Mentoring Authors One Scene at a Time – Thriller/Military/Non-Fiction/SF/Fantasy
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.
If you want to see more applications of the Story Grid methodology, below are links to my analysis of various novels and television shows in blog posts and podcasts:
Story Grid Showrunners Podcast – Parul, Melanie, and I analyze hit TV series using the Story Grid methodology.
My blog posts analyzing other Television series – my person take using the Story grid 5 Commandments to look at my favorite TV series – Jack Ryan, Batgirl, For All Mankind, Hanna, and more.
Novel analysis – I analyze some of my favorite books using the Story Grid 5 Commandments and 6 core questions – First Blood, Old Man’s War, Waylander, and more to come!