I don't trust these writing systems anymore. They seem to interrupt flowflow
What Flow Looks Like On The Outside
Non-stop frenzied writing, where the hands can hardly keep pace with recording what the imagination is perceiving.
What Flow Feels Like On The Inside
Heaven.
The Ingredients of Flow
Long hand writing. Pen and paper.
Nobody speaking to me or interrupting me. Not a joint brainstorm session. It's a solo effort.
The culmination of a lot of preparation - usually in the form of worldbuilding. Hours and hours of painfully sifting through and considering i.... But insofaras it's useful to know what ballpark you're playing in storywise right at the start of a story, i.e. it's good to know what type of story you're telling…whether it's mainly a quest or a mystery etc… then the below might prove to be useful.
Casting each of the Synopses of the Save The Cat genres in terms of the 8 Categories of The Anatomy of the Premise line.
As I'm writing this, and coming up short when it comes to the "change" clause, it makes me realize why there are so many films out there where it's all about events and action and body count and special effects, without the protagonist actually growing as a person.
SAVE THE CAT!® 10 GENRE ELEMENTS AND LOGLINES Monster in the House: Monster, House, Sin A culpable hero is forced to save a trapped group of people from being killed by a monster he inadvertently unleashed.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Fleece: Road, Team, Prize A driven hero must lead a group of allies to retrieve a prized possession through a perilous journey that wasn’t what the hero expected.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A driven hero | deprived of a prized possession | sets out to retrieve it | and along with a group of allies | faces several perils | as they go through a journey | that wasn't what the hero expected | ?? |
Out of the Bottle: Wish, Spell, Lesson A covetous hero must learn to undo a spell he wished for before it turns into a curse he can’t undo.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A covetous hero | after making a wish | for something he or she deeply desires | ?? | encounters a curse | and must learn to undo the spell | before it becomes permanent | ?? |
Dude With A Problem: Innocent Hero, Sudden Event, Life or Death An unwitting hero must survive at all costs when he is dragged into a life or death situation he never saw coming and cannot escape.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An unwitting hero | when thrown into a completely unexpected situation | in a bid to save his life | joins forces with another | to face mortal peril | and stay one step ahead of death | until they narrowly escape it | ?? |
Rites of Passage: Life Problem, Wrong Way, Acceptance A troubled hero’s only way to overcome a spiraling life crisis is to defeat his worst enemy – himself.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buddy Love: Incomplete Hero, Counterpart, Complication An inadequate hero must rise above an extremely difficult situation to be with a uniquely unlikely partner who is the only one capable of bringing him peace.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whydunit: Detective, Secret, Dark Turn A single-minded hero must find the truth to a mystery so intriguing before he is swallowed by the darkness he desperately seeks to expose.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fool Triumphant: Fool, Establishment, Transmutation An innocent hero’s only way to defeat the prejudices of a group is to change himself without losing what made him the group’s target of disdain in the first place – his uniqueness.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Institutionalized: Group, Choice, Sacrifice An outsider’s only way to save his individuality is by going against the many who wish to integrate him into their fold.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Superhero: Special Power, Nemesis, Curse A uniquely special hero must defeat an opponent with stronger capabilities by using the same powers that disconnect him from the people he hopes to save.
| CHARACTER | CONSTRICTION | DESIRE | RELATIONSHIP | RESISTANCE | ADVENTURE | CLIMAX | CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|