A great story has a great hero – someone who discovers they are hero along that way. Acts of Heroism are those character-change actions that take your character from an everyday Joe to a Hero. It’s not the grand gestures, the great sacrifices…Acts of Heroism are the everyday acts of our character that push him beyond himself. Ideally in a story, every choice your character makes and every step beyond his comfort zone that he or she takes, is going to push your character farther and farther from the person he starts as, until finally he becomes a full- fledged hero. Let’s go back to two of my favorite movies – Eagle Eye and Cellular Eagle Eye is the story of an everyday guy faced with the accusation that he’s […]
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Let the fight begin! How to use stakes and motivations to build a powerful story!
Last week we talked about how to discover Stakes and Motivations. But, how do you use them to create a powerful story? Let the Fight Begin! One of my favorite movies for continually raising stakes and forcing the viewer to the edge of her seat is the thriller, Cellular. Just to recap, in a nutshell, it’s a movie about a woman who is kidnapped. She uses a demolished phone to call for help and gets hold of a young man whose girlfriend has broken up with him because of his irresponsibility. A deadline of sorts hangs over their conversation (an essential element in any suspense), because, at any moment, they could get cut off, and she may never be able to dial out again. She must convince this random guy […]
Read the RestCreating a Push-Pull Motivation for your suspense scenes
Yesterday, we talked about the use of Public and Private Stakes to raise the epic element of your suspense, and drive your reader through the story. But that is only one part of the equation. You need motivation as well. You need to employ something I call the PUSH-PULL. Let’s start at the beginning of the story: Your character will need a motivation to start them on their journey. Some Why and What do they want? This is easy – you simply take a look at their greatest dreams and give them glimpse of hope that they can achieve them early on in the story. But that’s when things get tough. See, on every great journey, there is conflict – or obstacles along the way. And your character will […]
Read the RestI ain’t afraid of nuthin! (Creating the Perfect Suspense Heroine Day 2)
Yesterday, we talked about how to make the plot personal for your heroine so that she’ll leave her life and jump into the world of the suspense. That personal element is what will keep your heroine running forward, despite the looming fears before her. Case in point – I hate caves, especially a submerged cave. Never would I ever enter a cave under water. However, if my child was trapped inside, you betchya. Just a simple illustration, but if you were using me as your suspense heroine, this would be a great fear to dangle before me to ramp up the stakes. I’d have to reach deep inside and find the courage to fit myself through one of those dark, slimy crevasses. Which leads me to […]
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