Go On Your Own Quest — Week 1: Plot
“The Quest” began Monday! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s a 24-week immersion in the screenwriting process and you can do it here — for free!
This week, we are reflecting on the subject of Plot, mirroring the content the Questers are engaged with in Core I: Plot. They are working through six lectures I have written building off the 1st Essential Screenwriting Principle: Plot = Structure.
Here in GOYOQ land, we had a fascinating start to our discussion yesterday — you can see those comments from GITS readers and myself here. We began with two questions: (1) How would you define plot? (2) How is plot different in a screenplay compared to a novel? Then followed up with another question yesterday: Do you subscribe to the theory that screenplay plots have patterns or paradigms? If so, what patterns or paradigms do you think they are? You can read the ensuing discussion here. Yesterday’s question: How do you go about working out your screenplay’s plot? Be specific: What is your plotting process? You can read that discussion here. Today another question:
* Index cards: Do you use them when plotting your story or not? And before you answer, check this out.
That’s the writer’s room for “Arrested Development”. And check this out:
You can listen to Vince Gilligan talk about “Breaking Bad,” but don’t gloss over the first set of images you see in this video. It’s index cards. Yes, in this day and age of super hi-tech everything, 3x5 inch index cards are still a staple of most professional writers.
I use them. After I brainstorm every scene I can think of for the plotline and subplots, I write each of them down onto individual index cards. If I know I need a bridge scene, but don’t know what it is, I write “Put bridge scene here” on a card. Then I create four stacks: Act I, Act II [first half], Act II [second half], Act III. Next it’s time shuffle and reshuffle the cards, testing out various arrangements of scenes. I spread them on the floor. I tack them up on the wall. I even use color-coded cards to represent different subplots, so I can see if I’m light here or back-to-back scenes there.
Do you use index cards?
I’ll see you in comments for your thoughts on this question and [hopefully] a discussion that will enlighten everyone about the subject of Plot.
For background on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” go here and here.
I will be teaching Core I: Plot through Screenwriting Master Class next week beginning Monday, July 23.
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