Welcome to the fourth installment of Story Tips From the Big Screen. This monthly column (to be posted the second Monday of each month) explores screen writing techniques that will help fiction writers tell a better story.
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Last month we learned the two minute movie and now we have a four-page treatment of our story. The next step is the outline, or the step outline. A step outline is simply a skeletal version of the story, your two minute move played out scene by scene.
Robert McKee in his wonderful book Story,
defines a scene as a story event, an action through conflict in more or less
continuous time and space. He goes on to
talk about value changes within scenes, but that’s a topic for another
time.
Before I write an outline, I like to know what I will
need for this particular book. So I get
out my calculator. We talked a bit about
this method in the article about three-act structure. If I’m shooting for a three-hundred page
book, and I like to write ten page scenes (just an example), I will need thirty
scenes. Fifteen scenes will be split
between Act I and Act III and fifteen will fill Act II. I’m ready to outline thirty scenes.
With these numbers in mind, I know approximately where
my plot points will fall so I jot them down in the appropriate slots. We could call that plot slot jotting. But I digress.
Then, I just fill in all the numbered scenes.
Being able to scrutinize the skeleton this way, on a
sheet or two of paper, makes it easy to see if you really do have enough plot to
fill the book. At this stage, it’s easy
and painless to make changes as well, long before you’ve spent hours, days,
weeks writing, only to find out that you should have turned left back at the
first light.
Once this step outline is finished, you can focus
all your energy on filling in the body of the story, the character emotions,
setting details, dialogue, etc. You’ll
know where you’re going and won’t have to worry about whether the motel will be
full-up or not when you get there. (I
love road-trip spontaneity, but also love knowing I have reservations.)
So what does a step outline look like? I’m glad you asked. Hang with me a moment and
I’ll show you some steps. First, let’s
look at the two minute movie outline of Romeo and Juliet.
Melancholy Romeo Montague meets innocent Juliet
Capulet at a Capulet party. They fall in
love.
Because the two families hate each other, the Friar
agrees to marry the kids secretly - and so they marry.
Soon thereafter, a street fight ends with Juliet’s
kinsman dying by Romeo’s hand. Romeo
flees Verona after consummating his marriage to Juliet.
Juliet’s family announces her forthcoming marriage to
Paris. Juliet fakes her death.
Romeo misses the message and thinks that she’s really
dead so he kills himself. Juliet awakens
to find Romeo dead and kills herself.
End of story.
So, here’s what the first few scenes would look like
in the step outline:
1. Two Capulet
servants tussle with two Montague servants.
Prince arrives, breaks up the fight.
Romeo is melancholy because he loves Rosaline, conversation with his
cousin.
2. Paris talks
to Juliet’s father re: marriage. Romeo
and Benvolio learn of the Capulet party and plan to go.
3. Juliet and
Mom discuss marriage to Paris, Juliet is obedient.
4. The boys on
the way to the party.
5. Romeo first
sees Juliet. Tybalt realizes that there
are Montagues present. Patriarch steps
in and averts violence. First
touch. First kiss.
You can see that it was quite a jump between the
highlights of the two minute movie and the “final” step outline. It’s very possible that there will be
versions in between. It all depends on
how much detail you have cooked up in your head before the plot slot jotting
begins.
Every author works differently and some absolutely can’t
plot beforehand. Most screenwriting
books insist that you do so, though. And
while I absolutely HATE to be told that I HAVE to do something, I have come to
see the value of outlining before I write.
Whatever you decide, just write. See, though I’m not good at taking orders, I’m
pretty good at giving them :) I hope
these ongoing tips from the screenwriting world have sparked ideas and given
you more tools with which to work.
Until
next month, BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard)
Cheers, Jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)
(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2004.)
About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.
I like this. There's a book called Story Structure Architect (I think) that helps you do this same thing. I still have a hard time applying it to my stuff. LOL, but practice makes perfect...or less than crappy.
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