Jessica Brody's Blog, page 16

“Begin Again” by Taylor Swift – Beat Sheet

Taylor Swift. Whether you love her or hate her, you have to admit, she’s taken the world by storm. To be blunt, she’s popular. VERY popular. She’s sold 22 million albums, and 50 million downloads of her songs worldwide and her last three released songs shot straight to the top of the iTunes bestseller chart.

But the big question here is why? Why is she so popular? Why does she capture so many hearts? In my opinion, it’s because her songs resonate. With people of all ages. Which brings us back to the question of why?

Could it possibly be that Taylor Swift has discovered the secret of story? Could it possibly be that Taylor Swift writes songs that resonate because she writes songs about transformation and change? Do we fall in love with her songs the same way we fall in love with movies about transformation and change?

Could it possibly be that Taylor Swift’s songs follow the same 3-act, 15 beat structure that the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet teaches us is the key to capturing audiences?

Well, to answer that question, I invite you to take a listen to Taylor Swift’s latest release, Begin Again, and read my analysis of the song using the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet.

If you’re not familiar with the song, watch the video below:

 

Begin Again by Taylor Swift

Genre: Rites of Passage

Opening Image/Set-Up (0:01 – 0:35)

The song opens with the lyric: Took a deep breath in the mirror. He didn’t like it when I wore high heels, but I do.

This is a very visual opening (as Opening Images should be!) We can just picture Taylor standing in front of her mirror (in her high heels) trying to psych herself up for a first date with a new guy, but still haunted by the ghost of her ex who criticized things that she wore. In this brief 10 seconds we completely understand who the hero (Taylor) is at the opening of this song/story: A girl who’s trying to move on from a past relationship that has scarred her.

Turn the lock and put my headphones on. He always said he didn’t get this song, but I do. I do.

This lyric, along with the Opening Image creates our set-up.

As all good set-ups should do, we see the hero in her “before” world (the thesis world), which is the status quo of her life before the journey/story begins. The lyrics clearly show us what this world looks like: Taylor is still plagued by her failed relationship and still hanging onto “his” judgments of who she is, what she wears, and what she likes. And by him not “getting” the music she likes, he, by extension, doesn’t “get” her.

However, the defiance of lyric, “but I do” and the fact that she’s purposefully listening to a song he didn’t get, also tells us that she’s ready to move on. Although, she may still be hung up on the memory of “him,” she’s clearly starting to embrace who she is without him. Which is probably why she repeats it. “I do.”

The music of this opening sequence is very soft and tentative (no drums, just guitar), which reveals to us exactly who Taylor is at the start of this journey… tentative.

She wants to move on. But will she? That’s the question this song will answer.

Catalyst (0:35 – 0:42)

Walked in expecting you’d be late but you got here early and you stand and wave. I walk to you.

The music really picks up at second :35, drums come in along with more instrumentation, representing the change that’s about to happen to our hero.

Taylor arrives at the café where she’s meeting the new guy, addressed in the song simply as “You.” (As opposed to “him,” the ex). She expects the new guy to be late (another remnant of her old world and old-world thinking) but he’s actually early and waiting for her which surprises her. Her life is about to change. And it all starts here: when she meets “you.”

Debate (0:42 – 1:12)

You pull my chair out and help me in. And you don’t know how nice that is. But I do.

CHORUS: And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny cause he never did.

This is the section of the song where Taylor is debating how she feels about the new guy. And how he might actually change everything, which she clearly wasn’t expecting based on the opening lyrics. She’s met him; he’s surprised her. He’s nicer than she expected, he laughs at her jokes but is it really enough to wipe away the pain and doubt left behind by her last relationship? We’ll see.

Theme Stated (1:12 – 1:36)

I’ve been spending the last 8 months, thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end. But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again.

The theme of this song is starting over. Picking up the pieces of your life and learning to love again after someone has broken your heart. (You don’t get much more universal than that!) And this “theme” is repeated at the end of every chorus. In fact, it’s in the title of the song. “Begin Again.” How appropriate.

But you’ll see how with each repeat of the chorus, the hero’s view of the theme changes ever so slightly based on her progressing transformation.

Break into Two/B Story (1:36)

At minute 1:36, we break into the second verse. Or in Blake terms, the “upside-down world.” The “antithesis.” In the world of this song, the antithesis is Taylor on her date with the new guy (who is also the B Story, the character who will eventually teach her about the theme). After the catalyst, she hasn’t run out. She hasn’t bailed. She’s stuck it out and is willing to see where this goes.

In the BS2, the 2nd act should always be an extreme opposite of the first act and Taylor’s new song captures that perfectly as we see her starting to open up, letting someone else in, enjoying another guy’s company. She’s leaving that heartbroken version of her that we saw in the mirror behind and entering a new, unknown place.

Fun & Games (1:36-1:45)

You said you never met one girl who has many James Taylor records as you, but I do.

With this lyric, we get a small glimpse of the “fun” that Taylor and the new guy are having on their date. Staying true to the spirit of the “Fun and Games” section, this flirty, lighter lyric is a nice break from the heavier heartbreak of the first verse. Things seem to be off to a good start.

Midpoint (1:45 – 2:00)

We tell stories and you don’t know why, I’m coming off a little shy, but I do.

We’ve reached the middle of the song and all seems to going great with Taylor and her date. This is a “false victory” however because has she really learned the theme? Has she really let go of the past and is she 100% ready to start over? No. And she even admits it to herself here. She says she knows why she’s coming off shy. It’s because she’s still attached to the past and her old way of thinking. She’s still not completely over her ex and ready to move on. Taylor admittedly still has some growing to do.

Bad Guys Close In (2:00 – 2:45)

CHORUS: But you throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny cause he never did. I’ve been spending the last 8 months, thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end. But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again.

A repeat of the chorus and our theme reminds us that our hero, Taylor, is still battling with the demons of her past. Which is why she makes one crucial lyric change from the first chorus. She uses “but” instead of “and,” at the beginning, reminding us and her that she’s still conflicted. The “but” is in direct contrast to her last lyric about still being shy. She’s literally having an internal debate about what to do.

But it’s almost time to prove once and for all whether she’s changed or not. Whether her transformation is complete. And this is when we move into the bridge of the song.

All Is Lost/Dark Night of the Soul (2:45 – 2:50)

And we walk down the block to my car and I almost brought him up.

She’s now left the café with the new guy. The date is coming to an end. And this is when Taylor reaches her lowest point.

She almost brings up the ghost of her past. The ex. “Him.” Which could possibly ruin her chances with this great new guy. And which would prove to her and the new guy that she’s not fully over “him” and not ready to move on.

Break into Three/Finale (2:50 – 3:10)

But you stopped to talk about the movies that your family watches every single Christmas. And I won’t talk about that. For the first time, what’s past is past.

But then, right as she’s about to crumble and collapse, the new guy (B-Story character!) talks about his family, reminding Taylor of what a great guy he is. And how unlike “him” he is.

And just as all great heroes do when they break into act 3, she has an epiphany. Family is very important to Taylor and by him talking about his family, she realizes that THIS is a guy worth moving on with. The truth comes ringing loud and clear which is why she decides to not to talk about the “wrong guy” and potentially ruin her chances with the “right guy.”

Thanks to her help from the B-Story character (the new guy), she’s proven she’s finally learned the theme. She knows how to let go of the past and begin again. Which is why she says, “For the first time, what’s past is past.”

This is a new discovery for her. But it’s exactly what she needed to learn.

Final Image (3:10 – 3:57)

CHORUS: Cause you throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny cause he never did. I’ve been spending the last 8 months, thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end. But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again.

Notice again, the one-word lyrical change to this chorus. She uses “cause” instead of “but” or “and.” She’s no longer internally debating. Her demons are gone. She’s learned the theme, she’s ready to begin again and instead of the chorus being a contradiction to what she’s feeling, it’s become a “reason” for what she’s feeling.

She’s learned to how to let go and begin again because of this guy and how great he is.

This is her final image: being with the new guy, having let go of her past, and being confident and sure of herself. Now, we’re able to end the song knowing that Taylor’s transformation is complete.

And that’s why she ends the song with a repeat of, But on a Wednesday, in a cafe, I watched it begin again.

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Originally published on SavetheCat.com

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Beat Sheet for Disney’s Tangled

Written by: Dan Fogelman, based on the fairy tale by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm

Original Music by: Alan Menken

Lyrics by: Glenn Slater

Directed by: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Genre: Buddy Love with a little “Golden” Fleece (or hair, rather)

Opening Image: A 17-year old Rapunzel is in her tower… alone. Her only friend is a Chameleon named Pascal with whom she plays hide and seek. This opening image shows Rapunzel’s solitude and lack of a real family.

Set-Up: We meet our two main characters, Rapunzel and her love interest Flynn Ryder.

Rapunzel, locked in her tower on the day before her 18th birthday, wonders what life is like on the outside world. She watches for the mysterious “floating lights” that occur every year on her birthday, wondering what it would be like to see them up close (her external/tangible goal.)

In other news, Rapunzel is afraid of her mother and unable to stand up to her. Unbeknownst to Rapunzel, however, her mother is not really her mother. She stole her as a baby and has been using her “magic hair” to stay young. Hence the reason for locking her away in a hidden tower. Rapunzel asks her mother for permission to see the floating lights and her mother bullies her out of the request. This is obviously not the first time Rapunzel has been bullied by her mother.

As in all Buddy Love movies, she is an incomplete hero who is missing the strength to be on her own and stand up for herself. She needs someone to help her find her strength.

Enter Flynn Ryder. He’s a wanted thief, first seen nicking the “lost princess’s” crown from its sacred storage space in the royal castle. He’s a smart ass and a conman. He even cons members of his own team. Although slightly charming (and therefore we’re able to root for him), he’s shallow, self-centered, and attached to material things. He needs someone to show him what really matters in life.

Theme Stated: There is an obvious theme of “light” in this movie. It appears everywhere — in songs, in imagery, in her golden hair, and in Rapunzel’s external and internal goals. What she wants is to leave her tower to see the floating lights. What she needs is to find the light within herself (i.e., figure out who she really is — the lost princess who was stolen from her parents as a baby! — and take control of her destiny).

In the Set-Up, she sings the song, “When Will My Life Begin?” which is our theme stated. Take control of your destiny. Don’t wait around for life to happen to you. Make it happen yourself. Find your own light.

Catalyst: So what’s going to help these two lost souls find their lights? Bam! A literal collision. The captive Rapunzel and the escaping Flynn Ryder meet. He climbs the tower and she knocks him out with a frying pan. And from this point forward, neither of their lives will be the same. They will force each other to change from their old limiting ways.

Debate: Once Rapunzel knocks Flynn unconscious with her frying pan, she literally has two debates waging in her head. The comical one: Where do I stash his body? Followed by a hilarious montage of her trying to cram it into a cupboard. And the more practical debate: What do I do about him? Do I tell my crazy mother?

After another barrage from her verbally abusive mother (a double bump?), Rapunzel makes her decision. She won’t tell her mother; instead she’s going to use the situation to her advantage. She sends her mother away on a bogus errand and utilizing Flynn’s previously stolen goods (the lost princess’s crown) as bait, she brokers a deal with him. Take me to see the floating lights and I’ll give you your crown back. He reluctantly agrees (after he comes to, obviously).

Break into Two: Act 2 is the antithesis of Act 1, the upside-down version of the world of Act 1. So if Rapunzel is in her tower throughout the entirety of Act 1, what’s the only natural place for her to be in Act 2? Outside, of course! And the hero must always actively step into Act 2 herself, she must never be forced or coerced. So our Act 2 begins as she’s literally leaving her old life behind and climbing (or more like swinging) down the tower that’s held her captive her entire life.

B Story: Although he has already been introduced, Flynn Ryder is Rapunzel’s other half in the B Story, the love story. This is actually the first time they’ve really interacted together. After all, he was unconscious through most of the Debate section.

Fun and Games: Rapunzel explores her upside-down world. She runs and jumps and leaps and rolls in the grass. It’s literally fun and games watching her go back and forth between feeling totally free and feeling totally guilty for disobeying her mother. She’s excited to be this new version of herself, but still feeling unavoidable ties to her old world. And she’s afraid of almost anything after her mother’s continual brainwashing.

Midpoint: Flynn tries to take advantage of Rapunzel’s fear and, in order to get himself out of the deal he made and get his crown back, he plays to her insecurities and fears of the outside world and takes her to the scariest place he knows: The Snuggly Duckling. A tavern filled with all sorts of undesirables. The Midpoint is often represented by a party or social gathering. A chance for the main character to put her new self on display. And that’s exactly what happens here. Rapunzel is able to charm the room full of “thugs” and “ruffians” with her personality (and song), proving that she is capable of fending for herself in the outside world, despite what her mother has brainwashed her to think. This is a false victory, however, because just around the corner the bad guys are waiting to close in.

Bad Guys Close In: Her mother has returned early from her errand and catches site of Rapunzel in the tavern. And she’s not too pleased to see her dear Rapunzel (and fountain of youth) out of her safe house. She quickly concocts a plan, employing the criminals that Flynn Ryder conned earlier to get her daughter back where she belongs.

But wait, there’s more! Bad guys, that is. Rapunzel’s mother may be Rapunzel’s bad guy, but Flynn’s got bad guys of his own. The palace guards are after him for stealing that crown and they’ve tracked him down at the Snuggly Duckling. Rapunzel and Flynn escape (just barely) using her mighty hair as a sort of Tarzan-esque vine. But they soon find themselves trapped in a cavern full of rising water. Her magic hair saves the day again as it lights up and helps them find a way out. Oh, and it also heals Flynn’s injured hand.

So now Rapunzel’s secret is out. She has magic golden hair that glows (light!) and heals. But she tells him, in a brilliant foreshadowing moment, that if it’s cut, it turns brown and loses its power (which explains why it’s so darn long!). Flynn, in turn, reveals a secret of his own. His real name is Eugene Fitzherbert and he ran away from his orphanage when he was younger. So now they’re both exposed and vulnerable. Stakes have certainly been raised.

It’s a very interesting (an obviously intentional) pairing: He’s pretending to be someone he’s not and she doesn’t know who she really is. Both clearly need to “see the light.”

Later that day, they arrive at the palace and enjoy a beautiful day of dancing and playing (and hair braiding) in the town with the gentle townfolk as they await nightfall, when the floating lanterns will appear. Once the sun sets, Flynn and Rapunzel take off on a boat to get a good view of the show.

A gorgeous, cinematic display of floating lanterns (light!) surrounds them as they share a very Disney-fied romantic moment and a song called, “I See the Light.” (Yes, more light!). They each cast their own floating lanterns into the air (releasing their old ways of life, perhaps?) and Flynn restates the theme of the movie when he sings, “All those days, chasing down a day dream. All those years, living in a blur. All that time never really seeing things the way they were.” He’s finally seen the err of his old ways. He was shallow and materialistic and not cool.

Then together they sing, “And at last I see the light, and it’s like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it’s like the sky is new….all at once, everything is different, now that I see you.”

The light is already inside of you. All you have to do is find it. And sometimes it takes another person to help you do that.

But alas, the movie does not end here. The bad guys are not finished closing in yet…

All Is Lost: The perfect moment is interrupted by Rapunzel’s mother and her recruited criminals, who trick Rapunzel into thinking that Flynn gave up her secret in exchange for fame and fortune. Her mother swoops in to rescue her, reminding Rapunzel that she was right all along. Rapunzel wasn’t ready for the outside world. After all, look how easily she was swindled by a conman!

 

Meanwhile, Flynn was tricked as well. His former partners have tied him to a boat and turned him into the palace guards who have been looking for him.

Dark Night of the Soul: Rapunzel returns home with her mother, convinced that Flynn betrayed her. She wallows alone in her room. (Always a bedroom wallowing scene in the Dark Night of the Soul!).

Flynn is alone too, wallowing in a prison cell awaiting his imminent execution.

It is the dark night of both of their souls. That light they found just a few moments earlier is suddenly extinguished and it appears all their progress has been erased. They’re back where they started (but worse off). Rapunzel is back in her tower (and heartbroken) and Flynn is being convicted as the criminal he once was.

Break into Three: Are you ready for some more light references? Because they’re coming!

Rapunzel stares at a piece of cloth she picked up while she was gallivanting in the town earlier. On it is the King and Queen’s royal crest. And guess what it is? A SUN! Rapuznel gets the feeling it means something. Something she’s not quite getting.

Then she looks around her room at all the paintings she’s done over the years while locked in this tower and finds that exact same sun design, subconsciously hidden in every single painting! (The light was in her this whole time, she just didn’t see it! Theme! Theme! Theme!) This leads her to her ultimate realization: a vision from when she was a baby (before her fake mother stole her). And in her visions she sees this very sun design hanging above her cradle.

At last she sees the light! Literally!

She finally knows who she really is and she knows what she must do.

Finale: Rapunzel confronts her mother and tells her that she knows the truth. And she also knows that it was her mother who set her and Flynn up. Flynn didn’t desert her, they were both tricked! She vows to leave once and for all.

Meanwhile, Flynn is being walked to the gallows to be hung. But he’s saved at the last moment by our friendly “thugs” and “ruffians” from the Snuggly Duckling! Hoorah! Now all he has to do is get to the tower and save the girl.

But when he arrives, he’s attacked by Rapunzel’s mother, who now has Rapunzel bound and gagged. Rapunzel’s fake mother runs Flynn through with a sword.

 

He’s on the verge of death and now the only thing that can save him is Rapunzel’s magic glowing hair. Rapunzel attempts to negotiate with her mother. “If you let me save him, I will go with you and I will never try to leave again.” She’s willing to sacrifice her freedom for Flynn’s life.

But Flynn won’t let her. As soon as she’s released, Flynn (using a shard of glass from a broken mirror) cuts off all of Rapunzel’s hair, turning it brown (literally dark) and powerless (her magic light is gone forever!). The act shocks her mother so badly that she stumbles and fall out the window…to her very Disney-fied death.

Well that solves one problem. But what about Flynn? He’s still dying. And now with no magic glowing hair left to save him, all seems hopeless.

Rapunzel cries over his lifeless body. And a single tear falls upon him. The tear is magic and it heals him. He illuminates in shimmers of gold light and is saved. Apparently she had the light within her all along! She didn’t need that stinking hair! (I know, I know, you’re sick of the light already.)

Final Image: Rapunzel returns to the palace and is reunited with her long lost family. As a mirror image to the opening, she is no longer alone. She’s surrounded by her true family… and of course, Flynn. Her hair is short and  brown (vs. long and golden blonde) but she is happy. Because she found her true light. The one inside her. And they lived happily ever after. Cue the really upbeat music that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head all day.

 

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Originally posted on SavetheCat.com

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UNCHANGED Cover Reveal!

It’s finally here! The cover for the final book in the Unremembered Trilogy!

Behold the cover for UNCHANGED (Releasing 2/24/15)

 

Isn’t it gorgeous! It’s by-far my favorite cover so far! Kudos to the amazing Elizabeth Clark at Macmillan for designing yet another stunning cover for this series! I can’t believe the trilogy is almost over. It feels like just yesterday I was introducing you to Sera and Zen and now their journey is almost at an end! I can’t wait for you guys to read the third book. It got all the feels writing it so I hope you get all the feels reading it!

Here’s the description of UNCHANGED:

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So many secrets are buried within these compound walls.

I used to be one of those secrets.

After returning to the Diotech compound and undergoing an experimental new memory alteration, Seraphina is now a loyal, obedient servant to Dr. Alixter and the powerful company that created her. Happy and in love with Kaelen, another scientifically-enhanced human designed to be her perfect match, Sera’s history with a boy named Zen is just a distant memory from a rebellious past she longs to forget.

But as Sera and Kaelen embark on a nationwide tour to promote Diotech’s new product line—a collection of controversial genetic modifications available to the public—Sera’s mind starts to rebel. She can’t stop the memories of Zen from creeping back in.

As more secrets are revealed, more enemies are uncovered, and the reality of a Diotech-controlled world grows closer every day, Sera will have to choose where her true loyalties lie, but it’s a choice that may cost her everything she’s ever loved.

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Click here to read more about Unremembered (book 1) and click here to read more about the movie deal! And just because, I’m a huge dork…here are all three covers side by side! Let me know what you think of the cover for UNCHANGED in the comments!

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NEW BOOK DEAL!!!!

I’m so incredibly excited to announce I’ve sold my TENTH novel! WAHOOOOO!

Wow, I can hardly believe it. I remember when I was struggling to sell the first (and yes, like many authors, my first book didn’t even sell!) I’ll tell you, though. My first sale was surreal and my tenth sale is just as surreal. I’ve been walking around the house all zombie-like, mumbling, and stopping every few seconds to pinch myself.

The book is called A WEEK OF MONDAYS and here is the official announcement from Publisher’s Marketplace:

 

Jessica Brody’s A WEEK OF MONDAYS, the story of a sixteen-year-old girl having the worst day of her life, culminating in an unexpected break up, which then begins repeating itself, pitched as GROUNDHOG DAY meets WHY WE BROKE UP, to Janine O’Malley and Brendan Deneen at Farrar, Straus Children’s, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).

 

I’m thrilled to be returning to the contemporary space after a three-year adventure in the world of sci-fi. (Well….contemporary with a little touch of magical realism to keep things interesting.) And I’m equally excited to be working with my same editor and the fabulously talented people at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. They’ve been so terribly good to me over the years!

That’s not to say I won’t write another sci-fi (I may have a few ideas up my sleeve), but I am looking forward to returning to my contemporary roots. In truth, Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies of all time and I’ve always wanted to write something in that style. After all, who hasn’t wished they could have a do-over…or two?

We don’t have a release date yet, but the book will most likely pub in 2016, after UNCHANGED, the final book in the Unremembered Trilogy, which is set to release in February 2015.

I’m super excited to share with you all the things I have planned for this book. Yes, it will be funny. Yes, there will be a cute boy. And yes, there will be kissing.

Well, I’m off to celebrate. Oh, and at some point, I guess I should start writing too!

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Book in a Day: A Reluctantly Slow Reader’s Challenge

I am one of the very few authors out there who wasn’t a reader growing up. I actually hated to read as a kid. To me, reading equaled school work and why would I ever want to do school work for fun?

I’ve also always been a very slow reader so reading was a challenge for me growing up.  Now, I do count myself as an avid reader. I LOVE to read. I love books (obviously). I’ve made a career out of books. But I still struggle with my slow reading speed and my short attention span. Even if it’s the best book I’ve ever read, it’ll still take me about a week to finish because I usually can only read for ten minutes at a time before my mind starts to wander and I start searching for other things to do.

Then a few months ago, a blogger friend of mine, Sara Santana of What a Nerd Girl Says posted her progress on Facebook as she read the final Mortal Instruments book (City of Heavenly Fire). She finished the entire thing…IN ONE DAY. The book is 725 pages long. To some of you this might not seem impressive. To me, it seemed damn-near impossible. It was like looking at someone who had super powers and thinking, “Wow. Must be nice to be a superhero.” But it also inspired me. I may not be able to increase my reading speed over night, but I think, if given enough motivation and self-encouragement, I might be able to improve my attention span.

So I came up with the idea to challenge myself to read an entire book in one day. Something I don’t think I’ve ever done before (unless you count picture books.)

Welcome to my BOOK IN A DAY challenge.

It starts tomorrow, July 8, 2014.

I will be tweeting my progress on my twitter page @JessicaBrody and on Instagram @JessicaBrody in case you have nothing better to do but follow along or check in on me, or,  if you feel so inclined, send me some words of encouragement (I could use them!) I will also be timing myself to see just how many hours it takes me to read the entire book and so I can estimate how many hours I have remaining based on my current reading speed (because I’m a numbers nerd who likes stats. Don’t judge.)

Anyone is welcome to join me if they so choose. Just use the hashtag #BookInADay and we’ll support each other!

I selected by book with careful consideration. I chose to read a third book in a trilogy so that I’m already invested in the story and the characters and already know that I like the writing. Also so I’ll have a little extra motivation to get to the end (as I’ve been waiting two years to get to the end!) I will NOT be reading a 725 page book (I’ll leave those conquests to Sara and her superpowers), I chose a book with a fairly average number of pages for a YA book: 338 pages.

This is the book I’ll be attempting to finish in one day tomorrow:

 

 

I absolutely LOVED the first book in Kiera Cass’s trilogy so I’m excited to finally get to this one and hopefully (if I succeed) finish it in a day.

Wish me luck, everyone!

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Save the Cat Beat Sheet for ROOM by Emma Donoghue

One of my favorite books of all time is ROOM by Emma Donoghue. When I read it I loved it for its flawless narration, haunting story, and unique plot structure. But as an avid Save the Cat! supporter and teacher, I was dismayed when I finished it because I feared it did not follow the traditional 15 beat structure that I SWEAR to all my students applies to every great story ever told.

So a few years back, I decided I would challenge myself to write a Save the Cat! beat sheet for ROOM and although the page counts are a bit wonky, as compared to a more traditional story that follows the beats, I have found, with delight, that this book actually does follow the 15 beats!

I used to give this beat sheet out in my classes but I found that so few people had actually read ROOM (which saddened me to no end because it really is an incredible book), so eventually I stopped handing it out. Mostly because I refused to hand someone the beat sheet (essesntially an outline) for a book that they simply HAVE to read to appreciate. I feared too much that writers would not read the book and instead just read the beat sheet, which believe me, does not do the book or story justice AT ALL.

So, I decided to post the beat sheet here, with the following explicit warning:

DO NOT READ THIS BEAT SHEET IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK!

For two reasons, really.

1) It will spoil a truly fantastic book.

2) You won’t really be able to fully appreciate how uniquely the beats fit into this story unless you’ve actually read the story.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, I wasn’t planning to read it anyway,” then I BESEECH you to reconsider. I can’t state this enough: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! READ IT!

And, while I’m warning you about things. Here is another warning:

This book and beat sheet contains some content not suitable for younger readers.

 

Okay, so now that all of that is out of the way. I give you the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet for:

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

Save the Cat! Genre: (Lil’) Dude with a Problem

Subgenre: Domestic Problem

Book Genre: Literature/Drama

Total Pages: 321

Opening Image (p. 1-6):

Jack wakes up in Room on his fifth birthday. He is happy. Carefree. We get a first glimpse of the world he was born into.

Theme Stated:

Before the book begins, Emma Donoghue has printed a poem by the Greek poet, Simonides.

“My child, such trouble I have. And you sleep, your heart is placid; you dream in the joyless wood; in the night nailed in bronze, in the blue dark you lie still and shine.”

The theme is of the book is childhood innocence. How far a mother will go to protect it. And what happens when it is lost.

Jack is kept ignorant of the horrors of his mother’s circumstances and eventually he will have to learn to deal with the truth. He will have to grow up.

Set up (p. 1-74):

Through Jack’s point of view, we are introduced to Room where Jack lives with Ma. We learn that although Room seems to be some kind of prison for Ma, to Jack it is the whole world. The world he accepts. Everything else in “TV” (as in not real) because his only knowledge of life outside this Room has come from what he’s seen on TV. In the first few pages, we learn that Jack still breastfeeds (clearly one of the “Six Things That Need Fixing.”) We are also introduced to “Old Nick” who we realize is the man holding them prisoner, but through Jack’s eyes, he is simply the man who comes at night (from whom Jack has to hide) and brings them things. Like food, clothes, toiletries and “Sundaytreat.” But what’s clear to us (and not to Jack) is that Old Nick is some kind of rapist. Who comes in every night while Jack is meant to be asleep, and has sex with Ma.

It is clear that Ma has gone through a lot of trouble to keep Jack’s life happy and carefree. They exercise, sing songs, watch TV, read books, and play games. Although many of the games are meant to try to break them out. (Like “Scream” which consists of screaming at the skylight and a game where Jack puts in random numbers on the door keypad). But to Jack, it’s all fun.

The set up of this book is long. But Emma Donoghue gets away with it because she inserts several smaller “mini” catalysts along the way to keep the story interesting. Through various key moments, we see that Jack is slowly starting to question his world. He’s getting older and things aren’t making as much sense as they used to. He’s no longer able to simply believe everything his mother says. Rationale is kicking in. And the more evidence we see of this, the more we know that change is coming. We know the story is going somewhere. It’s not 75 pages of status quo. And in a stasis=death moment around page 48, when Jack accidentally scares “Old Nick,” causing a fight and Ma to wake up the next morning with bruises around her neck (bruises that Jack finally recognizes as fingerprints from Old Nick’s hand), we realize that things can’t go on like this. All of these smaller catalyst moments build and build until we finally get to…

Catalyst (p. 74-80):

And after Jack sneaks out of Wardrobe (where he’s supposed to sleep when Old Nick is there) and wakes up Old Nick, causing Ma to start screaming, Ma and Old Nick fight and Old Nick storms out. He gets angry and cuts the power in Room as a punishment. Jack and Ma are forced to live in the dark and the cold and eat slimy cold vegetables. We know (even if Jack doesn’t) what Ma is thinking: This can’t go on. Her son’s life is now in danger. It’s time to do something.

Debate (p. 74 – 135)

Both Ma and the reader know that something has to happen. They have to try to get out of Room. But how will they do it? This is a debate section for both Jack and Ma. For Ma, the question is: “What is the best escape plan? And will it work?” For Jack, there are several questions running through his head: “Why does Ma want to leave Room? What is outside of Room? Can I carry out Ma’s crazy plan?”

It is also revealed in this section how Ma came to be in Room. She was kidnapped when she was 19 (seven years ago) and brought to this room, which is a converted garden shed in the backyard of Old Nick’s house.

Jack is completely overwhelmed. Ma is finally coming clean about “Outside,” and the mind-numbing truth that Jack has to try to digest: Room is not all there is. There is a whole outside world. Everything they watched on TV is not fake, it’s real. And it’s outside this room. This, of course, comes as a huge shock for Jack and he has trouble coping. And even more difficult for him to accept is the realization that for the escape plan to work, Jack will have to leave Ma (for the first time in his life), leave Room, and step into the unknown: The Outside world.

Break into Two (p. 135 – 155)

Enacting the Great Escape plan. Our hero taking an active step to leave his old world behind and enter the new one. Ma and Jack pretend that Jack has become very ill and has died from lack of proper care. She rolls Jack up in Rug and tells Old Nick to bury him somewhere far away. Unknown to Old Nick, Jack has been practicing unrolling himself from Rug. While in Old Nick’s truck, Jack manages to unroll himself and jump from the truck. Old Nick spots him and runs after him. Thankfully, Jack is saved by a person walking his dog who sees the spectacle, gets suspicious and calls the police. Old Nick flees the scene, the police come, they find Room and break Ma free.

B Story

The B-Story in Room is Jack’s relationship with Tooth (his mother’s rotten tooth that fell out earlier in the book). He has it with him during the Great Escape and afterwards, it is really his only friend and connection to his old life in Room. So the farther he gets from Room, the more he clings onto it. Similar to the “Wilson” in Castaway, this inanimate object makes Jack feel safe.

Fun & Games (p. 155 – 197)

Jack and Ma are in “Outside,” which for Jack is quite the upside version of Room. He immediately notices (and is overwhelmed) by all the differences. To him, everything feels wrong.

Jack and Ma are placed in a psychiatric facility while they get adjusted to being outside of Room. They have to wear masks all the time to protect themselves from germs. There are several great fish out of water moments: Jack doesn’t understand how the toilet flushes on its own, doesn’t know how to use a shower, doesn’t understand words people use, doesn’t like that the plates are blue, doesn’t like the way the hair conditioner smells, bumps into things because his spatial perception is all out of whack from being in that small room all is life. Jack wants everything to go back to the way things were. There are too many new things to try to absorb at once. He is having a rough time adjusting.

Meanwhile Ma just wants to go outside the building and do all the things she hasn’t been able to do in seven years. But Jack is too afraid to go outside.

Midpoint (p. 197)

Blake says the “magical midpoint” often features a “public coming out” of the hero as he tries out his new identity. In ROOM, this is clearly when Jack goes outside (as in outdoors) for the first time. He “comes out” of the facility that has been sheltering him and faces the scariness of the outside world. Granted, he doesn’t like what’s out there and runs back in, but he does it.

The midpoint in ROOM is interesting, as there is really two journeys happening here. Jack’s and Ma’s. For Jack, the midpoint marks a “defeat.” So far, he is really not liking “Outside.” All he wants is to go back to Room. He has gotten his first cold, is still not adjusting well, worries constantly about everything, misses his “routine,” still has to go up and down the stairs on all fours, and overall, just isn’t happy. Jack just wants to go back to the way things were.

For Ma, on the other hand, the midpoint represents a victory. She thinks she’s gotten everything she’s wanted. She’s out of Room, escaped from Old Nick (who has been caught and arrested), has her freedom back, her family, fresh air, etc. But for both Ma and Jack, their respective victories and defeats are false because…

Bad Guys Close In (p. 198 – 248)

While Jack’s life slowly improves (and he starts adjusting to life on the Outside), Ma’s life quickly deteriorates.

Jack and Ma receive fan mail which Jack is excited about (because it contains toys and chocolates) and Ma seems irritated about. Reality seems to be sinking in for Ma. She’s realizing that at some point she’s going to have to get back to real life and pay bills, and deal with all the media attention they’ve been getting. It is in this section that we learn the details of Ma’s first baby. The one who died during childbirth (because of Old Nick’s negligence).

During therapy sessions, it’s clear to us (and somewhat to Jack) that Ma is starting to lose it. She’s overwhelmed by everything that’s happening, and is not coping well. Ma’s father flies in from Australia and doesn’t want to meet Jack (it’s too disturbing for him, knowing he’s the son of his daughter’s rapist). This sends Ma over the edge with rage.

And finally, the crux of the Bad Guys Close In section is when Ma agrees to do a TV interview about her experience and the TV interviewer insinuates through her questioning that Ma may have made poor choices for Jack. After this, Ma goes into a comatose state of depression.

Meanwhile, Jack is start to show signs of improvement. He’s now able to climb up and down the stairs on two feet (as opposed to all fours), and he has the courage to venture out of the clinic with his aunt and uncle  (without Ma) to see a dinosaur exhibit. Something he NEVER would have done a few days ago.

All is Lost (p. 248-149)

Jack returns from his field trip with his aunt and uncle to find Ma unconscious after having overdosed on pills.

Dark Night of the Soul (p. 250-284)

Jack is sent to live with his grandma and “steppa” (his nickname for his step grandpa) while his mother recovers in the clinic. It’s evident his regressing now, after the trauma with his mother. He has difficulty being away from her and his grandmother having a hard time dealing with him and his issues. He doesn’t want to sleep alone and insists on sleeping in the room with Grandma and Steppa. He sucks on Tooth all day long, gets frustrated at one point and punches Grandma, refuses to get out of bed. When Grandma tries to take him to the playground, he has a miserable time and can’t relate to other kids. But soon they receive word that Ma has stabilized and Jack is even able to talk to her on the phone. However, she tells him that he still can’t see her for a while.

Break into 3 (p. 284)

There’s a clear break into 3 moment when Jack cuts off his long ponytail (all on his own). His ponytail is very symbolic of his time in Room. It also marks him as Jack from Room. The media seem to identify him with his ponytail and the fact that he grew up in such conditions. Earlier when Ma asked if Jack wanted a haircut (after several people thought he was a girl), he adamantly refused. So now, in this moment, when he cuts off his hair on his own, it’s clear he’s making an active decision to move on. In his own five-year-old way. He’s learned the theme, accepted that change is inevitable, and is embracing his new life outside of Room.

Finale (p. 284 – 321)

After his brave step into the world of act 3, Jack shows much bigger signs of improvement. When he goes out to run errands with Grandma, it’s clear that he’s adjusting much more to his new environment. Things don’t stress him out as much, he’s not obsessively worrying about everything he sees that is different, and he’s even finding things that he likes: like the car wash. At the library, Jack even makes his first friend, a young boy named Walker.

There’s a clear “synthesis of Act 1 and Act 2” moment when the police send over some of Jack’s things from Room. Like Rug, Remote, and Jeep. Even though he’s embraced change, he still revels in the items and enjoys the nostalgia of them.

Ma is finally released from the clinic and comes to take Jack to their new apartment. He tries to breastfeed the minute they get there, but Ma explains that the milk has all dried up. We think Jack is going to have a melt down, but he deals with the news really well, another sign that he’s moved on and matured.

To continue progressing, Ma and Jack make a deal to try something new every day.

Final Image (p. 317-321)

Jack and Ma visit Room one last time for closure. Ma has a hard time going back, but Jack is excited. Until he steps into Room and is surprised by how different it is. He even says to Ma, “I don’t think this is it.” He’s confused by how small it suddenly looks (after having been living in the big outside world for the past few weeks), and how weird it smells.

Jack says goodbye to Room and in a beautiful mirror to the Opening Image, they both leave through the open door that once held them prisoner. They are free.

For more information on Save the Cat! click here!
For more of my tips for writers click here!

[Posted with permission from Blake Snyder Enterprises.]

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52 Reasons to Hate My Father – The “Before” Beat Sheet

Oftentimes I find that sharing finished Save the Cat! beat sheets with writers can be misleading and intimidating — especially if you’re just starting out with a new novel or screenplay and trying to implement the Save the Cat! method to your story for the first time. It can be frustrating to read a completed beat sheet and think, “Oh crap! I have to come up with ALL of that before I can even start thinking about writing?”

I get this reaction a lot in my Save the Cat! workshops. My students often feel overwhelmed and as a result, discouraged, by the thought of having to write a fully fleshed-out beat sheet right up front.

But in my experience, I’ve found this task to be nearly impossible. Most of the times, for me, I don’t really figure out what my story is about until I’m nearly done with the first draft and ready to tackle the revision. Because it’s not until I actually start writing the manuscript of my novel that I truly get to know my characters on a personal level. Trying to write a full-fledged beat sheet for your story before you’ve started writing is like committing to marry someone you met on the Internet when all you’ve seen is their online dating profile.

It’s important to note that the majority of beat sheets that are posted on SavetheCat.com, or included in the Save the Cat! books or  handed out in workshops are finished beat sheets. Meaning, they were most likely written after the movie or book has been released. So they’re based on a final FINAL draft of the screenplay or manuscript.

And while this can be helpful in studying story, I find that when you’re writing your own masterpiece, it helps to see a version of a beat sheet from before the writer started writing — the original framework of the story that the writer thought he/she wanted to tell, rather than just an analysis of the finished product. That’s why, in my workshops, I like to give my students a glimpse at one of my “before” beat sheets. Or in other words, the beat sheet I started with before I actually began writing the book. So they can see just how bare bones it is.

And I’d like to share the same with you here.

What you’ll notice from the following “before” beat sheet, is that I didn’t have a lot of detail figured out up front. This version actually includes some of the notes I wrote to myself where I needed to fill in holes. I only had a general idea. And that’s okay. The practice of creating a beat sheet to outline your story is used to help guide you. To make sure you’re on the right track. To keep you from going astray. And to make sure you have a compelling character arc. The beat sheet is meant to be a road map, and each beat, a landmark. You’re not meant to have the entire story and all its intricate details mapped out ahead of time. I don’t believe it’s possible.

So when you tackle your own beat sheet, remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. All beat sheets start off simple and grow from there (as evidenced below). Chances are, it will change as you write anyway.

Preliminary Beat Sheet for 52 Reasons to Hate My Father

*Warning! The following beat sheet contains some spoilers from the book!

Logline: A spoiled teen heiress, famous for her party-girl antics and tabloid headlines, is forced by her ever-absent, billionaire father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year, if she wants to receive her trust fund.

Genre: Fool Triumphant

Opening Image: Lexington Larrabee has crashed her car after driving drunk. She’s in trouble… yet again. For Lexi there are no consequences for her actions.

Theme Stated: Quote at the beginning of the book: “Fathers be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do.” – John Mayer. Lexi is a product of her father. She’ll have to learn to rise above this… instead of blaming her problems on him. She’ll have to learn to love him… despite all the reasons she has to hate him.

Set-Up: Lexi is a screw up. Dad is distant. The Larrabee family you see in the news is not real. Everything is for show. They are filthy rich. Lexi has everything she could ever want… but her life is empty. Frivolous. Also set up that her 18th birthday is approaching when she will get her 25 million dollar trust fund. She thinks this will be her ticket to freedom from her family and most of all… her absent father.

Catalyst: Her dad’s lawyer, Bruce, presents the 52 jobs she’ll have to take on if she wants her trust fund.

Debate: Lexi tries to get out of it. Realizes she can’t. Her father threatens to cut her off is she doesn’t do it.

Break into 2: Lexi accepts her fate and agrees to do the jobs.

B Story: Lexi shows up for her first day of “work” to meet Luke, the annoying (yet kind of cute) college intern that her father assigned to keep tabs on her. They immediately despise each other. Luke had to work for everything he has in life so he hates Lexi for everything she’s been handed on a silver platter. And Lexi hates Luke because he’s an exact replica of her father. But eventually they will learn from each other and fall in love.

Fun and Games: Lexi starts the jobs. Maid service, super market, fast food restaurant, etc. She sucks at all of them and doesn’t try very hard. She does the bare minimum.

Midpoint: False defeat. Her life sucks. Her dad gets engaged to another bimbo. (Still need a stakes are raised moment… maybe she kisses Luke and then has a big fight with him? Or maybe she learns something about her father and why he is the way he is, making her realize there’s a bigger picture to be seen?)

Bad Guys Close In: Lexi meets Rolando and he shows her how to have fun at a job. She meets his family and learns that happiness is not about a job. Rolando suggests that maybe she should prove everyone wrong and be “good” at what she does. Instead of screwing it up. She starts to take the jobs more seriously. Also starts to develop feelings for Luke. Somehow she overhears a plot to destroy her father’s company, but doesn’t really realize what they’re talking about.

All Is Lost: Lexi hits rock bottom. (not sure how yet?) She somehow needs to quit the jobs and give in. Mendi (her ex) shows up and offers to whisk her away from all of this. As she leaves she gets in a huge fight with Luke, who tells her not to go. But she goes anyway.

Dark Night of the Soul: Lexi gets on a plane with Mendi, tries not to think about Luke. On the plane she reads an article about her dad’s upcoming merger that causes her to remember the plot she overheard to take over her dad’s company. Also realizes Mendi really is a jerk!

Break into 3: Lexi gets off the plane, just before it takes off. And vows to do what she never thought she would ever be able to do… save her father’s company (the job that took her father away from her for 18 years).

Finale: Lexi teams up with Luke to concoct the plan to save the company. (What is this plan?)

Final Image: Lexi has reconciled with her father and is together with Luke.

So eventually this simple, incomplete beat sheet turned into a novel. It took a lot of writing and rewriting but this is the roadmap that got me started. It’s all part of the creative process. You have to start somewhere. Think about that next time you sit down to write your own “before” beat sheet and don’t stress!

For more information about Save the Cat! visit SavetheCat.com

Also, check out the  book trailer for 52 Reason to Hate My Father below! And click here to learn more about the book!

[Reposted with permission from Blake Snyder Enterprises. Click here to see the original post on SavetheCat.com]

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Unremembered Monday: Bethany Neal

That’s right, UNREMEMBERED MONDAY is back!!!

What is Unremembered Monday?

In my trilogy, UNREMEMBERED, the main character Seraphina, wakes up among the wreckage of a devastating plane crash of which she is the only survivor. She has no memories of who she is or her life before the crash but she soon discovers that her memory loss is not simply amnesia. Someone has been erasing memories from her mind.

In honor of the book, I feature a variety of awesome guest author posts (with book giveaway!), asking the author to answer one question:

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

Today I feature the lovely Bethany Neal, whose debut novel MY LAST KISS just released and actually has a LOT to do with memories.

About My Last Kiss:

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy? 

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss–the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died–is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made–good and bad–that led to her last kiss.

 

And without further ado…here’s Beth!

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

My most unrememberable moment would be what I and my old high school friends still refer to as “MIP night.”

For all of you good kids (and adults) out there that behaved themselves as minors and followed the strict letter of the law by not consuming alcohol before you were twenty-one, MIP stands for minor in possession which is a citation that lands you a stiff $75 ticket in Michigan.

The night started out memory-worthy enough. I’d recently started going out my now thirteen-years-strong boyfriend and I decided to show him a good time by inviting him and one of his good friends to a party at my best friend’s house. This friend was famous for throwing spontaneous parties when her parents were out of town, which to our collective joy was often, and I was convinced it was going to be an epic night of impressing him with how cool and fun my friends and I were.

The party was held on a weeknight in the summer after my freshman year of college, so it started out pretty slow. There were only about twelve of us there and we couldn’t seem to get a hold of anyone else in town—which later turned out to be a blessing!—so a friend of a friend (who just happened to be my new BF’s friend’s ex) decided to call up a truckload of younger guys from her high school to make her ex jealous.

While said truckload was en route I discovered my high school ex was also part of the caravan, but I wasn’t fazed. As far as I was concerned, this was my opportunity to a) show him how much hotter I’d gotten while away at college (because post-high school hubris had hit me stronger than a shot of cheap vodka) and b) flaunt my new beau who went to a very prestigious university that I was more than happy to brag about.

The night still young, each of us was still on his/her first drink. No one was drunk, but no one was legal either. It was then, amidst our first frosty drinks, that the truck full of Jell-O cubes showed up…bringing with them a police patrol car!!!!!

At that point, I went into hyper survival-mode. I gathered my nearest and dearest and shoved them deep inside the storage closet in my friend’s basement. The theory was police can’t enter a private residence without due cause if you don’t invite them inside, so no matter what happened with that truck full of high school boys that may or may not have contained my senior prom date, we would be safe. And my plan would have worked if everyone had followed my sagely advice to “Be Anne Frank, but in a basement.” Now, I get how that may sound offensive to some of you, but I’d just read The Diary of Anne Frank for an English class, and I was Auschwitz serious about us staying hidden so we wouldn’t get caught.

My semi-intoxicated comrades, however, had clearly not read the book. One by one they ventured upstairs for nonsensical reasons like having to use the bathroom—they’d only had one frickin’ drink!—or to check on the dogs. To which I pleaded, “You can’t arrest a dog. Stay. Stay!” But not a one listened. Soon it was just me and my friend Renae. Renae, who is now a very fancy—and legal—doctor, had her future in the front of her mind and knew going upstairs was suicide, but the fear of the unknown eventually got the best of her as well.

And then I was alone.

Anne without her Peter or dear Kitty to cling to for comfort. I’m here to tell you that being left to fend for yourself in a desperate situation such as this does terrible things to a girl’s resolve. I began doubting my infallible plan—my mission suddenly seemed futile and scary. So I, too, cracked. I left the basement…and was promptly written an MIP along with my closest friends and new boyfriend who was most definitely not impressed with the brand of fun my friends had served up for the evening.

Oh, and that high school ex of mine was definitely in that truck, and he definitely located my current boyfriend while the cops lined everybody up in the driveway and told him in less than couth terms that he wasn’t over me.

Tell me again where’s that Diotech-issued “unremember” button is again, Jessica???

 
About the Author:

BETHANY NEAL writes young-adult novels with a little dark side and a lot of kissing from her Ann Arbor, Michigan home. She graduated from Bowling Green State University and is obsessed with (but not limited to): nail polish, ginormous rings, pigs, pickles, and dessert.

My Last Kiss is her first novel. You can connect with her online at www.bethanyneal.com.

Giveaway!

And now, one lucky winner will win Bethany’s book, MY LAST KISS! Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

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The Traveling Story – Season 3 – FULL STORY!

WOWZA! Another season of The Traveling Story is done! And now you can read the whole thing in its entirety! (Links to all five episodes are below!)

But first, here’s a bit about the The Traveling Story:

What is the Traveling Story?

5 Authors. 5 Days. 1 Story.

Each season of The Traveling Story will feature 5 well-known authors collaborating on one original, kick-ass story, with each author writing one of five episodes.

Follow the story as it’s revealed on each author’s blog over the course of a week!

How Does it Work?

There are only three rules for The Traveling Story:

1) No brainstorming, outlining, or discussion of plot ahead of time. The first author writes the first episode of ANY kind of story they want and the next author takes the story WHEREVER they want to go! The last author ends the story however they see fit!

2) An author cannot make changes to any previous episode. Each author has total creative control over their OWN episode only, but it has to continue where the last episode leaves off.

3) HAVE FUN! The Traveling Story is meant to be fun for the writers but especially for the readers!

Season 3 Authors:

Jessica Brody

Marie Lu

Robin Benway

Megan Miranda

Kevin Emerson

*Don’t forget to  LIKE The Traveling Story on Facebook  and  Follow us on Twitter  so you never miss an episode!

And for some extra visual fun,  follow our boards on Pinterest!

 

Here are links to all the episodes!

Season 3 Episodes:

Episode 1 – Jessica Brody

Episode 2 – Marie Lu

Episode 3 – Robin Benway

Episode 4 – Megan Miranda

Episode 5 – Kevin Emerson

So! Tell us what you thought! Comment below! And which authors would you like to see in future seasons?

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The Traveling Story – Season 3 – Episode 1

 

It’s here! It’s finally here! The third season of THE TRAVELING STORY! And what a fun line-up of authors we have for you this time around!

Read on to find out more about The Traveling Story and to read this season’s first episode, written by yours truly!

 

What is the Traveling Story?

5 Authors. 5 Days. 1 Story.

Each season of The Traveling Story will feature 5 well-known authors collaborating on one original, kick-ass story

Follow the story as it’s revealed on each author’s blog over the course of a week!

How Does it Work?

There are only three rules for The Traveling Story:

1) No brainstorming, outlining, or discussion of plot ahead of time. The first author writes the first episode of ANY kind of story they want and the next author takes the story WHEREVER they want to go! The last author ends the story however they see fit!

2) An author cannot make changes to any previous episode. Each author has total creative control over their OWN episode only, but it has to continue where the last episode leaves off.

3) HAVE FUN! The Traveling Story is meant to be fun for the writers but especially for the readers!

Season 3 Authors:

Jessica Brody

Marie Lu

Robin Benway

Megan Miranda

Kevin Emerson

 

*Don’t forget to  LIKE The Traveling Story on Facebook  and Follow us on Twitter so you never miss an episode!

And for some extra visual fun, follow our boards on Pinterest!

 

FOLLOW THE STORY AS IT TRAVELS:

Episode 1 – May 19 – Jessica Brody

Episode 2 – May 20 – Marie Lu

Episode 3 – May 21 – Robin Benway

Episode 4 – May 22 – Megan Miranda

Episode 5 – May 23 – Kevin Emerson

 

Season 3, Episode 1

by Jessica Brody

The man was aware of the putrid stench in the air. He was also aware that he was the source of it. But at this very moment, bodily odor was the last of his concerns. He would bathe when it was all over.

There were a lot of things he would do when it was all over.

With one hand he scraped the bottom of the tin can with his fork and maneuvered the three remaining Spaghetti-O’s into his mouth, while the other hand continued to tap furiously against the keyboard.

So close.

He was so damn close, he could feel it.

The phone rang. He didn’t even flinch. He tossed the empty can over his shoulder, grateful to be able to use both hands again. His eyes were red-rimmed and his vision was blurry from staring at the screen for the past one hundred and forty-three hours, but he couldn’t stop now. Not when only a few more keystrokes stood between him and his place in the history.

Nonsense filled the screen at a lightning-fast pace.

Nonsense to anyone else, that is.

To him, those letters and symbols were beauty. To him, they were art. His piece de resistance.

Behind him lay the side effects of his masterpiece: Stacks of unopened bills with menacing red “OVERDUE” notices stamped into them, used soda bottles that now doubled as urinals, and empty tin cans representing every food group from syrupy peaches, to mystery meat, to sweetened condensed milk.

Somewhere in the chaos, his phone lit up, alerting him of yet another voice mail that would go unanswered. The screen flashed once and then a message appeared.

 

Where the hell are you? Answer your damn phone! We’re pulling the plug. Do you understand? Abort mission. Abort. Abort. Abort.

 

A long pause followed, during which only the sound of the man’s fingers slamming the keyboard could be heard. And then another message.

 

For Christ’s sake. PICK UP THE PHONE!

 

The man kept typing, stopping only long enough to scratch at his face which had started to itch two days ago thanks to the coarse tufts of hair springing up around his chin. His fingernails came back caked in something crusty and red.

Blood?

Or just remnants from his dinner?

It didn’t matter. Because he hardly noticed. He just kept on typing, blinking rapidly to try to chase the fog from his eyes.

He reached for the coffee cup next to him and downed what was left. Cold dregs. He grimaced at the taste but immediately could feel the caffeine fueling him. Pushing him on.

His phone lit up again.

 

I’m sending someone over. You better be there.

 

Exactly twenty-two minutes later, the man threw his hands up in the air and let out a girly squeal.

“Done!” he announced to the empty room.

He shot up from his chair and danced a little jig, carefully maneuvering around the litter on the floor. To any bystander, this celebration would have seemed sad. Maybe even downright pathetic. A grown man with unwashed hair and a scraggly beard prancing around his one-room studio apartment like a lunatic.

Fortunately there was no one around to make such judgments and so the man carried on.

He’d never quite been the celebrating type. But this was reason to break the rules. No one in the history of the planet had done what he’d just done.

Now he just needed to run a quick configuration test and the world would be a very different place.

He leaned over the back of his chair and launched the analysis, watching the status bar slowly creep its way from 0% complete to 4% complete to 11% complete.

He knew he should do something other than stand here and watch digital green pigment appear on his screen. Wash his face, perhaps? Go to the bathroom—the real one. Maybe even brush his teeth? But he couldn’t help himself. He had to witness this with his own eyes.

This was his life’s work. He wasn’t about to abandon it in the final moments. All for the promise of minty breath.

25%

32%

41%

It was when the test was 67% complete that he heard the pounding on the door. His head spun, the rapid rotation nearly knocking him off his feet. He didn’t move. He just waited. And listened.

“Mr. Almondine?” a deep voice came through the wood. “The agency sent us. Open the door.”

His body collapsed on itself and he shriveled up like a little boy being scolded by an abusive parent.

More pounding.

He looked at the screen and silently willed the test to run faster.

73%

”Come on, come on, come on,” he urged in a hoarse whisper.

“Did you receive the messages? The agency has ordered an abort mission.”

What?

His eyes snapped to the door again.

They can’t do that. They can’t shut him down. Not after everything he’s accomplished. Not after he’s come so close.

He peered at the screen.

82%

He was 18% away from leaving behind a legacy larger than life. 18% away from having his name printed in history books from here until the end of time.

He scrambled to sit back down in his chair—his home for the past week. But in his eagerness and haste, he over-rotated the spinning seat and his butt landed on the floor instead. The noise would have been minimal had he not disturbed a week’s worth of empty meal receptacles.

The crash was deafening.

There was a brief silence and then the pounding was suddenly back. More persistent.

“Mr. Almondine! We know you’re in there! Open this door immediately or we will break it down!”

His heart slammed against his chest repeatedly as he clamored up into the chair and wheeled it closer to the desk. He could feel cold sweat dripping down his neck.

No, he vowed, watching the status bar reach 90%.

He would not let them destroy his dream.

The people outside his door were growing impatient. Yelling and banging and banging and yelling.

92%

95%

97%

The sound of gunfire made him jump and a second later, the heavy wooden door came flying toward him. No longer hinged. No longer barricading them out. He ducked as it sailed over his head and crashed against the wall.

Two men stormed toward him. They looked pissed off. He hooked his ankles around the base of the chair, determined to see this thing through to the bitter end.

“Abort it!” One of the men screamed into his face. His breath was warm and stale, but still an improvement over his own unfortunate mouth odor.

98%

99%

100%

Glorious blue flashed across the screen.

 

Test successful. No errors found.

 

He heard the sound of a gun being cocked and then pressure against his left temple.

“Shut it down, NOW!”

His shaking hand reached for the mouse, navigating it toward a large, red button marked “Abort.”

The silence in the room was angry and thick. Like you could run your fingers through it and come back with residue on your skin.

No, he thought again. They will not take this from me.

With a quick flick of his wrist, the man shot the mouse pointer to the right and clicked on the green button marked “Initiate.”

There was no going back now. It was done. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Just as the bullet lodged itself into his brain.

 

The story continues on Marie Lu’s blog! 

 

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