“I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” – Henry David Thoreau
Know your ending! I know some writers who insist that they know their ending first, refine it and then work backward creating characters and plot devices that intensify the ending. No doubt, a strong conclusion leaves the audience satisfied for having gone the journey with your characters.
Don’t disappoint. Many endings disappoint because they fail to pay off on what's been set up in Act 1 and the audience is left wondering what happened to secondary characters or unresolved dramatic issues.
I like to think that Act 3 is all about the ‘Why?” Show us the character growth. If your protagonist starts off as an ignorant country bumpkin could he win a senatorial seat by the end of your film? If a miserly grandmother hits the lottery does she become an active philanthropist or does she invest heavily in a corporate conglomerate set to destroy the environment?
If Act 1 setups up the “who, where and what” of the story (a cowardly knight in King Arthur’s court, an apprentice bullfighter in Spain) and Act 2 shows us the “how” -- how does one train to fight a bull? How does one overcome terrorists and save the hostages? How does a skinny computer geek become a superhero? All the the monumental obstacles you've thrown at your hero in Act 2 have endeared us to the character. Then, Act 3, hopefully wraps it all up and answers the big question: Why? Not to be mistaken with the dramatic need (to escape, to get the girl, to win the race, to become a better parent, etc.) the deeper question is, why?
Ultimately, if you’ve done your homework the answer you derive will reveal even more layers of your main character. Your story's resolution must reveal something about the human condition.
Continuing on my mission to read and comment on one book a month this year, I'd like to recommend Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss
." The 2006 Booker Prize winning novel is an intimate portrait of Indian village life. Rich with detail and political strife its a fast paced, character driven narrative. I found the women in this novel particularly well drawn.
Continuing on my mission to read and comment on one book a month this year, I'd like to recommend Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss
." The 2006 Booker Prize winning novel is an intimate portrait of Indian village life. Rich with detail and political strife its a fast paced, character driven narrative. I found the women in this novel particularly well drawn. This week's suggested website: First Writer - (www.firstwriter.com) First Writer is a helpful resource for writers everywhere. The site has a searchable database of book and magazine publishers, literary agencies and writing competitions.
This week's writing prompt: Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time. Review the ending of your current script or novel. Does it deliver on the story promise set up in Act 1? Revise your ending to emphasize your protagonist's emotional growth. Punch up the emotional impact. Have a great writing week.
