Creating Better Stories
We’re going to sum up the story so far here. We should be approaching the end of the Middle Build, so let’s see how well the story follows the story grid and if it’s working.
As I mentioned in the introduction a couple weeks back, Shawn Coyne says a Love story “gives us prescriptive and cautionary tales to navigate love’s emotional minefield.” Rachelle Ramirez outlines the elements of a Love Story in her article “Secrets of the Love Genre”.
Shawn mentions that most stories follow a 25% beginning hook, 50% middle build, 25% final payoff structure. Since this series will only be 8 episodes, Episode 6 marks should mark about the end of the Middle Build, and I wanted to review which conventions and obligatory scenes have already been covered.
The Global Value of a Love story is love to hate, attraction to indifference.
It’s difficult to see what kind of precautionary love story this will be yet, positive or negative, so it is difficult to see what exactly the controlling idea will be (love wins when…, or love fails when…)
These are the 5 Commandments of Storytelling as outlined by Shawn Coyne in his book The Story Grid: What good Editors Know. These commandments can be found in all stories that really work.
Lister returns from being beat up by a paid ruffian from the Rawson brothers
Walker’s mental health deteriorates
Do they treat Walker at the village or allow her relatives to take her away
Lister allows Walker’s relatives to take her away
Lister is destroyed again for losing Walker
-/– hopeless to very distraught
Lister starts depressed from her breakup and the beating she took, and ends with her physically losing Walker when she is taken away by her relatives to Scotland.
If this were a book or a movie, I would predict that the lovers get back together in some form. Since this is a series which has been renewed for a second season, I’m not sure they will get back together by the end of Episode 8. I do think there will be a serious proof of love from Lister. And I think there will be a large betrayal, but not sure who that is. Maybe Mr. Ainsworth will step in once Walker gets to Scotland.
For more information about the Story Grid, go to the Story Grid Webpage to find free videos and articles on how to implement the methodology.
Read these articles for more information about the 5 Commandments of Storytelling and the Editor’s 6 Core Questions from the book The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne.
For an example of how these techniques are used, read Jane Austin’s The Pride and the Prejudice with annotations by Shawn Coyne.
If you are interested in having your manuscript reviewed by me, see my Editing Services.