Thomas Funicello's Blog

There are many literary concepts for developing the flaws of a character, I have chosen the ones that cover a spectrum of issues. One major problem is that the main character does not view themselves as the Hero. We need to guide the main character and the reader through the process of accepting the role of Hero. I have chosen to use the Stages of Grief/Change to describe what the main character might be experiencing as change or loss is forced upon them. The common Stages of Grief I have chosen to incorporate are: Shock, Denial, Isolation, Fear, Bargaining, Loneliness, Discouraged, Testing, Acceptance, and Declaration. The character may go through these stages as many as four times as the story progresses. Remember, the final mastery of the problems and flaws comes at the end of the story, try not to fix the Hero too soon.
Thomas Funicello

I just published a fun project I have been working on with my son on Wattpad called:

Breakaway Republic
(Star Wars Fan Fiction Script)

Drake is a reckless young Jedi in training who is driven into exile to a remote planet where he discovers a long-lost colony of war refugees. With the help of his new friend Xar, Drake uncovers a growing dark side remnant and must prepare to face his relentless pursuers.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/3092159...

The main character must learn critical lessons from their flaws and problems to succeed or survive. These lessons are best represented as Flaws, Secrets and Problems. The main character starts off as flawed and must overcome the triggers and beliefs that hold him or her back from becoming the Hero of the story. Some of the issues the main character must overcome are: External Problems, Internal Problems, Flaws, Secrets, and a Tragic Flaw. These various issues may not all be present but the ones that need addressing will continue to trigger reactions and choices that cause problems until they are overcome. Each time there is a surprise or crisis it is a good time to trigger a Flaw. It is the story finale where the Hero has resolved the issues and flaws, and any secret or false belief is out in the open.
Thomas Funicello

I would like to present one way to integrate the external pressures and internal responses into a scene.

SCENE THESIS:
A scene opens with the Hero presented with an external SITUATION.
The Hero has an internal REACTION to the situation.

SCENE HYPOTHESIS:
The Hero develops a GOAL that will not fully resolve the situation.
The Hero takes ACTION.

SCENE ANTITHESIS:
There is an ESCALATION in the situation due to the flawed or misinformed goal.
The Hero RESPONDS to the escalation.

SCENE SYNTHESIS:
The Hero develops a good OBJECTIVE for dealing with the escalated situation.
The Hero takes action to achieve RESOLUTION.

I don't map out every Scene this way, but it's a valuable tool in my writing toolbox.

Tonight, I finished the first draft of the story structure workbook I have been dreaming of writing since my first book was picked up by my publisher. Still a lot of work to do, but this was a major milestone.
Thomas Funicello

The next concept I have incorporated is the ebb and flow of External Pressure that the main character feels and the Internal Response the character choses or exhibits.
The External Pressure can be used to represent discouragement in the ability to fulfill the Theme and the Internal Response can show the encouragement. It has helped me beyond measure to think of every Moment in the story as an initial External Pressure or force followed by the Internal Response of the Hero. At the beginning of the story most of the events are External or impersonal to the Hero, but as the Story progresses things get more personal and Internal.
Another topic related to External Pressure and Internal Response is demonstrated at every level of the story structure. The Thesis and Antithesis parts of a Sequence, Scene, Segment, etc. are generally External while the Hypothesis and Synthesis parts are generally Internal.

In a previous post I discussed the concept of breaking down your story into Act Parts or quarters: Thesis, Hypothesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis.
This quartering concept can be used to further breakdown your story. Here is my method:
A story has 4 quarters called Act Parts (Act I, Act IIa, Act IIb, Act III).
Each Act Part has 4 quarters called Sequences.
Each Sequence has 4 quarters called Scenes.
Each Scene has 4 quarters called Segments.
Each Segment has 4 quarters called Elements.
Each Element has 4 quarters called Moments.
These are the terms I prefer to use; they may not align with industry terms, but I find this concept critical.
This structure helps me know what should be happening at any point in the story.
Once again, a good story structure is not to be rigid or restrictive, it should help a writer track events, emotions, and knowledge.
Next time I will discuss External Pressures and Internal Responses

Last night I finished updating my Story Structure spreadsheet that helps me layout my stories and keep them on track. Although it sounds absurd, the spreadsheet is now 7505 rows!

I never start a story with this sheet, I typically start with a condensed version with only 329 rows.

Once again, the structure is not meant to be rigid but allows me to present story ideas at the right time and help me develop new ideas.

A critical part of structuring a story is to understand what the main character is experiencing, physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, etc.

The 3-Act story structure will help, and my expansion of the concept can help even more.
There are plenty of resources to describe the standard 3-Act story structure, here is my expanded concept of the traditional Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis.

OMNITHESIS - This represents the story universe with people and events that form the story setting.
DIATHESIS - This is the everyday normal routine of the character in the Normal World. Many times, presented as backstory or Prologue.
THESIS (Act 1) - This is what I call the last day in the Normal World.
HYPOTHESIS (Act 2a) - This is the naive view of the Strange World through the Normal World normalcy bias of the main character.
ANTITHESIS (Act 2b) - This is the literary "punch in the nose" where the main character is faced with the realities of the Special World.
SYNTHESIS (Act 3) - This is where the main character is able to combine the Normal World with the Special World to survive in the New World.
NEOTHESIS - This is the new normal routine of the New World, typically seen in an Epilogue.

Next time I will show how these elements are utilized at every level of storytelling.

Once you understand the basics of the story you want to tell then it is time to create a LOGLINE. Think of the description on a movie poster or on a DVD sleeve.

Think of these elements in your LOGLINE:
Setting - Hero - Problem - Villian - Conflict - Goal

Here are several examples from movies you may recognize:

A spirited farm boy joins a rebellion to save a princess from a sinister imperial enforcer – and the galaxy from a planet-destroying weapon.

In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler's Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.

The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.

Here are the LOGLINES from a few of my books:

Seventeen-year-old Adam has grown up in an ultra-tech society hidden deep underground. When a mysterious girl helps him discover that he is part of a deadly genetics experiment and that the topside world is not what he had been told, he must escape his malevolent handlers and search for answers above.

Twenty-year-old Eli is conflicted over serving the founding fathers who conspire against the same British Empire his parents died fighting for in the French and Indian War, until a mysterious girl helps him travel to another time and place where he must save the future and the past from an ancient evil that grows in the shadows of liberty.

Captain Alyx "Flash" Gordon is a washed-out Mars Defense Command veteran assigned to a remote asteroid mining facility where he must face the man that ended his career. With the help of a mysterious gift and new allies, his search for a missing investigator uncovers a civilization-ending conspiracy if Flash and his team should fail.

Jack "Coach" Taylor returns from an unsuccessful mission on Mars to help investigate a string of suspicious accidents and suspected sabotage. When the feisty daughter of a missing psychologist helps reveal a secret mind-control program that strikes too close to home, Coach is forced to choose between family and duty.

Once again, there are many suggestions and guides to writing a LOGLINE. The idea that most "pros" agree upon is the necessity to establish the LOGLINE FIRST. It takes discipline but it pays off.

Another way to think of a LOGLINE is to imagine you just stepped into an elevator with your favorite movie director and only have enough time to offer two sentences to communicate the essence of your story.

Next time we will discuss Act Structure.