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What it has to do is move—end up in a different place from where it started. That’s what narrative does. It goes. It moves. Story is change.
Scene action.
“Sometimes a catalyst is situational, made up of a series of incidents that add up over a period of time. This sort of catalyst is rare, because hinting at action is usually not a strong way to start a story. Three films that have situational catalysts are Tootsie, Back to the Future, and Some Like It Hot. Tootsie, for instance, introduces the New York theater world, showing how difficult it is to get a job.”
― Making a Good Script Great
― Making a Good Script Great
“Sometimes this catalyst presents a problem that must be addressed (there’s pollution or someone is ill) or a need (the need for a cure, the need to find the killer, the need to find someone who will commit to a true love). Sometimes the catalyst is a disturbance, something jarring that starts an extraordinary journey.”
― Making a Good Script Great
― Making a Good Script Great
“It turns the action in a new direction. It raises the central question again and makes us wonder about the answer. It often requires a decision or commitment on the part of the main character. It raises the stakes. It pushes the story into the next act. It takes the audience into a new arena, where a character’s actions may be seen with a new focus.”
― Making a Good Script Great
― Making a Good Script Great
“that she must leave the convent to teach seven children (The Sound of Music) or that he’s given a chance to fight the champion (Rocky). Although this type of catalyst isn’t as forceful as an event, in relationship-based stories it might be very appropriate.”
― Making a Good Script Great
― Making a Good Script Great
“The word “beat” in drama tends to be somewhat vague. Actors sometimes use the term to designate a pause, as in “I want to take a beat after I pick up the knife but before going after my victim.” Writers may use the term to define a series of events, big (a murder) or small (taking a tomato out of the refrigerator). For example, a writer might decide to create six beats to show a meeting between the two soon-to-be lovers: Beat #1: A cute guy comes into a café. Beat #2: A gorgeous waitress asks him if he wants a cinnamon cappuccino or a mint latte. Beat #3: She brings him his coffee. Beat #4: She knocks it over. Beat #5: They both jump to clean up the mess. Beat #6: They bang heads; their eyes meet under the table, and it’s clear this is love at first sight.”
― Making a Good Script Great
― Making a Good Script Great
Beta Reader Group
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A place to connect writers with beta readers. Sometimes writers get so involved in the plot they can't see the wood for the trees. Hang on a sec'--th ...more
Nate’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Nate’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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