploration is juxtaposed with her need to reconcile with her present family situation. Sarah had secrets that are shared between Lindsey and Gracie.
Plan in Action: The journals reveal not just secrets but also Sarah’s deep insights and hopes for her daughters, which reshape Lindsey’s understanding and her approach to dealing with Sadie.
Midpoint Turning Point: Discoveries of manipulation and deceit by Sadie, particularly regarding her drug-seeking behavior, push Lindsey to her limits, forcing her to oppose Sadie’s drastic choices. Sadie left stipulations for Sadie, Lindsey and Emma that change the dynamics of their relationships and their mother’s wishes.

Act 3: The Breaking Point

Rethink Everything: The familial confrontation reaches a climax as the assisted suicide debate and buried secrets tear at the fragile threads holding them together. Lindsey feels increasingly isolated. Lindsey finds a hidden diary in one of the journals in the box.
New Plan: A desperate Lindsey, along with Gracie, organizes a family meeting, aiming to bridge gaps with the revelations from Sarah’s journals.
Major Shift: The family meeting collapses into chaos, with Sadie’s fall marking a literal and metaphorical breakdown of family relations. The truth is exposed. Sarah tried to commit suicide, gave Sadie to an in-law for over a year, fell into depression. Lindsey’s failed marriages left scars and withheld from Brooke and Gracie as a means of protection.
Act 4: Resolution and New Beginnings
Climax: Sadie’s decision to proceed with her assisted suicide on her birthday comes to a head. Lindsey’s attempt to intervene and her delayed arrival add to the tragic tension.
Resolution: Sadie dies before Lindsey can reach her, leading to a deeply emotional reckoning for Lindsey, Brooke, and Gracie. They confront their grief, guilt, and the legacy left behind.
New Ways: Post-tragedy, Lindsey fully assumes the role of matriarch, initiating new family traditions and starting to write a memoir. This marks a significant step in embracing her mother’s legacy of love and forgiveness.
Final Scene: The family gathers in Laguna Beach, sharing memories and committing to new beginnings, a scene that symbolizes healing and the potential for future unity.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Character Structure
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.
Doing this assignment has been a little bit difficult. I have been out of state for 3 weeks and picking up where I left off was challenging BUT I got it done!!! I have felt overwhelmed knowing how far behind I am BUT I am still committed and though I am late I will not beating myself up. I will catch up.
This is my new empowerment, “I love this class and I can do the work. I will catch up.”

Lindsey Turner (Protagonist)

Beginning: Lindsey starts as a burdened and heart-broken caregiver, overwhelmed with sorting her mother’s estate while dealing with her own chronic pain and opioid dependence.
Turning Point: Sadie’s worsening condition and manipulative actions push Lindsey into a caretaker role, compounding her stress and resentment.
Midpoint: Discovering manipulative and deceitful actions from Sadie in her mother’s journals, Lindsey confronts the reality of her family’s dysfunction, particularly Sadie’s exploitation of her illness for drugs.
Turning Point: Lindsey’s efforts to manage Sadie’s care plan clash with Brooke’s desires, leading to familial strife and deepening Lindsey’s isolation.
Dilemma: Faced with supporting Sadie’s choice for assisted suicide or upholding her moral objections, Lindsey is torn between sisterly love and her ethical stance.
Major Conflict: Lindsey’s attempt to intervene in Sadie’s planned assisted suicide, juxtaposed with her need to stabilize her family.
Ending: After Sadie’s death, Lindsey steps into her role as the family matriarch, initiating new traditions and beginning to write a memoir, symbolizing her acceptance and growth.
Sadie Meade (Antagonist)
Beginning: Sadie is a terminally ill, manipulative drug addict, whose charming exterior masks deep-seated guilt and a desire to end her life.
Turning Point: Sadie decides to manipulate her medical situation to gain access to more drugs, deepening the family’s crisis.
Midpoint: Her actions lead to a family confrontation about her drug abuse and the revelation of her assisted suicide plans.
Turning Point: Sadie’s health declines rapidly, leading to a fall that catalyzes her final decision.
Dilemma: Sadie must choose between continuing her life in pain or pursuing her controversial plan for assisted suicide, despite family objections.
Major Conflict: Her assisted suicide attempt, fraught with complications, becomes the focal point of the family’s deepest conflicts.
Ending: Sadie dies under complex circumstances, her choices leaving a lasting impact on her family, particularly on Brooke and Lindsey.

Brooke Meade

Beginning: Estranged and seeking reconciliation, Brooke returns to Oregon to care for her ailing mother, Sadie.
Turning Point: Brooke takes on the role of caregiver, which reopens old wounds and resentments from past abandonment.
Midpoint: As Brooke becomes more involved in Sadie’s care, she discovers the depth of Sadie’s manipulation, altering her perception of their relationship.
Turning Point: Brooke’s conflicting desires to support her mother’s final wishes and her own emotional well-being clash.
Dilemma: Brooke struggles with her mother’s decision for assisted suicide, balancing her wish to support her mother with her personal and ethical reservations.
Major Conflict: Brooke is forced to confront her feelings of abandonment and betrayal as she participates in the complexities surrounding Sadie’s final days.
Ending: Brooke’s worldview shifts as she processes her grief and begins to find closure, using her inheritance to pursue nursing, embracing her role in healing both herself and others.

Gracie Wyatt

Beginning: Gracie starts as an independent spirit living with Lindsey, her mother, while starting her own floral business.
Turning Point: The death of her grandmother and the subsequent discovery of the journals thrust her into the family’s deeper issues.
Midpoint: Gracie’s discovery of the journals’ contents offers new insights into her family’s past, influencing her views on her aunt Sadie and mother.
Turning Point: Gracie becomes a mediator as familial tensions escalate, trying to balance between supporting her mother and understanding Sadie.
Dilemma: Gracie is torn between her loyalty to Lindsey and her empathy for Sadie’s suffering.
Major Conflict: Gracie plays a crucial role in the chaotic family meeting that attempts to address Sadie’s end-of-life decisions.
Ending: Gracie helps Lindsey transition into her new role as matriarch, finding her own path to independence and self-discovery, influenced by lessons from the past.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Supporting Characters
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.
What I’ve learned: That it’s hard to make a “full” list of supporting characters or background characters for the story at this point. It will change again so I just included the ones that I knew were going to be involved. Plus, this initiates a character arc for and with the main characters so I think it was a very important lesson to abide by.
Supporting Characters:
Support 1:
Name: Emma Messick
Role: Lindsey and Saide’s younger sister. She is really Lindsey’s full blood sister, and they are like night and day, oil and water. Whereas Sadie has a different father.
Main purpose: Shows how estrangement has passed on between sisters.
Value: How different sisters can be. Shows the guilt in Lindsey and a little with Sadie.

Support 2:
Name: Dylan Scott
Role: Gracie’s Significant Other “SO”
Main purpose: He’s been with Gracie for a long time. Far too many from Lindsey’s point of view. He showed his good side when Lindsey’s mother was in the last months of her life. He cared for and respected her.
Value: He complicates life between Gracie and Lindsey, forcing Lindsey to step back and allow Gracie to make her own decisions where he is concerned. And, it’s killing Lindsey inside. Brings tension between most all members in the family. He weaves in and out through out the story,

Support 3:
Name: Lauren “ANNIE” Quick
Role: Lindsey’s lifetime best friend of sixty years. She understands Lindsey the most, even in her off or bad days.
Main purpose: She has a way of talking to Lindsey that often shows how she puts Lindsey in her place and makes her look from a different perspective. Or she reminds her of their various issues and life experiences they have gone through to remind her. A spirituality they both understand.
Value: Show how we choose our family.

Support 4:
Name: Dr. T. (Thompson)
Role: Lindsey’s primary doctor
Main purpose: Aids Lindsey with her struggles internally and physically (meds)
Value: He helps her with her journey of grieving and health.

Support 5:
Name: Margret “JANE” Ellis
Role: One of Lindsey’s lifelong friends.
Main purpose: Her kindness brings the best out in Lindsey.
Value: Supports her faith, in life and in grief. Supports Lindsey with decision on dying with dignity.

Support 6:
Name: Jimmy
Role: Brooke’s husband
Main purpose: Support for Brooke when they move to Oregon, but does he really?
Value: His support is in question, he’s really staying close to Brooke because of the inheritance, according to Lindsey. Causes a rift between Lindsey and Brooke. Lindsey does not like him.

Support 7:
Name: Michael
Role: The eldest cousin to Gracie and Brooke, Lindsey’s nephew.
Main purpose: Takes sides with Gracie.
Value: Helps to show the disfunction in the family.

Support 8:
Name: Danny
Role: Micheal’s sister.
Main purpose: Shows her selfishness as a person but a very protective mother of two boys.
Value: Disfunction runs through the generations.

Support 9:
Name: Abby
Role: Brooke’s best friends’ daughter who lives in Oregon.
Main purpose: Causes havoc with Lindsey when she arrives in Oregon.
Value: Adds tension, especially when Sadie makes the decision to go into hospice and to die through assisted suicide. She is something Lindsey doesn’t like or trust.

Support 10:
Name: Barbara Ann
Role: Neighbor in Arizona
Main purpose: Showing how neighbors are thoughtful still today.
Value: Represents Lindsey’s mother’s passing.

Support 11:
Name: Police Officer
Role: Comes to Arizona home
Main purpose: Shows the other side of Dylan how destructive he can be. The neighbors reported him.
Value: Show the other side of Dylan, brings tension between Gracie and Lindsey.

Background Characters:
1. EMT arrives at Sadie’s home.
2. Emergency room in Oregon.
3. Medford Airport
4. Palliative Care nurses
5. Hospice nurses
6. Dr. T’s office and Dr. T.
7. Funeral home in Oregon

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Character Profile Pt 2

What I learned from this lesson – With this lesson I was behind and after reviewing the lesson I realized that I hadn’t address the correct character. I left out my triangle character and another one that is very important to the story so I went back and worked on them first. I can see the importance of knowing your characters and bringing in the ones that move the story forward. It took a while to do but did as much as I could. Each of the layers are extremely important to know, allowing the story to grow and hopefully make it better when we begin the outline. There is a great deal to take in but so very important. I am using the AI that was generated. I decided to write much more in each of the profiles for later use and felt it easier to fulfill the character profiles for his class.

1. Brooke Meade-Taylor
Role in the Story: The estranged daughter navigating reconciliation and caregiving.
Age Range and Description: Early 30s, dark hair, practical, bears a quiet strength.
Core Traits: Empathetic, burdened, resilient.
Motivation: Wants to reconnect with her mother and heal old wounds; needs to find self-worth and acceptance.
Wound: Lifelong feelings of abandonment and neglect by her mother, Sadie.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Likable for her dedication to family, relatable in her struggle with her mother’s illness and her own search for identity.
Character Subtext: Hides deep-seated fears of rejection; outwardly seeks her mother’s approval while internally resenting her past neglect.
Character Intrigue: Brooke’s attempts to manage Sadie’s medical care are complicated by Sadie’s manipulation, forcing Brooke to navigate her mother’s addiction.
Flaw: Susceptibility to manipulation due to her desire for maternal approval.
Values: Believes in redemption and reconciliation; values family unity.
Character Dilemma: Torn between enabling her mother’s self-destructive tendencies and standing up for her own emotional health.

2. Lindsey Turner
Role in the Story: Protagonist; the stabilizing matriarch caught between past burdens and future responsibilities.
Age Range and Description: Late 40s, embodies a mix of strength and weariness.
Core Traits: Protective, controlling, nurturing.
Motivation: Wants to preserve her family’s unity and honor her mother’s legacy; needs to recognize her own worth and assert her desires.
Wound: Feels perpetually overlooked despite her sacrifices, burdened by the role of family caretaker.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Her dedication to family and her hidden vulnerabilities make her deeply relatable and likable.
Character Subtext: Struggles with opioid dependence, a secret that underpins her controlling demeanor.
Character Intrigue: Conceals her addiction while trying to manage family crises, adding complexity to her role as the family anchor.
Flaw: Her need for control often alienates those she loves most.
Values: Values family above all, with a strong sense of duty and responsibility.
Character Dilemma: Must choose between continuing to suppress her needs for the sake of family peace or confronting her own desires to foster genuine healing.

3. Sadie Meade
Role in the Story: Antagonist; a complex figure whose terminal illness and choices force family confrontations.
Age Range and Description: Early 50s, once vibrant, now visibly diminished by illness and life’s challenges.
Core Traits: Manipulative, charismatic, troubled.
Motivation: Seeks control over her life and death; needs validation and forgiveness from her family.
Wound: Haunted by regrets and past failures, particularly in her role as a mother.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Evokes sympathy through her vulnerability and the stark reality of her illness.
Character Subtext: Uses her illness to manipulate family dynamics, masking her fear of dying without reconciliation.
Character Intrigue: Her plans for assisted suicide are fraught with hidden motives impacting her family’s legacy.
Flaw: Her self-centered nature often undermines her attempts at reconciliation.
Values: Values autonomy and control over her life story.
Character Dilemma: Struggles between her desire for a dignified end and the impact of her choices on her daughter and sister.

4. Gracie Wyatt
Role in the Story: Lindsey’s daughter and the emotional bridge between generations.
Age Range and Description: Mid-30s, vibrant, with a nurturing yet spirited demeanor.
Core Traits: Compassionate, spontaneous, mediator.
Motivation: Wants to heal family rifts and carry forward her grandmother’s legacy; needs to find her own path and independence.
Wound: Carries the burden of past family conflicts and her own struggles with self-identity.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Her role as peacemaker and her own vulnerabilities make her highly empathetic and relatable.
Character Subtext: Despite her outward optimism, she harbors deep-seated fears of failing her family as she steps into a leadership role.
Character Intrigue: Gracie harbors a secret ambition to transform her family’s legacy but fears the potential repercussions of uncovering the full truth in her grandmother’s journals.
Flaw: Her fear of conflict makes her avoid tough decisions, sometimes at the expense of her own well-being.
Values: Cherishes honesty, family unity, and personal growth.
Character Dilemma: Caught between upholding her grandmother’s idealized legacy and addressing the raw, painful truths her investigations uncover.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Character Profiles Part 1
MODULE 3 LESSON 6 PT 1
At this point I am trying to catch up and there are areas that need work so I’m just going forward and hope I am to rectify the areas I know need work. But for now I am just sending them in. BTW I am still getting a very unusual window to post on.

LINDSEY TURNER – PROTAGONIST

A.
The High Concept. After their matriarch’s passing, a family faces their terminally ill sister’s choice of assisted suicide. This family that is shattered by addiction, betrayal, abandonment, and secrets finds hope and unity through the journals left in the hands of the next matriarch.
B. This character’s journey.
Beginning: Lindsey is the controlling, heart-broken caregiving and middle sister who resents being the rock of the family and longs to be independent and rediscover her voice.
Ending: Lindsey becomes the matriarch of the family, embracing the task with open arms.
Internal Journey: She is lost but appears to be resilient and strong. She always puts herself last, fears being alone.
External Journey: A controlling and defensive middle sister who becomes the next matriarch of the family.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
This character is very complex to begin with. On the surface she comes with a lot of baggage which at times could look like she is bipolar. She is resilient, creative, controlling, clever and embodies several roles: as caretaker, leader within her family, and the family’s next matriarch. But who is she really? That’s what she is trying to discover since the death of her mother. She can be ostentatious, on the brazen side when needed. She tends to be judgmental towards others, especially those who don’t meet her high standards or conform to her expectations. She is still beautiful but is ageing. She has chronic pain from a horrific auto accident and several failed surgeries leaving her medically dependent on opioids. This woman’s life has been more than colorful. She has done things throughout her life that no one could imagine. Colorful and Complex!
What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Because she remains the heart of the family which she often resents. She holds the closest bond to Sadie, her older sister and antagonist. There is a lot of dramatic irony in their relationship.
What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
She has the balls to take Sadie to court for custody of her niece, Brooke, and is granted guardianship. She involves herself with the help of hospice letting them know all the things they are doing are wrong. She also confronts the medical doctors.
How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Lindsey’s introductions show her deeply grieving for the loss of her mother. With her daughter, Gracie, living with her (and her significant other) she can’t seem to focus on what matters and what to do next. Gracie slowly starts helping. She is also lost and burdened with all the tasks that need accomplished on behalf of their mother’s death with no help from her sisters. Her rage and anger begin to surface.
This story takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
What could be this character’s emotional range?
From being kind and compassionate to ruthless and aggressive. Deeply hidden pain which she hides from to the physical pain she lives with. Physically, she must wear a body brace from the various failed back surgeries, she hides that well too. It changes drastically when issues arise in the family.
What subtext can the actor play?
When issues arise, she will pause and reflect before she answers but might hint about it or change the subject. She cleans the house, works in the yard when she’s angry, excited or confronted with a problem. She’s afraid to live alone, something she’s never done before.
What’s the most interesting relationship this character can have?
Lindsey’s relationship with Sadie is so very deep. They loved each other once upon a time for a very long time until Sadie became a widow and their mother decided to move to Arizona and live with Lindsey. They were everything to each other.
How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Lindsey’s voice evolves throughout the film, mirroring her journey from a controlling and somewhat judgmental matriarch to a more understanding and open figure, reflecting her growth and the themes of the film. When she allows herself to be vulnerable or heartbroken she opens. In her conversations with her lifelong friend, Annie. Annie is the only one that knows her the most. Later she learns to talk with daughter, Gracie.
What could make this character special and unique?
She’s gone through all the horrible lessons imaginable, raped by her stepson, abandoned by her father, cared for and watched her mother die and took care of her ex-husband when he got Alzheimer’s until his death. Raised her sister’s daughter. She never gives up, always searching for a better and brighter day. She turns to her faith in her daily readings.

Role in the Story: She is the rock in the family, an audacious aunt, and the new next matriarch after her mother’s death.
Age range and Description: She is in her early 70s but no one believes it, she looks more like in her 50’s.
Core Traits: Loyal, resilient, nurturing, protective, determined, reclusive,
Motivation: To mend her fractured family, provide stability, and prevent further harm.
Want/Need: She wants to be accepted with all her flaws and dispositions at times, especially from her daughter, wants to be free of all her responsibilities but needs the love and respect from her daughter before she can go forward with her life.
Wound: Feels responsible for not putting her daughter first after taking her niece away from her mother and raising her like her own. Unable change her sisters mind with assisted suicide. She feels abandoned by their mother who cherished Sadie, her first born.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: She cares for others easily in fact too much so. She grew up being the caregiver when her father and mother got divorced, she became the man in the house and everything else; iron, clean, etc. This began at the young age of 7 years old.
She deeply cares for her 3 best friends as well as caring for her ex-husband with Alzheimer’s then caring for her mother until their deaths.
As much as she is intimidated by her older sister, she loves her dearly.
Relatability: She has financial problems but keeps it to herself. She has conflict with her younger sister, they are estranged and have been for years. Like oil and water don’t mix. Throughout the story she has had turbulent time with both her daughter Gracie and Brooke about many different issues, falling for the wrong man, low self-esteem, drugs, drinking and not caring for themselves. Lindsey has been an enabler for years, always giving them the best of things, things she never grew up. And to top it off she really can’t afford it but somehow, she finds a way. Lindsey kept them in catholic school with hope that they both would get better values, making a path to find their own faith. Both have never had the presence of a “father/man” figure.
Empathy: She is very generous; she gets caught up in not sharing her thoughts for fear it could belittle or hurt the other person. Except when she is in the heat of the moment and then she really lets it out and spues out of her which she will deeply regret after the fact. Often she feels like Cinderella and the three sisters, always doing for others.

SADIE MEADE – ANTAGONIST
The High Concept.
The High Concept. After their matriarch’s passing, a family faces their terminally ill sister’s choice of assisted suicide. This family that is shattered by addiction, betrayal, abandonment, and secrets finds hope and unity through the journals left in the hands of the next matriarch.
B. Sadie’s journey through the murky waters of addiction, her manipulation of her family for drugs, and struggles the reality of her mortality. Her vanity gets in the way of clear decisions. She finally opts for assisted suicide, dying with dignity.
Arc Beginning = A conflicted, self-centered, and distant mother and addict.
who is facing terminal illness.
Arc Ending: She faces her decision to die, it goes awry and eventually dies in the hands of her daughter.
Internal Journey: A conflicted, self-centered, and distant mother and addict who is facing terminal illness.
External Journey: She manipulates her friends and family to get drugs. She is amusing and fun to be around, party time, but it’s just a front for drugs.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
Conflict Catalyst: Sadie’s choice for assisted suicide serves as the central catalyst for the story, challenging every family member’s beliefs, sparking emotional turmoil, and bringing long-buried secrets to light. Her decision is the linchpin around which the drama of the screenplay revolves.
Multifaceted Character: Despite her role as the antagonist, Sadie is portrayed not just as a source of conflict but as a deeply conflicted and multifaceted character herself. Her struggle with illness and the repercussions of her life choices provide a poignant view of human frailty and the complexity of personal redemption.
Mirror to the Past: Sadie’s actions and the revelations from her life serve as a mirror that reflects the hidden histories and emotional burdens of the family. This not only drives the narrative forward but also deepens the thematic exploration of legacy and reconciliation.
Sympathetic Complexity: Even as she drives the family apart, Sadie’s portrayal invokes sympathy. Her vulnerability in facing terminal cancer and her controversial choice about her death plan complicate traditional antagonist roles, making her a uniquely tragic figure.
Agent of Change: Sadie’s decisions force every character, especially Lindsey and Brooke, to reassess their lives and relationships. Her role as an agent of change underscores the transformative power of confronting uncomfortable truths, making her essential to the family’s journey towards understanding and healing.
Role in the Story: The troubled, distant mother grappling with illness and guilt.
Age range and Description: She’s a few years older than Lindsey (3 years
Core Traits: Traits: Troubled, conflicted, distant, haunted by past mistakes, charming and manipulative.
Motivation; To end her suffering, despite the collateral damage to her loved ones.
Want/Need: She wants the family to understand her motives for assisted suicide. She needs her daughter’s help to make the transition.
Wound: Guilt and shame over past mistakes, unable to confront her own demons.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: She genuinely loves people provided they have something in common. She is quick with her tongue and can make you laugh all day. She just has a way about her with people, she welcomes them, gets to know a little bit about them and then she takes the stage and makes you immediately like her. Everything is about her rules or her way or you’re out the door. She very creative in many ways. She loves her possessions and she’s quite the collector.
Relatability: She doesn’t just let anyone into her life, she is very picky. She doesn’t want to hear anything bad or ugly. She hates the computer and change. She’s had several extremely bad marriages. She became an alcoholic after her husband deliberately killed himself leaving behind a letter.
Empathy: As she struggles with many medical issues, she hides her pain in many ways and with many different people. But it depends on the person and time of day. Don’t come barging in early in the morning before she puts on her makeup. We feel for her when her surgeries are botched, and there is nothing any doctor can do for her. She grieves the loss of her mother and the love of her life. She has nothing to live for, not even when it comes to her daughter or sister who love her so deeply.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Likability/Relatability/Empathy

Here we go again, another breakthrough!!! I look forward to how the story is going to play out because these three layers in the character will change and get much deeper as I go along. I can’t wait!

Brainstorm one or more ways you can present your Protagonist through each of these:

PROTAGONIST – LINDSEY TURNER

Likability: She cares for others easily in fact too much so. She grew up being the caregiver when her father and mother got divorced, she became the man in the house and everything else; iron, clean, etc. This began at the young age of 7 years old.
She deeply cares for her 3 best friends as well as caring for her ex-husband with Alzheimer’s then caring for her mother until their deaths.
As much as she is intimidated by her older sister she loves her dearly.
Relatability: She has financial problems but keeps it to herself. She has conflict with her younger sister, they are estranged and have been for years. Like oil and water don’t mix. Throughout the story she has had turbulent time with both her daughter Gracie and Brooke about many different issues, falling for the wrong man, low self-esteem, drugs, drinking and not caring for themselves. Lindsey has been an enabler for years, always giving them the best of things, things she never grew up. And to top it off she really can’t afford it but somehow, she finds a way. Lindsey kept them in catholic school with hope that they both would get better values, making a path to find their own faith. Both have never had the presence of a “father/man” figure.
Empathy: She is very generous; she gets caught up in not sharing her thoughts for fear it could belittle or hurt the other person. Except when she is in the heat of the moment and then she really lets it out and spues out of her which she will deeply regret after the fact. Often she feels like Cinderella and the three sisters, always doing for others.

Sadie Meade is the Antagonist.
Likability: She genuinely loves people provided they have something in common. She is quick with her tongue and can make you laugh all day. She just has a way about her with people, she welcomes them, gets to know a little bit about them and then she takes the stage and makes you immediately like her. Everything is about her rules or her way or you’re out the door. She very creative in many ways. She loves her possessions and she’s quite the collector.
Relatability: She doesn’t just let anyone into her life, she is very picky. She doesn’t want to hear anything bad or ugly. She hates the computer and change. She’s had several extremely bad marriages. She became an alcoholic after her husband deliberately killed himself leaving behind a letter.

Empathy: As she struggles with many medical issues, she hides her pain in many ways and with many different people. But it depends on the person and time of day. Don’t come barging in early in the morning before she puts on her makeup. We feel for her when her surgeries are botched, and there is nothing any doctor can do for her. She grieves the loss of her mother and the love of her life. She has nothing to live for, not even when it comes to her daughter or sister who love her so deeply.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s CHARACTER INTRIGUE
With each new lesson it seems to get deeper and deeper, something I have failed in noticing. Stacking each new layer of information is rather exciting because you really don’t know how it all works out. No wonder this is a first draft. I’m excited to see the finish product!

Character Name: Lindsey Turner
Role: Protagonist
Hidden agendas: She is a concerned caregiver but resents the responsibility that comes with it.
Lindsey’s covert plan is to use the revelations from her mother’s journals not only to facilitate healing but also to subtly maneuver her family into acknowledging her leadership and forgiving each other, solidifying her role as the matriarch.
Competition: Sadie and Lindsey are in an internal war with their relationship with Brooke. Who really is the mother? Lindsey has for years held Sadie as Brooke’s mother and taught her to never give up and to forever believe that Sadie really did love her the most. And, believe that one day they will reconcile and bond as mother and daughter.
She finds herself in an unspoken competition with her sister Sadie for the affection and loyalty of Sadie’s daughter, Brooke, whom Lindsey has raised.
Conspiracies:
Secrets: She doesn’t want to witness Sadie’s decision to die under the arms of hospice’s help with assisted suicide. Lindsey and her daughter, Gracie, might conspire to manipulate Sadie’s medical care to prevent her from accessing means to hasten her death, reflecting a complex moral dilemma.
Deception:
Unspoken Wound: Having raised Brooke in her youth she now must be known and addressed as Aunt as opposed to my other mother or “mom” when Sadie and Brooke reconcile, and the mother-daughter relationship is reestablished. She often masks her physical pain and opioid dependency, projecting an image of strength to maintain familial stability and control.
Unspoken Wound:
Her traumatic past experiences, including a catastrophic accident and personal betrayals, deeply influence her need for control and stability.
Secret Identity: She in fact is an addict but refuses to admit it. Even though it is medically needed from the many failed and botched surgeries she wants it understood from her family, especially with Gracie.

Character Name: Sadie Meade
Role: Antagonist
Hidden agendas: She wants to die on her terms. She loves Gracie and accepts her as if she was her daughter. Sadie’s hidden agenda is to ensure that her death is on her own terms, which she pursues through her choice of assisted suicide, subtly manipulating those around her to accept her decision.
Competition: Sadie and Lindsey are in an internal war with their relationship with Brooke. Who really is the mother? Lindsey has for years held Sadie as Brooke’s mother and taught her to never give up and to forever believe that Sadie really did love her the most. And, to believe that one day they will reconcile and bond as mother and daughter.
Conspiracies: She asks Brooke to find the right hospice that will accept her in their program so she can get more drugs, having been refused by several. Sadie might engage in a quiet conspiracy with certain sympathetic characters (like old friends or even medical professionals) to circumvent legal and familial obstacles to her assisted suicide.
Secrets:
Deception: She instills in Brooke and Gracie that she really is terminally ill even though the doctors have given her options to extend her life. She harbors a profound secret about her true motivations for choosing assisted suicide, which might relate to a hidden aspect of her past that is not even disclosed in the family journals.
Unspoken Wound: She denied Brooke the mother-daughter relationship when Brooke opts to move to Oregon to reconcile their relationship after being shut out most all of her life.
Secret Identity: She obsessively watches reality television throughout the day and night to avoid any thought about her real-life relationships. Beneath her exterior as a failing, remorseful mother, Sadie views herself as a trapped soul seeking liberation from a life of mistakes and misfortunes.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Subtext Characters
What I can say about this lesson and learning from it is this – Although I was behind, I’m not fussing over it or punishing myself, I’m just merely doing the work when I can. I was out for almost 3 weeks, although I did watch the zoom meeting. I’m not going to let it stop me. I’m not that far behind now. There is so, so much to learn from this class. It’s hard at times, I do get overwhelmed but it’s for a good reason, I’m writing a true story and that takes a whole different plan. Which, BTW I am allowing myself to express or go outside the box know it’s a true story, but at the same time I have to keep with “story”.

Movie Title: DYING TRUST
Genre: Drama
Character Name: Lindsey Turner
Subtext Identity: A controlling caregiver who deeply resents being one, especially with the family. With her mother’s passing she is forced to reinvent her life as she struggles trying to figure out what she wants and what she needs in life. She is known as the rock with her close friends and with friends. She longs to be appreciated and understood for just the way she is but is afraid to allow herself to become vulnerable and trustworthy.
Subtext Trait: Controller, concealing, in denial.
Subtext Logline: Lindsey has been a caregiver for far too many years for a woman her age and is filled with resentment. She denies being an addict, yet she is medically dependent on opioids from all the failed surgeries. She is the middle daughter who longs for her freedom yet fears being alone and will become the next matriarch.
Possible Areas of Subtext: She avoids conversations that pertain to her personal life by changing the subject, rejecting phone calls, and doing busy work in her home and yard. When pushed into the corner, she thrashes out, goes into hostile rage, and finds way to blame or get back at that person, especially if she knows she is wrong, and they are right.

Subtext Identity: Guilt-ridden protector
Subtext Trait: Lindsey’s overt controlling and protective actions often mask her deep-seated guilt for past failures — particularly her perceived shortcomings in protecting Sadie and Brooke.
Subtext Logline: Lindsey is a guilt-ridden protector who uses her controlling nature to shield her family from further pain, while internally struggling with her own feelings of inadequacy and past failures.
Possible Areas of Subtext:
Hiding Something: Lindsey hides her physical pain and opioid dependence to maintain her image as the strong matriarch.
Afraid to Say: She is reluctant to express her fears of loneliness and abandonment, fearing it would make her appear weak.
Being Polite: Often masks her true feelings with a facade of sternness or indifference, especially in public or when challenged by family members.
Withholding: Holds back her personal suffering from others to keep the family focused on current crises.

Character Name: Sadie Meade
Subtext Identity: Sadie is the eldest sister who has been an alcoholic and drug addict most all her life. She has become a well-known drug seeker with all her doctors and hospitals in her state. She hints about dying in a joking way with irrational reasons. She has plotted her death to the exact date. She wants her death to be dramatic and to be one big going out party. No one knows about her plans; she just wants to die. She uses her charm to obtain drugs, seducing her drug dealers, medical assistants, and friends by inviting them over for dinner or lunch or makes promises that she won’t keep.
Subtext Trait: Troubled, haunted by past mistakes, manipulative, selfish, concealing, and secretive.
Subtext Logline: Sadie is a life-long addict who has a troubled past and is terminally ill from her perspective. There are options available and hides from everyone. Meanwhile, she plots her death day despite what the surgeons say.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Sadie buys everyone of her immediate friends to lunch to get some drugs. The drugs she seeks are any type of sleeping pill, nervous pill, marihuana, THC in any form and especially any type of pain pill. She lies, manipulates, and tunes into any day or nighttime reality television show to replace the reality of her own life.

Subtext Identity: Tragic escapologist

Subtext Trait: Behind Sadie’s charm and manipulative actions lies a profound desire to escape the guilt and pain of her past, which she feels is inescapable except through assisted suicide.
Subtext Logline: Sadie is a tragic escapologist who manipulates those around her to facilitate her escape from a life filled with regret, using her terminal illness as the final means to end her pain.
Possible Areas of Subtext:
Lying: Frequently lies about her pain levels or emotional state to manipulate others into providing her with the means to numb her suffering.
Luring/Seducing: Uses her charm to seduce or sway others to her point of view, especially when it involves her care or the assisted suicide plan.
Plotting: Carefully plans how she presents her illness and needs to others, especially to healthcare providers, to maintain access to medication.
Secret: Harbors deep secrets about her feelings towards her family, particularly her envy of Lindsey’s role as the family anchor.

[jamie handley]

ACTOR ATTRACTOR TEMPLATE

Lead Character Name: Lindsey Turner
Role: = Protagonist

What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
This character is very complex to begin with. On the surface she comes with a lot of baggage which at times could look like she is bipolar. She is resilient, creative, controlling, clever and embodies several roles: as caretaker, leader within her family, and the family’s next matriarch. But who is she really? That’s what she is trying to discover since the death of her mother. She can be ostentatious, on the brazen side when needed. She tends to be judgmental towards others, especially those who don’t meet her high standards or conform to her expectations. She is still beautiful but is ageing. She has chronic pain from a horrific auto accident and several failed surgeries leaving her medically dependent on opioids. This woman’s life has been more than colorful. She has done things throughout her life that no one could imagine. Colorful and Complex!
What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Because she remains the heart of the family which she often resents. She holds the closest bond to Sadie, her older sister and antagonist. There is a lot of dramatic irony in their relationship.
What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
She has the balls to take Sadie to court for custody of her niece, Brooke, and is granted guardianship. She involves herself with the help of hospice letting them know all the things they are doing are wrong. She also confronts the medical doctors.
How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Lindsey’s introductions show her deeply grieving for the loss of her mother. With her daughter, Gracie, living with her (and her significant other) she can’t seem to focus on what matters and what to do next. Gracie slowly starts helping. She is also lost and burdened with all the tasks that need accomplished on behalf of their mother’s death with no help from her sisters. Her rage and anger begin to surface.
This story takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
What could be this character’s emotional range?
From being kind and compassionate to ruthless and aggressive. Deeply hidden pain which she hides from to the physical pain she lives with. Physically, she must wear a body brace from the various failed back surgeries, she hides that well too. It changes drastically when issues arise in the family.
What subtext can the actor play?
When issues arise, she will pause and reflect before she answers but might hint about it or change the subject. She cleans the house, works in the yard when she’s angry, excited or confronted with a problem. She’s afraid to live alone, something she’s never done before.
What’s the most interesting relationship this character can have?
Lindsey’s relationship with Sadie is so very deep. They loved each other once upon a time for a very long time until Sadie became a widow and their mother decided to move to Arizona and live with Lindsey. They were everything to each other.
How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Lindsey’s voice evolves throughout the film, mirroring her journey from a controlling and somewhat judgmental matriarch to a more understanding and open figure, reflecting her growth and the themes of the film. When she allows herself to be vulnerable or heartbroken she opens. In her conversations with her lifelong friend, Annie. Annie is the only one that knows her the most. Later she learns to talk with daughter, Gracie.
What could make this character special and unique?
She’s gone through all the horrible lessons imaginable, raped by her stepson, abandoned by her father, cared for and watched her mother die and took care of her ex-husband when he got Alzheimer’s until his death. Raised her sister’s daughter. She never gives up, always searching for a better and brighter day. She turns to her faith in her daily readings.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Actor Attractors Movie: The Last Full Measure

Movie Title: THE LAST FULL MEASURE

Lead Character Name: Sebastian Stan

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? He becomes a hero in and of itself. Based on a true story with great depth and purpose. Truly a transformational journey.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?
In his position in the government he is challenged, He’s after a bigger career and position in the government, he is in disbelief, dealing with high level of conspiracy, politics, and revolves around the bloodiest battles in Vietnam. He too will and does end up fighting for “something” that changes his life.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? When he begins his new mission and is forced to seek out the testimony of the Army vets who witnessed a most heroic act and interview each one for Pitsenbarger’s extraordinary and selfless courage.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? His highly respected position in the government, the Pentagon, and then is challenged with a task that could ruin his career.

5. What is this character’s emotional range? It changes throughout the movie as he interviews the last of the veterans one by one, instilling emotions through the eyes and hearts of the last in the mission.
6. What subtext can the actor play? His weakness, his fear of standing up for something bigger than himself. To understanding why after 32 years one many sacrificed his life and deserved the Medal of Honor. His emotions are all over the place when he discovers the current US senator who ordered the highly dangerous mission is up for reelection. To him he must make the choice.

7. What’s the most interesting relationship this character has? His relationship with Mr. Pitsenbarger’s father who has cancer and his wife.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? He comes out shooting, knows he’s important, or so he thinks, but through the hearts and conversation with the men who were there to witness the battle from a man in the Air Force and not the Army he learns more about himself and discovers who he is for the first time. We also learn how he discovers his own voice through each man interview. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in a movie with a cast like this: Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Samuel L Jackson, Peter Fonda and Diane Ladd.

9. What makes this character special and unique? What an honor in it’s self to play the main role about an American battle that was kept a secret, with decades-long high-level conspiracy. Unique to see his self-values changed and it gets better and better as his challenges confront him. Highly emotional scenes. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a true story about this man’s journey and the Medal of Honor.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Genre Conventions
I learned that there is more to working on a screenplay with AI than I thought possible. It is useful but I often feel it takes a lot of patience and time with each segment. I have learned a lot in this class that I didn’t understand in other classes.
TITLE = Dying Trust
CONCEPT = After their matriarch’s passing, a family faces their terminally ill sister’s choice of assisted suicide. The family is shattered by addiction, betrayal, abandonment, and secrets finds hope and unity through the journals left in the hands of the next matriarch
GENRE = DRAMA
CONVENTIONS OF DRAMA
PURPOSE: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high stakes for their characters.
CHARACTER-DRIVEN JOURNEY: We always need to care about the characters in a Drama, and their internal journey drives the film’s events and progression.
HIGH STAKES COME FROM WITHIN: Whether the story’s events are relatively mundane or intense, the struggles, obstacles, and stakes comes from within the characters more than from external pressures.
EMOTIONALLY RESONATES: Drama audiences want to feel and be moved by the characters’ emotions and how they experience the events.
CHALLENGING, EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED SITUATIONS: Character get challenged to their core by the emotional situations and struggles that they run into.
REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS: Drama stories are grounded in reality.

STRUCTURE: Act 1: Foundations of Conflict
Opening: Lindsey is overwhelmed by the dual burden of grief and responsibility as she sorts through her mother Sarah’s estate. Her physical and emotional struggles set the stage for her journey. Daughter Gracie steps in to help and discovers all her grandmother’s journals. She longs to be with Sadie for comfort and compassion. Lindsey shoulder is broken, Sadie joins the ambulance ride, checking herself in emergency to find another way to get pills and a covert way to push her into hospice. Lindsey returns home.
Inciting Incident: The tension escalates when Sadie, suffering from terminal colon cancer and addiction, manipulates a situation to seek drugs, straining her relationship with Lindsey further. Sadie’s daughter, Brooke happens to be in Arizona at her company’s convention and spends a day with Lindsey and Gracie. They all discuss Sadie’s cancer and Brooke announces her decision to move to Oregon and attempt to reconcile her long-estranged relationship with her mother. Lindsey is taken back and emotionally robbed when Gracie decides to fly to Oregon the only opportunity to say goodbye to her aunt. Lindsey is at wits end.
Turning Point: Brooke’s decision to move to Oregon to care for Sadie shifts the family dynamics, deepening Lindsey’s feelings of abandonment and challenging her role within the family. Gracie comes home devastated.
Act 2: Escalating Tensions
New Plan: Lindsey, seeking understanding and guidance, delves into her mother’s journals. This exploration is juxtaposed with her need to reconcile with her present family situation.
Plan in Action: The journals reveal not just secrets but also Sarah’s deep insights and hopes for her daughters, which reshape Lindsey’s understanding and her approach to dealing with Sadie.
Midpoint Turning Point: Discoveries of manipulation and deceit by Sadie, particularly regarding her drug-seeking behavior, push Lindsey to her limits, forcing her to oppose Sadie’s drastic choices.
Act 3: The Breaking Point
Rethink Everything: The familial confrontation reaches a climax as the assisted suicide debate and buried secrets tear at the fragile threads holding them together. Lindsey feels increasingly isolated. Sadie enters hospice.
New Plan: A desperate Lindsey, along with Gracie, organizes a family meeting, aiming to bridge gaps with the revelations from Sarah’s journals.
Major Shift: The family meeting collapses into total chaos, with Sadie’s fall marking a literal and metaphorical breakdown of family relations.
Act 4: Resolution and New Beginnings
Climax: Sadie’s decision to proceed with her assisted suicide on her birthday comes to a head. Lindsey’s attempt to intervene and her delayed arrival add to the tragic tension.
Resolution: Sadie dies before Lindsey can reach her, leading to a deeply emotional reckoning for Lindsey, Brooke, and Gracie. They confront their grief, guilt, and the legacy left behind. Lindsey tries to help Brooke with an auction for all of Sadie’s valuable furnishings. Brooke has a melt down and wants nothing of her mothers things even though she left with a lot of money.
New Ways: Post-tragedy, Lindsey fully assumes the role of matriarch, initiating new family traditions and starting to write a memoir. This marks a significant step in embracing her mother’s legacy of love and forgiveness.
Final Scene: The following year the family gathers in Laguna Beach, sharing memories and committing to new beginnings, a scene that symbolizes healing and the potential for future unity.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I’ve learned is profound. This story is based on a true event which when I allowed myself to play with AI it gave me the freedom to change things throughout the story. It becomes better with every lesson.
Concept = After their matriarch's passing, a family faces their terminally ill sister’s choice of assisted suicide. The family is shattered by addiction, betrayal, abandonment, and secrets finds hope and unity through the journals left in the hands of the next matriarch.
Main Conflict = Two sisters suffer pain, one terminally ill with colon cancer the other with failed surgeries leaving her dependent on opiates and living in a body brace. Sadie, the terminally ill sister is a drug seeker, alcoholic, and wants her sister drugs, and conflicts over their mother’s death and who gets what. Control over Sadie’s daughter, Brooke who she abandoned, and Lindsey raised her.
Old Ways Controlling, betrayed, Arc Beginning: Lindsey is the broken-hearted, lonely caregiving middle sister who resents being the rock of the family and longs to be independent.
Arc Ending: Lindsey becomes the matriarch of the family, embracing the task with open arms.
Internal Journey: She is lost but appears to be resilient and strong. She always puts herself last, fears being alone.
External Journey: A controlling and defensive middle sister to the next matriarch of the family.
New Ways = She accepts Sadie’s reasons for death, hopeful that she will not follow suit. She welcomes becoming the matriarch and comes to terms with the family.
3. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening = Lindsey is overwhelmed with grief and responsibility as she is appointed the executor of her mother’s estate. She inherits all her mother’s journals. Sorts things out with daughter, Gracie, then flies into Oregon to be with her sister.
Inciting Incident = Lindsey is rushed to the hospital with a broken shoulder but Sadie wants to come alone and checks herself into emergency also, she wants drugs. Pissed, Lindsey returns home.
Lindsey learns from Brooke that Sadie is deteriorating with her colon cancer and decides to go into hospice, stirring old wounds and resentment. The past is catching up with the sisters.
Turning Point = Brooke moves to Oregon to care for Sadie, shaking Lindsey’s role as the family anchor and forcing her to confront her feelings of abandonment and betrayal.
Act 2: Family Tensions and Moral Dilemmas
New Plan: Lindsey begins to delve into the journals, seeking guidance and understanding from her mother’s words, hoping they might help mend the fractured relationships. Gracie wants to see her aunt one last time.
Plan in Action: As she reads, Lindsey uncovers secrets that reshape her understanding of the family dynamics, including hidden scandals and Sarah’s true feelings about each daughter. Gracie comes home devastated.
Midpoint Turning Point: Lindsey finds evidence of Sadie’s manipulation and deceit, including her drug-seeking behavior, which fractures their relationship further and pushes Lindsey to oppose Sadie's wish for assisted suicide.
Act 3: Deepening Crises and Revelations
Rethink Everything: The confrontation over assisted suicide and family secrets reaches a peak. Lindsey feels isolated as Brooke grows closer to Sadie, questioning Lindsey's intentions and loyalty.
New Plan: In a desperate attempt to bring her family together, Lindsey and Gracie organizes a family meeting to discuss the journals, Sadie’s health, and the family’s future.
Turning Point: Huge Failure/Major Shift: The family meeting ends in total chaos; Sadie has a horrific fall, and the assisted suicide plan begins to unravel, leaving the family more divided than ever.
Act 4: Climax and Resolution
Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: Sadie’s condition worsens, and she decides to proceed with her assisted suicide plan on her birthday. Lindsey discovers the date and ruins Sadie’s idea of her birthday passing. Lindsey, conflicted and heartbroken, rushes to Oregon. The flight is delayed in both cities.
Resolution: Sadie dies before Lindsey can arrive, leading to a poignant moment where Lindsey, Brooke, and Gracie must confront their grief, guilt, and unresolved feelings.
New Ways: In the aftermath, Lindsey embraces her role as the family matriarch more fully. She initiates regular family gatherings, starts writing a memoir, and finds a new sense of purpose in keeping the family united, reflecting Sarah’s legacy of love and forgiveness.
Final Scene: With her inheritance from Sadie, the family meets in Laguna Beach to celebrate Sadie’s life, where they share memories and commit to new beginnings, embodying the lessons from Sarah’s journals.

• This reply was modified 12 months ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Subtext Plot

My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.

What I have learned in this lesson is amazing. It’s more like a breakthrough for me. Like when we were working on titles, do 100 and maybe get 3 or 4 you like. Well I did that with subtext which I think will help me in the long run with future scenes. I realized how important the subtext is for “story”. It really moves it forward if done right. Set-up and pay-offs, name it and you can find subtext.

On the surface:
Lindsey is the middle daughter of the clan who has been everyone’s rock far too long. For 16 she was the caregiver for her ex-husband and mother until their death. Just when she begins her new journey with a sense of freedom her older sister, Sadie, announces she has colon cancer.
Lindsey has been the families’ caregiver for 16 years.
Lindsey pretends to be strong and confident but hides her vulnerability and resentment.
She appears to be strong and resilient but is tired and exhausted.
Lindsey is kind, supportive, controlling, and protective.
Lindsey has various problems with her health after being in a horrific automobile accident leaving her physically damaged, but nothing will stop her when help is needed or wanted.

She’s dealing with the death of her mother, Sarah. She’s the executor of the will.
Why did her mother leave her with her journals and not Sadie?
Lindsey, the controlling caregiver, is thrust into the unpredictable world of assisted suicide, a realm she doesn’t understand and finds it morally wrong.
The audience is aware of Sarah’s ultimate intention behind the journal and the inheritance.
The family members are oblivious to the true purpose of her last wishes.
Her older sister, Sadie announces she has colon cancer.
How will she handle caring for her when she lives in another state?
Does she want to, knowing how Sadie manipulates her?
Sadie’s decision for assisted suicide is driven by a desire to cover up a hidden family scandal that Sarah’s journal contains.
The fear of losing another family member and becoming the next matriarch.
How will all the family issues of betrayal, abandonment, addiction, and moral values playout on the two daughters and family members?
The deep resentments between the sisters, can they heal the past before Sadie’s death?
Will Sadie and her daughter, Brooke, make peace, find solace and forgiveness before her assisted suicide?
Revenge against Lindsey.
Will she undermine Lindsey’s authority and create tension between Lindsey and Brooke?
What are the secrets within the journal?
Can this family come to terms, find ways to honor the legacy and final wishes that Sarah leaves in her journal.
Lindsey must face a new and compassionate transformation after Sadie passes.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  jamie handley.

[jamie handley]

Act 1: Legacy Unveiled
REVISION – THE 3 ACT WERE LEFT OUT
In 2019, the family is thrown into turmoil with the loss of Sarah Henderson leaving Lindsey fearful of her future and heartbroken unlike the other members of the family. The family is further destabilized by her passing when she leaves her will and a mysterious journal with Lindsey that promises to reveal hidden truths in the family and with Sarah. Shortly after the cremation, older sister, Sadie Meade announces she has colon cancer. Her announcement deeply affects Lindsey, who has already been burdened with most of their family responsibilities and the strain with her daughter Gracie is shell-shocked when Brooke immediately moves to Oregon to be with her estranged mother Sadie, reigniting old tensions with their years of abandonment. Lindsey, who raised Brooke for most of her life, has resented being the family’s only caregiver while managing her own life and various issues with daughter, Gracie, and becomes reclusive. Lindsey is thrust into a new role of leadership but struggles against her desire for independence and freedom.

Act 2: The Revelations
As Sadie’s health worsens and she begins hospice which disturbs Lindsey. Lindsey flies in to be with her sister. Lindsey pushes for unity as she struggles with Sadie’s decision for assisted suicide. Lindsey introduces Sarah’s journal as a possible path to healing, hoping that Sadie will change her mind. The journal’s revelations shock the family, exposing Sarah’s favoritism and hidden struggles. These secrets reframe Sadie’s past choices, including her decision for assisted suicide, and force Lindsey to confront her long-held resentment and guilt. The family struggles to support Sadie’s choice and arguments ensue. While attempting to balance each of their own conflicting emotions Lindsey decides to fly back home. Lindsey is torn between maintaining control over her family and her deepening need for respect, compassion, understanding and independence.

Act 3: Fractures and Healing
Brooke reaches out to Gracie begging for her to intercede, hoping that it gets to Lindsey. Lindsey makes the decision to fly back to Oregon before it’s too late. Sadie’s assisted suicide goes horrifically awry, leaving Brooke devastated and broken. Lindsey arrives within hours but too late, which leaves her with deeper scars. Brooke is left to distribute all of Sadie’s belongings and instructions for her in the will. Lindsey sends Sadie’s belongings that were left to her to Gracie, who finds solace in faith and her love for her aunt. Despite the chaos, Lindsey reaches out to her daughter, and they redefine their relationship. Lindsey steps in as the matriarch, mending relationships and finding her purpose in her mother’s legacy. She sets her boundaries and a new tone as she finds a way to help Gracie and the family. Lindsey embraces her new role in the family and her personal growth by enrolling in a memoir writing class. The family begins to heal, inspired by Sarah’s wishes for unity and forgiveness. Lindsey now proud, makes peace with her new role and honors her mother’s final wishes.

[jamie handley]

Act 1: Legacy Unveiled
In 2019, the family is thrown into turmoil with the loss of Sarah Henderson leaving Lindsey fearful of her future and heartbroken unlike the other members of the family. The family is further destabilized by her passing when she leaves her will and a mysterious journal with Lindsey that promises to reveal hidden truths in the family and with Sarah. Shortly after the cremation, older sister, Sadie Meade announces she has colon cancer. Her announcement deeply affects Lindsey, who has already been burdened with most of their family responsibilities and the strain with her daughter Gracie is shell-shocked when Brooke immediately moves to Oregon to be with her estranged mother Sadie, reigniting old tensions with their years of abandonment. Lindsey, who raised Brooke for most of her life, has resented being the family’s only caregiver while managing her own life and various issues with daughter, Gracie, and becomes reclusive. Lindsey is thrust into a new role of leadership but struggles against her desire for independence and freedom.

Act 2: The Revelations
As Sadie’s health worsens and she begins hospice which disturbs Lindsey. Lindsey flies in to be with her sister. Lindsey pushes for unity as she struggles with Sadie’s decision for assisted suicide. Lindsey introduces Sarah’s journal as a possible path to healing, hoping that Sadie will change her mind. The journal’s revelations shock the family, exposing Sarah’s favoritism and hidden struggles. These secrets reframe Sadie’s past choices, including her decision for assisted suicide, and force Lindsey to confront her long-held resentment and guilt. The family struggles to support Sadie’s choice and arguments ensue. While attempting to balance each of their own conflicting emotions Lindsey decides to fly back home. Lindsey is torn between maintaining control over her family and her deepening need for respect, compassion, understanding and independence.

Act 3: Fractures and Healing
Brooke reaches out to Gracie begging for her to intercede, hoping that it gets to Lindsey. Lindsey makes the decision to fly back to Oregon before it’s too late. Sadie’s assisted suicide goes horrifically awry, leaving Brooke devastated and broken. Lindsey arrives within hours but too late, which leaves her with deeper scars. Brooke is left to distribute all of Sadie’s belongings and instructions for her in the will. Lindsey sends Sadie’s belongings that were left to her to Gracie, who finds solace in faith and her love for her aunt. Despite the chaos, Lindsey reaches out to her daughter, and they redefine their relationship. Lindsey steps in as the matriarch, mending relationships and finding her purpose in her mother’s legacy. She sets her boundaries and a new tone as she finds a way to help Gracie and the family. Lindsey embraces her new role in the family and her personal growth by enrolling in a memoir writing class. The family begins to heal, inspired by Sarah’s wishes for unity and forgiveness. Lindsey now proud, makes peace with her new role and honors her mother’s final wishes.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Lead Characters
Dramatic Triangle

CHARACTER: Lindsey Turner:
LOGLINE = A resilient and determined woman the newest matriarch, left to hold the family together while conflicts arise and moral decisions are made, involving her sister’s passing, as she wrestles with her own burdens of guilt and responsibility.
UNIQUE = She has played the role of caretaker for her mother and husband. She was closest to sister Sadie and knew her well, raised her niece as her own. She is physically wounded, and opioid dependent.
CHARACTER: Gracie Wyatt:
LOGLINE =The most empathetic member of the clan. A trait she got from her grandmother and yet is distant with her mother, Lindsey. In spite of their many differences, she is most like her and loves her deeply.
UNIQUE = She has deep scars from drug abuse in her younger years and is the only one who really understands her aunt Sadie. She understands the importance of family and the one with the most hope for it. She will be the next matriarch in the future generation. She is a silent caretaker to her mother.
CHARACTER: Brooke Meade:
LOGLINE: An intelligent and resilient daughter who grapples with feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and abuse.
UNIQUE: She too had a drug problem in her younger days. Failed marriages run in her vein much like her aunt and mother. She is protective of her own children and is turning their lives around from her own issues with herself and mother. She becomes her mother’s caretaker when she is diagnosed with colon cancer. Reconciliation is her biggest wish.
CHARACTER: Sarah Henderson:
LOGLINE: The charismatic yet troubled matriarch whose past traumas and favoritism cast long shadows over her daughters, Sarah’s attempts to mend familial rifts from beyond the grave drive the core emotional dynamics of their story.
UNIQUE = Abandoned by her father as a child. She knows abuse and betrayal. She never gave up on her future and made remarkable changes in her life. She tracks the lives of the characters through the years in her journal. She leaves behind the importance of family and believes each will succeed in life. She passes on the hope of tomorrow and future generations.

CHARACTER: Sadie Meade:
LOGLINE = A conflicted, self-centered, and distant mother and addict who is facing terminal illness.
UNIQUE = Sadie’s decision to opt for assisted suicide triggers a multitude of hidden truths and unresolved conflicts, forcing her family to confront their tangled past and uncertain future. She was abandoned at birth when her mother came down with tuberculosis. She was an amazing mother after the birth of Brooke. Her husband overdosed on heroine shortly after that. Her pain was deeply internal until deemed with being terminally ill.

[jamie handley]

I HAVE TRIED TO SEND THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND THE FORMAT COMES OUT VERY DIFFERENT. DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I’M SENDING IT IN AS IS. IT JUST MAKES IT HARD TO READ.

Jamie’s Transformation Journey
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.
What I’ve learned = I found myself opening more with the use of AI. Things I overlooked and didn’t consider. Discovered the importance of making decisions with the protagonist and how it moves the story forward. It is hard to be so succinct when there is so much more to consider with the characters. So I guess it’s sort of a breakthrough to define a character succinctly.

CHARACTER: LINDSEY TURNER
LOGLINE = A resilient, controlling, and determined woman, the newest matriarch, left to hold the family together while conflicts arise and moral decisions are made, involving her sister’s failed assisted suicide, and passing, as she wrestles with her own burdens of guilt and responsibility.
UNIQUE = She has played the role of caretaker for her mother and husband. She’s experienced death of her mother and best friend. Though she was closest to sister Sadie, she raised her niece as her own. She is physically wounded, and opioid dependent.

Arc Beginning: Lindsey is a heartbroken and lonely caregiving middle sister who resents being the rock of the family and longs to be independent.
Arc Ending: Lindsey becomes the matriarch of the family, embracing the task with open arms and a new vision.

Internal Journey: A beloved and heartbroken aunt and mother with a façade of being resilient and strong who fears without being needed she has no identity to embracing her role, recognizing her strength and renewed purpose and love for her family.
External Journey: From a controlling and defensive caretaker to a supportive, compassionate mother, sister, and next matriarch of the family.

Old Ways:
Overwhelmed and underappreciated.
Fear of abandonment.
Defensive and opinionated.
The rock of the family and resents it.
Perfection gets in her way.
Enables her daughter.
Lack of concern with younger sister.

New Ways:
Accepts responsibility with love and grace.
Opens her heart with the younger sister, both girls and all the family.
Finds a way to stay connected with the family.
Considers living alone.
Finds new boundaries with her daughter.
Commits to embracing her mother’s legacy.
Enrolls in a memoir writing class.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Transformation Journey
My scripts will get made into powerful movies that impact audiences and view me as a talented, hardworking professional.
What I’ve learned = I found myself opening more with the use of AI. Things I overlooked and didn’t consider. Discovered the importance of making decisions with the protagonist and how it moves the story forward. It is hard to be so succinct when there is so much more to consider with the characters. So I guess it’s sort of a breakthrough to define a character succinctly.

CHARACTER: LINDSEY TURNER
LOGLINE = A resilient, controlling, and determined woman, the newest matriarch, left to hold the family together while conflicts arise and moral decisions are made, involving her sister’s failed assisted suicide, and passing, as she wrestles with her own burdens of guilt and responsibility.
UNIQUE = She has played the role of caretaker for her mother and husband. She’s experienced death of her mother and best friend. Though she was closest to sister Sadie, she raised her niece as her own. She is physically wounded, and opioid dependent.

Arc Beginning: Lindsey is a heartbroken and lonely caregiving middle sister who resents being the rock of the family and longs to be independent.
Arc Ending: Lindsey becomes the matriarch of the family, embracing the task with open arms and a new vision.

Internal Journey: A beloved and heartbroken aunt and mother with a façade of being resilient and strong who fears without being needed she has no identity to embracing her role, recognizing her strength and renewed purpose and love for her family.
External Journey: From a controlling and defensive caretaker to a supportive, compassionate mother, sister, and next matriarch of the family.

Old Ways:
Overwhelmed and underappreciated.
Fear of abandonment.
Defensive and opinionated.
The rock of the family and resents it.
Perfection gets in her way.
Enables her daughter.
Lack of concern with younger sister.

New Ways:
Accepts responsibility with love and grace.
Opens her heart with the younger sister, both girls and all the family.
Finds a way to stay connected with the family.
Considers living alone.
Finds new boundaries with her daughter.
Commits to embracing her mother’s legacy.
Enrolls in a memoir writing class.

[jamie handley]

Jamie’s Title, Concept and Character Structure

My vision from this class is to 1. Continue to be a better writer. 2. Write a great script. 3. To have my script be ready to market. 4. Find a producer to develop my script ie; option or connect me to the right people that share my passion for my project(s).

What I’ve learned in this part of this class = I’ve learned more about how to use AI and about going into overload. It is greatly appreciated and a good source of information when needed but I don’t want to rely on its use and to keep it just for brainstorming. It is truly an asset to keep in our tool box!

Character Structure = Dramatic Triangle.

Title = Final Promise – still not it but it will be a working title.

Concept = A family shattered by abandonment, addiction and death finds unbreakable bonds and new beginnings through the last wishes documented in a matriarch’s journal.

[jamie handley]

Once again, perfection is not an option especially at this point of the class. It’s a reminder that I want breakthroughs and that they are very important and to allow myself that it is ok, even if it is horrible, and to keep moving forward. Empowerment is something I am going to allow myself to be comfortable with and do it daily. My response didn’t show up when I was checking the forums. So I am just checking in again to make sure it is received.

[jamie handley]

Hi there, my name is Jamie. My father’s name is James, my mother is from Scotland and they chose Jamie hoping I was going to be a boy! But they kept the name anyway. I’ve written about six or seven scripts, all for screen, but they all need a rewrite should I ever choose to revisit them in the future. I love my subjects so it would be fun to go back and see where they could go now.

This class is an opportunity to move forward with the concepts I have in mind. I haven’t chosen one yet but I’m very interested in the two I am considering.

So what’s unique, special or unusual? Just about everything… I think we are all unique in our own way(s) and I think “being of a certain age” has an advantage in many ways. I’ve done so many things in my journey and I’m glad I’ve experienced what I have. Like, in high school I was living in Southern California in a city where one is judged by the cars, homes, clothing etc. type of class. Somewhere in me was a country girl, so I joined 4-H, FFA and raised polled Hereford steers at the school farm. I got Reserve Grand Champion right out of the gate, first in show and the rest is part of my history. I’ve lived in California, to Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Oregon and Arizona. I’m back in the city and decided to live here because after being in a horrific auto accident in my past caused me to have a ton of metal in my body and living in the cold is not an option anymore. Now I have learned to love Arizona but miss the ocean, snow, change in seasons and the night sky of Montana. So I go on a road trip these days when the spirit calls. That’s it for now folks…

[jamie handley]

1. Jamie Handley.

2. “I agree to the terms of this release form.”

3. As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

[jamie handley]

Once again, perfection is not an option especially at this point of the class. A reminder that I want breakthroughs are very important and to allow myself that it is ok if it is horrible and to keep moving forward. Empowerment is something I am going to allow myself to be comfortable with and do it daily.🤩