The Plot Machine

8 annotations • Jul 2023 – Aug 2023 • data

A character or characters... in a difficult situation... undertake an endeavor... to reach a goal.
THESE ELEMENTS ARE typically arranged into three main sections or acts. Act 1: introduces the characters and their situation. Act 2: sets them on the endeavor. Act 3: depicts their success or failure to reach their goal.

Motivation: Threat or Desire? THE TOP LAYER OF OUR taxonomy is Motivation. Just as everything on earth is either animal, vegetable or mineral, all stories can be divided into Threat or Desire. Either a character is under attack or they want something.
Desires can also be specific to the hero or shared by the larger community. Finding true love typically benefits just the hero. Winning a war or bringing rain to a parched land benefits everyone. The number of characters benefiting is an aspect of scale, a design parameter we will explore shortly
For example, External Threats could be divided into categories like Acts of Nature (storms), Wild Animals (shark), or Acts of Humankind (war)
Story Taxonomy Chart Motivation: Threat or Desire? Threat—something attacking hero Desire—something hero wants Source: Internal or External? External Threats—War, Criminals, Fire Internal Threats—Disease, Trauma External Desire—Money, Food, Shelter Internal Desire—Love, Revenge, Honor Target: General or Specific? General Threats—Storms, War Specific Threats—Blackmail, Vendetta General Desires—Peace, Prosperity Specific Desires—Treasure, a Mate

Don't start with Act I. The most important elements are those that fill Act II and III. You may wonder how the second act can be designed without knowing what happens in the first act. Look at it this way: Act I merely sets the table for the feast of Act II, and you won't know what dishes to put on the table until you know what food is being served. You can find many story elements by exploring the logical extensions of the elements that first sparked your imagination. In this way, assembling the main parts of your story is a process of asking the right questions in the right order.
The key relationship to keep in mind is that the goal must be worth the torment the hero endures in Act II. If the endeavor is extreme (and it should be), then it may be difficult to devise a goal that justifies it. And the endeavor must be justified or the audience will question your hero's sanity (and the writer's talent).