This post is inspired by Jill Williamson's post, Plotting the Quest Novel: Dora Style. She stated that every story follows a formula, and whether complicated or very much simplified. And whether you think you have an original plot or not, nearly every story has this same formula. In order to see it all the more clearly, it's fun to look at a children's movie, when you're bored and your siblings insist on watching it. I'm starting a challenge. You watch a children's movie, with your siblings...or by yourself, if you want to, and plot out the simplicity and spread the challenge on your blog/Google+/Facebook/etc. So here's mine: It's from the preschool show, Charlie and Lola, from the episode I've Won, No I've Won, No I've Won. Introduction to the characters: The show always starts this way, where Charlie is sitting next to Lola, and he says, "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny." And every time a new character comes on the scene, he'll identify him/her. "Soren Lorensen is Lola's imaginary friend. No one notices him, but her." or "This is my best friend, Marv." He always gives a short description of them and their name. Inciting Incident: In this story, it starts out where Charlie and Lola are having a contest of who can stay still the longest. Charlie is telling you while trying not to move his mouth, that Lola is going through stage where she has to win everything. As he says that, Lola throws her hands up and shouts, "I won! I won!" Charlie claims that he never moved, but Lola won't listen. Lola claims that she wins at everything. She can stand on one foot longer than a flamingo. She can run faster than the "speedy, speedy cheetah." She can drink her pink milk faster. End of Act 1. Obstacles and upping the tension: After each "win," Charlie wants more and more and more to win something. So he devises different games that Lola can't possibly win. 1) He's better at the spoon game, he knows, so he challenges Lola to a game of balancing a spoon on their nose. When Lola sees that she's losing, she distracts Charlie and sticks the spoon to her nose with ice cream, while he's not looking. He knows she cheated, but she won't listen, shouting, "I've won! I've won!" 2) So, he proceeds to set up a game of cards. The game rules are that each person puts down cards alternatively and whoever can match their card to their partners first wins. Lola claims that a queen matches with a king (since a queen is married to a king and wears a crown and lives in a castle) and therefore, she's won again! 3) So, Charlie devises a game that she cannot cheat at. Snakes and ladders. Except she does cheat and climbs up the snakes instead of sliding down like she's supposed to...and she wins...again. "You don't have to win at everything, Lola," he tells her. Midpoint and act two climax: Charlie is getting fed up and so, takes Lola to the park, knowing something for sure that she can't win at. Act three: Charlie tells Lola to race him around the park. Once around the tree. Two big swings on the swing. Slide down the slide. And back to the bench. Lola almost refuses, protesting that she's never gone up the big slide, (foreshadowing) but Charlie convinces her by asking her if she wants to win. She gets an illegal head start, but Charlie passes her anyway and is winning. Lola doesn't wait to go around the tree and she can't get the swing to swing, so she forgets that, but Charlie is still winning. Climax and twist: Charlie is winning and he's going down the slide and about to run back to the bench when he hears his little sister calling for help on the top of the slide. She's scared, being up so high and she's calling for her big brother to save her. Charlie has to make a big decision. Race to the bench and win (zooms into the bench dramatically) or save his terrified sister. In the end he climbs up behind Lola and slides down with her, thereby saving her, but determined to win all the same. He ends up winning and gloating over his victory, then remembering what his dad said about giving Lola a chance, because she's so little. Lesson learned: Lola arrives, out of breath and Charlie asks her if she's okay. She exclaims, "That was fun!" Confused, Charlie reminds her that he won. "You don't have to win at everything, Charlie," she reminds him with a smile. Denoument: In the end, Charlie and Lola are in bed, having a contest on who can fall asleep faster. Lola immediately closes her eyes and fake snores. After a second, she whispers. "I've won, Charlie." Things to notice: 1. At the beginning, Charlie always gives a short description of his little sister and what the problem is. 2. He always gives a short description of each new character, so you know who everyone is 3. Each conflict that Charlie has, builds more and more tension until the final climax 4. Charlie has a big decision to make at the end of the story between two equally bad outcomes. (Losing, or leaving his little sister) 5. Charlie reminds you of his goal, every once and a while, by mentioning that he's finally come up with a game to beat her. That was my disection of Charlie and Lola. Its really fun. Try it! And spread the challenge!
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About Me!Hannah writes to satisfy her imagination. She's written six books so far--five of which need to be rewritten--and is working on a seventh. She ranges through a variety of genres, but favors contemporary YA, fixing broken characters. She wants to use her writing to change people and bring hope. She's currently going to college for Nursing and that takes up most of her writing time. She's a rather stereotypical writer, talking to imaginary friends, eavesdropping on people at the store, secretly being nosy, stashing herself away in her room with a paper and pen and chocolate and her teddy bear. She loves Jesus, the way the morning smells, her family of seven (four siblings), old movies, fairy tales, candles at night and helping people. She writes on another blog at nerdywriter.blogspot.com to hopefully build her chances of publication. My Author Site:Archives
December 2016
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