[shelley Darling]

Shelley Darling Character Profiles

These are the improved character profiles.

“What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of building a character with strong profiles that can fulfill and elevate their roles more effectively in each scene.

• A. Name: Mollie

• B. Role in the Story: Protagonist

• C. Core Traits: high-spirited-optimistic, brutally honest, indecisive, escapist

• D. Motivation: Want/Need: Fulfillment, love and freedom

• E. Flaw/Wound: Trust betrayal. Her need for intimacy and intolerance for falsehoods drives her impulsive decision-making,

• F. Secret/Hidden Agenda: To discover and reconcile the suspicion of childhood abuse with her father.

• G. Internal Dilemma: lack of trust in herself and others

• H. What makes this character perfect for their role in this story? Based on a true story, a universal journey to reach our full potential.

• A. Name: Moses

• B. Role in the Story: He’s a catalyst for Mollie to learn what she needs to fulfill her character arc as she works out her issues with her father.

• C. Core Traits: Withholding, Dogmatic, Charmer, Virtuous

• D. Motivation: Want/Need: Fulfillment-accomplishment, to be on control

• E. Flaw/Wound: – Being adopted in a white fundamentalist Christian family-being native. Deep insecurity of not being enough-.

• F. Secret/Hidden Agenda: To discover his roots-

• G. Internal Dilemma: validation-As a dogmatic, fundamentalist Christian his values creates friction with his over sexual drive.

• H. What makes this character perfect for their role in this story? He resembles and has so many of Mollie’s character traits. His charm and rock-solid-decisive presence immediately captivates Mollie, however this undermines her attempts at self-discovery and unraveling the truth of the mystery of her dreams. His withholding and need to control continually clashes with her obsession with truth.

• A. Name: Emeline

• B. Role in the Story: Mollie’s steadfast best friend who supports and speaks her truth-keeps Mollie honest.

• C. Core Traits: dependable, steadfast, practical, defensive

• D. Motivation: Want/Need: to prove herself and recognized for who she is and her purposeful life.

• E. Flaw/Wound: Marginalized and feels unappreciated, loyal to a fault

• F. Secret/Hidden Agenda: to be seen as a protector of Annie and the water.

• G. Internal Dilemma: Her desire to be respected versus the desperate need for validation from others-entitlement

• H. What makes this character perfect for their role in this story? Long term best friend of Mollie, and opposite of Mollie, grounded and dependable.

[shelley Darling]

Subject line: Shelley Darling Genre Conventions

What I learned doing this assignment is understanding the Genre Conventions supports the clarity of the Genre and keeps the screenplay’s distinctive energy and focus powerfully moving forward.

VS 1

Act 1:

Flash Forward Opening Montague:

• A distraught woman fleeing from her diagnosis, struggles in misty, foggy rain slipping as she crosses the metal bridge over a wild river.

• Seeing the flashing neon sign, she hurries to the solitary tavern.

• The creaking, battered screen door opens to a huge saw blade on the floor.

• Wiping herself off Mollie spies a photo of a gravestone on the mantle, but becomes distracted as she hears dark figures cackle and beer bottles click from a dark corner table.

• The bartender, tells her stories of the 1700 Medicine woman, who is shunned from the once Inn, now the restaurant- to cursing the place.

• Stretching to listen without being noticed, Mollie listens intently to the men joking with the bartender about the curse. A green bottle of a man with a staff crashes to the floor. Spooked Mollie leaves cash and hurries out.

• Misty apparition. Crashing car. Exploding fire.

PURPOSE: emotional and interpersonal high stakes

CHARACTER-DRIVEN JOURNEY: care about the characters/internal journey drives

HIGH STAKES COME FROM WITHIN: struggles, obstacles, and stakes come

from within the characters more than from external pressures.

EMOTIONALLY RESONATES: be moved by the characters’ emotions and how they experience the events.

CHALLENGING, EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED SITUATIONS: challenged to their core by the emotional situations-struggles run into.

REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS: grounded in reality.

Opening:

• MOLLIE with hands over her head, wakes to fireworks exploding over Boston Harbor.

• Togo, her dog is howling in sync with the music.

• Clues of Mollie’s crumbling world are evident: her daughter’s empty bedroom, shaky promises, elusive love, a modern-day exile, and a box of cannolis with an eviction notice attached.

• Still, she vows to quit working for her demanding Jewish father.

Inciting Incident:

• Mom, in the lead, with Dad and Mollie trailing behind, charges past the nursing station into the head neurosurgeon’s office.

• Mollie learns an encapsulated tumor inside her spinal column is slow-growing, and triumphantly tells the doctor she will delay treatment.

• Mom, continuously spouting furiously at the doctor, runs after Mollie and pushes Dad out the door.

Turning Point

• Grasping her spasming leg, Mollie In the pounding rain, limps to her car.

• Speeding out of the parking lot, she nearly hits a battered white pickup with a tribal license plate.

• Spooked by a misty apparition, she loses control and crashes into a large tree by the river.

Act 2:

New plan.

• Emboldened, Mollie, buoyantly crossing an old bridge, commits to going back to Poland to take on the mystery of her dreams.

Plan in action:

• Mollie curious to learn more about the water bottling company, agrees to meet Moses for lunch.

• Thrown off balance by his overt charm and gentlemanly behavior, Mollie swooned, hesitantly, agrees to going to Paris Hill with him the next day.

Midpoint Turning Point:

• Dick the dowser cuts a forked maple branch in the woods.

• After Mollie gives up trying, Dick, putting his arm around her, holds one side of the branch taut, instructing her to let go of her mind to connect with the water.

• Feeling the branch pull her hands down, Mollie surrenders her frustration, breaking down in tears when finally locating the spring.

Act 3:

Rethink everything

• Hiking towards the cave, once again Moses prods Mollie about her upcoming plans.

• Feeling vulnerable,and defensive, Mollie receives a heart-breaking call from Brigitte, who inexplicably breaks off any future contact.

• Retreating into the cave, hitting her head, Mollie unleashes the angst of her childhood trauma.

• Cautiously, Moses tells the story of his own rejection. Uncontrollable giggles erupt when a wet, fat porcupine waddles into the cave as Mollie lets go and receives Moses as an ally.

New plan

• Looking at old photos in the Ricker Memorial Library, Dick reminisces about returning home on the night of the fire.

• In sharing her query about the truth of her dad’s loyalty as the accountant for the previous Poland Springs owner, supported by Dick Mollie is ready to trust Moses and tell him everything.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

• Over the moon to see Moses, Mollie, in haste, divulges her research and the mystery surrounding the Confederate soldier Robert Cheever’s lost treasure.

• Suspicions confirmed and caught in a riptide of emotions,

• Moses leaps upon the gravestone, yelling at Mollie, shoving the cease and desist order towards her.

• Mollie declares she’s done.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

• Retreating to Boston, family pandemonium boils over at the Chinese Restaurant as tempers flare and the flaming hotpot knocks over.

• Mollie’s devastated to learn a week later her parents have just taken their lives.

Resolution: Back in Maine,

• a rowdy group of children break Mollie’s train of thought as their mom ANGELA, an old friend she lost to evangelistic beliefs, remorsefully relays a biblical parable highlighting her regret and Epiphany on relationships.

• An eye-to-eye encounter with a swooping hawk stirs Mollie to reach out to Grandmother Sasa.

• Divulging her relationship to Molly Ockett, Grandmother Sasa tells Mollie inorder to ___she needs to walk in Molly’s moccasins.

• Surrendering Mollie agrees to go on the 4-day river journey.

VS 2

Act 1:

Flash Forward Opening Montague:

• A distraught woman crippled in pain, by a raging river, holds her leg crying out to God.

• Struggles in misty, foggy rain to cross the bridge over a wild river, and receives a troubling call.

• Following a flashing neon sign leading to a tavern.

• A creaking screen door opens to a huge saw blade on the floor. A photo of a gravestone on the mantle.

• Men cackle from a dark corner table.

• Bottle crashes.

• Misty apparition. Crashing car. Exploding fire.

Opening:

• MOLLIE wakes disoriented and screaming to fireworks exploding over Boston Harbor.Curses about the modern-day exile from her non-profit.

• Togo, her dog is howling in sync with the music.

• Mollie’s world is crumbling. Mollie defending her reliability to Emeline slams the window, breaks down angrily blaming her father for all the shaky promises, and elusive love.

• Togo shows up with her daughter’s moose-places it perfectly back where it belongs in her daughter’s empty bedroom-falls apart.

• Cell phone rings-it’s Red Fox.

• Doorbell rings and Mollie finds a box of cannolis as an eviction notice drops out.

• Mollie vows to quit working for her demanding Jewish father.

Inciting Incident:

• Mom, in the lead, with Dad and Mollie trailing behind, charges past the nursing station into the head neurosurgeon’s office.

• Mollie learns an encapsulated tumor inside her spinal column is slow-growing, and triumphantly tells the doctor she will delay treatment.

• Mom, spouting furiously at the doctor, pushes Dad out the door.

Turning Point

• Noticing Mollie’s rubbing her leg, the Bartender questions Mollie, as a green bottle crashes to the floor.

• Grasping her spasming leg, Mollie limps to her car, parked next to a battered white pickup with a tribal license plate.

• Speeding out of the parking lot, Mollie’s spooked by a misty apparition.

• Losing control, Mollie crashes into a large tree by the river.

Act 2:

New plan.

• Mollie defiantly chooses to recuperate at Brigittes instead of going to parents-Dad letting her know she could save money (Dad hates his mother) not wanting her grandmother show up)

• Tentative and distracted Mollie crosses an old bridge, wearing her new red cowboy boots-not listening to Brigittes questions.

• Stopping mid-bridge to watch the river-Mollie sighting a red wooden sailboat stuck in the dam, breaks through.

• Emboldened, Mollie, against Brigitte’s advice, commits to returning to Poland to take on the mystery of her dreams.

Plan in action:

• Watching a hotel documentary, the validity of her dreams and the weaving of timelines,leads to Mollie beginning to trust the internal nudge of her instincts.

• Steve’s dowsing rods confirm the hidden truth of the Underground railroad-

• Caught by her investigative nature with the water bottling company,and the clues to her fathers past, and uprooted by her old relationship patterns, Mollie’s compelled to meet Moses for lunch.

• Aware of Moses withholding information, Mollie sweet talks him into taking her to Paris Hill the next day.

Midpoint Turning Point:

• Dick the dowser, seeing Mollie distressed, invites her to his home to learn how to dowse for water.

• Dick, seeing Mollie flustered and giving up, put his arm around her to guide her, as he holds one side of the branch taut.

• Moses has shown up unexpectedly and is observing Dick with Mollie.

• Feeling the branch pull her hands down, Mollie surrenders her frustration, breaking down in tears when finally locating the spring.

• Not noticing Moses, Dick instructs her to let go of her mind to connect with the water.

• Moses, childishly, challenges Dick, wanting Mollie’s attention. Mollie, giving him the evil eye, disregards him.

Act 3: (Weaving in M & E present time-line 2008, past timeline of Mollie Ockett, Truth and Reconciliation-2008)

Rethink everything

• Mollie, chooses to step into the lions’ den, to meet Moses at the Water Corp office.

• Moses’s taken aback witnessing Mollie turning on her phone recorder.

• Mollie, shocked spies Moses watching Pete with Sarah, and questions Moses.

• Called to go to Molly Ockett’s cave, at the moment of being triggered by Moses asking her about her upcoming plans. Mollie receives a heart-breaking call from Brigitte who inexplicably breaks off any future contact.

• Retreating into the cave, hitting her head, Mollie unleashes the angst of her childhood trauma. Mollie’s torn between defense and being vulnerable.

• Cautiously, Moses tells the story of his own rejection.

• Mollie choosing to surrender, opens to receiving Moses as a friend and ally.

New plan

• Looking at old photos in the Ricker Memorial Library, with Dick reminiscing to Mollie about returning home on the night of the fire.

• Dick brings up stories of Saul- community-poker games

• Calls Dad to question him about Saul about the truth of her dad’s loyalty as the accountant at the time of fire.

• Conversation with Dick about Moses-

• Mollie encourages Dick to reconcile with Moses

• Mollie chooses to confide Moses and tell him everything.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

• Over the moon to see Moses, Mollie, divulges the reason why she is at Poland Spring, and her research of integrity of the company.

• Suspicions confirmed Moses is caught in a riptide of emotions and leaping upon the gravestone, screaming at Mollie, throws the cease and desist order towards her.

• Mollie in retaliation, declares she’s done.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

• Confused and retreating, Mollie retreats to her parents’ apartment in Boston, where tensions are high.

• Looking at old photograph albums, Mollie’s devastated to hear of her mom’s dementia.

• Family pandemonium boils over at the Chinese Restaurant.

• Mollie’s parents are secretly and meticulously planning to take their lives.

• Mollie is with Moses when she receives the devastating phone call that they have been successful at taking their lives. She’s shattered.

Resolution: Back in Maine,

• A rowdy group of children break Mollie’s train of thought as their mom ANGELA by the river, an old friend she lost to evangelistic beliefs, remorsefully relays a biblical parable highlighting her regret on relationships.

• Mollie has an epiphany as an eye-to-eye encounter with a swooping hawk stirs her to reach out to Grandmother Sasa.

• Divulging more of her relationship to Molly Ockett,and her aunts relationship with her autistic grandaughter.

• Grandmother Sasa- tells Mollie, that MO has a home for her by the river.

• Grandmother Sasa tells Mollie in order to stand tall she needs to walk in Molly’s moccasins.

• Surrendering, Mollie agrees to go on the 4-day river journey.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  shelley Darling. Reason: Worked more on the Genre Conventions, amplifying the drama in the scenes
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  shelley Darling.

[shelley Darling]

Subject line: Shelley Darling’s 4 Act Structure

“What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of taking another look at the structure to raise the stakes of each act builds strength and coherence to the story. Staying aligned with the pitch keeps us on track and elevates the writing.

Act 1:

Flash Forward Opening Montague: A distraught woman struggles to cross a bridge over a wild river. Following a flashing neon sign leads to a tavern. A creaking screen door opens to a huge saw blade on the floor. A photo of a gravestone on the mantle. Men cackle from a dark corner table. Bottle crashes. Misty apparition. Crashing car. Exploding fire.

• Opening: MOLLIE wakes to fireworks exploding over Boston Harbor. Her dog, Togo, is howling in sync with the music. Clues of Mollie’s crumbling world are evident; her daughter’s empty bedroom, shaky promises, elusive love, a modern-day exile, and a box of cannolis with an eviction notice attached. Still, she vows to quit working for her demanding Jewish father.

• Inciting Incident: Mom, in the lead, with Dad and Mollie trailing behind, charges past the nursing station into the head neurosurgeon’s office. Discovering an encapsulated tumor inside her spinal column is slow-growing, Mollie triumphantly tells the doctor she will delay treatment as Mom, spouting furiously, pushes Dad out the door.

• Turning Point In the pounding rain, grasping her spasming leg, Mollie limps to her car and speeds out of the parking lot, nearly hitting a battered white pickup with a tribal license plate. Spooked by a misty apparition, she loses control and crashes into a large tree by the river.

Act 2:

• New plan. Emboldened, Mollie, buoyantly crossing an old bridge, commits to returning to Poland to solve her dreams’ mystery.

• Plan in action: Mollie, curious to learn more about the water bottling company, agrees to meet Moses for lunch. Thrown off balance by his overt charm and gentlemanly behavior, Mollie hesitantly is swooned into going to Paris Hill with him the next day.

• Midpoint Turning Point: Dick the dowser cuts a forked maple branch in the woods. After Mollie gives up trying, Dick, putting his arm around her, holds one side of the branch taut, instructing her to let go of her mind to connect with the water. Feeling the branch pull her hands down, Mollie surrenders her frustration, breaking down in tears when finally locating the spring.

Act 3:

• Rethink everything Hiking towards the cave, once again Moses prods Mollie about her upcoming plans. Feeling vulnerable,and defensive, Mollie receives a heart-breaking call from Brigitte, who inexplicably breaks off any future contact. Retreating into the cave, hitting her head, Mollie unleashes the angst of her childhood trauma. Cautiously, Moses tells the story of his own rejection. Uncontrollable giggles erupt when a wet, fat porcupine waddles into the cave as Mollie lets go and receives Moses as an ally.

• New plan Looking at old photos in the Ricker Memorial Library, Dick reminisces about returning home on the night of the fire. In sharing her query about the truth of her dad’s loyalty as the accountant for the previous Poland Springs owner, supported by Dick Mollie is ready to trust Moses and tell him everything.

• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift Over the moon to see Moses, Mollie, innocently in haste, divulges her research and the mystery surrounding the Confederate soldier Robert Cheever’s lost treasure. Suspicions confirmed and caught in a riptide of emotions, Moses leaps upon the gravestone, yelling at Mollie, shoving the cease and desist order towards her. Mollie declares she’s done.

• Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Retreating to Boston, family pandemonium boils over at the Chinese Restaurant as tempers flare and the flaming hotpot knocks over. Mollie’s devastated to learn a week later, her parents have just taken their lives.

• Resolution: At the river, a rowdy group of children interrupts Mollie’s introspection as Angela, a friend from her past whom she lost to evangelistic beliefs, remorsefully relays a biblical parable highlighting her epiphany on relationships. In a moment of awakening, an eye-to-eye encounter with a large hawk causes Mollie to reach out to Grandmother Sasa. When Grandmother Sasa divulges her relationship with Molly Ockett, Mollie commits to follow Molly’s moccasins and go on a 4-day river journey.

[shelley Darling]

What I {Shelley Darling} learned from this assignment in refining the key elements of the screenplay, the genre became, and oppositions to protagonist became clearer. Originally, I had the genre as a romantic mystery, but after researching, I realized the movie had more characteristics of a drama.

SUBJECT: Shelley Darling’s Project Pitch

1. Genre: Drama

2. Title: Burning Truth

3. High Concept: With her life in fiery collapse, an aspiring journalist defies a spinal tumor diagnosis as evocative dreams compel her to return to an infamous Gilded Age resort from her past.

4. Main Conflict: Act 2 Hopeless at intimacy, an overwhelmed single mom with an autistic child investigating the mystery of a healing spring revealed by her dreams finds herself in an unbridled attraction to the spokesperson for the water bottling company that owns the property. (1 thing–becomes her hero. Make it difficult. Raise the stakes in each act.)Dad? in conflict with her father,

5. Transformational Journey: Ungrounded and adrift, Mollie, guided by an 18th-century medicine woman, reconciles the painful truth of her past to forgive the unforgivable and free her full potential.

6. Opposition: The protagonist’s health-spinal tumor, Relationship with her dominating dad and demanding mom, Water Corporation opposing her investigation, Issue with romantic partners, eviction, quitting the job, exiled from her non-profit, unsettled life, external judgments from parents and friends, overwhelmed with her child’s autism, lack of trusting herself and giving her power away, conflict avoidance, Dad’s withholding of information

[shelley Darling]

I agree to the terms of this confidentiality form. Shelley Darling

[shelley Darling]

1. Shelley Darling

2. One script, a true story that begins with five dreams leading me back to a historical Gilded Age Resort, only to unfurl a prodigious legacy.

3. As I have taken other courses with Hal and benefitted immensely, I will animate and elevate the script in ways I can’t imagine.

4. I have not been in the film industry other than being compelled to complete this script. I have written one book (the second book just completed its first edit) and traveled internationally, teaching Evolutionary Dowsing and empowering people to live their full potential.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  shelley Darling.

[shelley Darling]

Shelley’s Character Interviews

“What I learned in this assignment is how important is process is in bringing new insight and information. Surprisingly, I also learned so much more about myself through the characters!

Mollie, <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Tell me about yourself.

I’ve always said that I have a nervous system like a racehorse, when other people are trying to speed up I’m trying to slow down. I have had a string of failed relationships, though it’s really what I want.-I don’t know who I am. In the past, I have been promiscuous- not being able to love myself for who I am. I am sensual in my nature. The greatest challenge in my life if is my relationship with my father. I love him, but he’s just too much, loving but dominating, and he can’t seem to tell the full truth. My mom is always protecting him.

I have a beautiful daughter, but she is overwhelming. It’s the first time I’m away without her. I love to travel and want to put roots down, but haven’t been able. Money seems to come in and goes. I am done working for my dad at this dead end job, and I am about to lose my apartment, I love to solve mysteries, and I too myself sometimes I am the mystery. Underneath it all, I don’t believe I can have what I want, so why try?

Why do you think you were called to this journey?

I haven’t had a choice in this, my dreams wouldn’t let me rest, it wasn’t till I started to make sense of the dreams that things started going smoothly. I was guided-and the synchronicities keep happening. Being guided by something bigger. “Mysteries are meant to be solved”– In my bones I’m an investigative journalist, needing to find the truth, free myself, in order to live my full potential, my calling.

Who are you are up against. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?

Somebody is hiding something, I need to find out what it is. I am up against the corporation. The men in my life-everybody. I’m up against even Emeline. I don’t think anyone sees me- I’m up against myself. The truth hasn’t been found-something is still buried.

What changes do you expect to make, and which of them will be the most difficult?

Underlying, I feel If I stand in my truth, I’m going to lose everything, everybody. People aren’t you know, and, and that’s why I’m always nudging my relationships to speak the truth because how can we trust each other if we’re not speaking what’s true and being honest? I need to start slowing down and stand in my power. Stop giving my power away.

I feel like I have to change everything. I can’t go backwards. People see me as free, I’m not free- I am still shackled to the past.

What habits or ways of thinking will be the most difficult to let go of?

My attachment to others. I think I compromise my own needs to fulfill others expectations. My impulse is to be done and to run away, -giving up too soon. The conundrum is I hang on way too long, in denial of things I see in my relationships.

What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?

Fear never feeling supported, failure. Fear appearing stupid. Fear of being alone and feeling like I am too much. I am always driven to live a meaningful life. Fear of not being really loved- and If I am, I will be trapped and taken advantaged. I don’t trust being vulnerable with my relationships, I better end them before they do.

What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?

I have grown up riding horses, falling off and getting right back up, never hurting myself. I am committed to my own evolution and am persistent until I have clarity. My mom was a special needs teacher and being an investigative journalist-I love tracking energy and following the clues. I am a dreamer-optimistic, and trust my guidance/intuition, it always seems to prove true. Mostly, I am connected to my heart’s calling.

What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?

How sick I am. I’m lost, cant tell anyone really about. I don’t know what I am doing. How much other’s actions are affecting me. How sad I am. Hiding what I think happened with my father. I, too, am protective of my father, not sure about exposing him. I lack trust in men.

Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.

I have always been driven to live a meaningful life. My mom and dad were very alive and engaged people, liked to have fun. My first conflict was, though my parents weren’t wealthy, I hated my dads Cadillac. I was rebellious and didn’t like them always telling me what to do- I was tethered to their beliefs. Every time I tried to be myself, they hindered or stopped me. Money and relationships were the biggest obstacle. I can remember always saying “I don’t know” as a child when asked any question. I thought I was stupid. Later on, when the dreams started to come, I began to believe there had been some abuse with my father. He had always been emotionally unavailable, and thought my spiritual beliefs were wimpy. I was running-funny his boat I began to realize was called runaway. Finally, things began to turn when I decided to be led by my dreams and go back to Maine, where I believe it all began…and there I met Moses and learned of Molly Ockett- the medicine woman of the 1700s, who has since then has been my guide.

What does it do for your life if you succeed here?

Standing in the loving power that I am, I am happily married to a man who loves family, being supporting each other living life on purpose. I have proved to myself I can do this, that I’m perfect the way I am. In freeing myself, there is a sense of fulfillment. I am relaxing and living a joyful abundant life in alignment with Natures design, supporting others in creating their best life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moses: Antagonist

Tell me about yourself.

I am a God loving man, with a challenge to live my best life. I have moved so much in my life I am just now realizing I don’t ever allow people top get close to me, and am non-committal, I love nature, music and love my beer. I am a journeyman, and I expect others to work as hard as me. I am indigenous, yet know nothing about my ancestral culture and ceremonies. In fact, I get angry at how many of us are just lazy SOB’s. I am a Christian that is trying to get back to my roots, yet I am promiscuous, and it gets in the way.

Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses? My strengths are my hardworking ethics, religious beliefs, my commitment to living a good life. I love nature and animals.

For a relationship movie, why are you committed to making the Protagonist change?

I believe Mollie is going to hell, though she is a good person. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, as I just can’t see us together. I have an intense attraction for her, she is unlike anyone I have ever met-yet she is not my idea of the God willing woman I want to be with. Besides, she doesn’t listen. Given my circumstance, I simply push her away-yet I have to be the bad guy as I see she is overstepping her boundaries.

What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?

I don’t have to commit, deeply engage and have to leave again. She is the adversary and will leave me, or I will leave her anyway.

What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?

Freedom to be, live my life the way God means it to be.

What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?

My past. I don’t fear anything, well it looks like that…

Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?

I always work hard..

What do you think of ?

Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.

I was simply working, then she showed up in the room at the motel next to mine. Couldn’t take me eyes off her after first seeing her. She was a hot babe, and a bit sassy too. I like that though, in the beginning she didn’t give in right away. She immediately took to my dog. I was working for my family’s water business. Doing the grunt work, but I was on the board. Hate those other board members. I was living at my grandfathers house. Just wanted to runaway-the only thing is I had a yearning like him for fiddling with old vehicles. We just couldn’t get along-he didn’t like the way I maneuvered. Don’t like talking much, but boy do I like women. Too much, though-always gets me in trouble. Then came along Mollie-Didn’t like that she took to my grandfather- He’s a dowser too-Mollie she just kept showing up- took her up to Paris-then to the lake house. She was easy-had no idea about her need to “go deeper” not me.

But aI just couldn’t keep my hands off her-and you know she liked it too. Then there was the explosion-I didn’t believe it at first, but they were right, and they handed me the cease and desist from her investigations around the old hotel. Said she was writing a book and a movie about the place. Drove me just about mad-mad at myself and mad at her. We all have secrets, you know-sometime those secrets don’t need to be told.

[shelley Darling]

Shelley’s Character Profile 3

I learned doing this assignment more nuance in the characters and their relationship to eachother. Also given this is a true story I am seeing places in myself that haven’t been illuminated before. Fascinating!

Mollie: Protagonist,<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”> investigative journalist

What draws us to this character? Heart centered “joie se vivre”, love of people, enthusiasm, optimism-risk taker, explorer, love of nature, free spirited-

Traits: persistant, curiousity, honesty and truth seeker, edgy/not relaxed

Subtext: She always looks for the deeper meaning in everything. Tries to expose subtext-

Flaw: indecisve, too stubborn, impulsive/fast moving/need to always be right, doesn’t listen

Values: “the woman who wants it all” Truth, honesty and freedom

Irony: Acts free on the outside, but inside enslaved by her insecurities. Always challenging the truth in others, but difficult be vulnerable herself.

What makes this the right character for this role? True story

Moses: Antagonist and Love Interest, Junior corporate executive

What draws us to this character? off color humor, honesty, complexity, bad boy-good boy, caring, sexiness/masculinity, rawness, Indigenous Cowboy

Traits: lover of nature and music, traditional manners,

Subtext: withholds information without involving the person, making judgement not wanting to go in deeper

Flaw: rigid beliefs (though he sees them as a strength) non-commital, never uses the word love, drinking, manipulating, temper, disengaged

Values: loves family/God, working hard for a living

Irony: Christian beliefs in conflict with his sexual promiscuousness and ability to love freely.

What makes this the right character for this role? He is the enigma of the protagonist. His fundamental characteristics challenges the protagonist to the core. He holds a similar energy of the protagonists father-yet he supports and challenges her be fully herself.

[shelley Darling]

Shelley’s Character Profiles Part 1

I am learning doing this assignment how to go deeper in the process and how to create a good character.

Genre: Drama-(From the List)

…AND I have a question: (I have had the Genre as Romantic-Mystery and it is true story.

MOLLIE: Dreamer

Role in the story: Protagonist, investigative journalist

Mollie (38) is a free-spirited, bleached blonde, slight frame athletic build

Internal Journey: struggling as a single mother. Standing in her power.

External Journey: Naively creates self-sabotaging circumstances

Motivation: Her endless drive for love and freedom

Wound: sexual abuse from a dominating father

Mission/Agenda: Solve the mystery of her dreams

Secret: deep insecurity

What makes them special? Her perseverance and trust in the process

MOSES: Villian

Role in the story: Antagonist and Love Interest, Junior corporate executive

Age range and Description: (35) a mixed-race, repressed alcoholic, musician

Internal Journey: wrestles with societal racism- His connundrum-being a sinner vs good Christian

External Journey: Adopted as a child by a white fundamentalist family, his attraction to Protagonist in conflict with his belief in a biblical God.

Motivation: Find himself

Wound: Doesn’t belong-Can’t commit and doesn’t get close to people

Mission/Agenda: Live a good Christian life

Secret: sexually adventurous

What makes them special? Honest, Humurous and Adventurious spirit

[shelley Darling]

Hello Cheryl, Hal and everyone, I am thrilled to be here with you!

I have only worked on this one screenplay. What I hope to accomplish is to complete this screenplay in 30 days! After engaging in the pre-course, there is much more clarity in the logline and the main character’s story arc. I am so grateful!

Something unique? In a million years, you could have never told me I would be a transformational dowser, helping people to empower their journey through restoring resonance to their heart, home, and habitat. (Yep-in the movie, there is a Dowser:)

[shelley Darling]

Shelley Darling

I agree to the terms of this 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.