Hi! Thank you so much for RECEIVING mini-post #6.
Get expert screenwriting and storytelling advice, develop your story strategy, and hone your craft on how to write stories that “tell the EMOTIONAL story” by becoming a paid subscriber and FULL ACCESS MEMBER HERE.
The emotional story is the story.
This top-tier screenwriting tip is an essential foundation for building the best story for the audience.
Which statement resonates with you?
😊 The emotional story is how the writer makes buku dough.
😢 Emotions are the secret sauce to a story’s fame.
🌍 The emotional story is all humanity has.
In today's cultural and social landscape, with everyone suffering from FOMO and constant weed smoking behind the wheels of moving vehicles on freeways at high speeds while drivers are scrolling the TikTok feed on FIRE 🔥 at the moment, the state of our country's mental health is in my review mirror at all times. 🚘
STORYTELLERS! This is my clarion call to help humanity release its universal shadow of being unable to heal the separation from self.
We can, and we must, address humanity’s grief in STORY.
Calling all storytellers! Helping our audiences close the cavern between self-rejection and self-acceptance is our creative and spiritual purpose.
Bring it on. Give me a Young Adult TV series like SCHOOL SPIRITS (check out the trailer streaming on Paramount +) or even a four-quadrant family story like GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (2024).
More than ever, stories that address how you can go from self-rejection to self-acceptance are needed. It’s that simple. The answer is ALL THREE.
We need to feel.
At its core, Story is a journey of central conflict through the human heart's emotional labyrinth, where feelings paint the landscape and steer the course for the narrative drive.
Plot the Emotional Story first.
It's not just a story; it's an emotional odyssey where the characters navigate the intricate terrain of painful feelings, forging a narrative path that must pulse with authentic emotion.
Feel Between the Lines.
Beneath the plot's surface, there's a pulsating emotional current that propels your character forward, carving a story that resonates with the raw, unfiltered essence of the human experience.
How Do You Plot the Emotional Story?
Step 1: Ask a hard emotional question
First, you must ask a curious, insightful, reflective question about humanity—maybe it's about your emotional life, someone you know, or a stranger's trauma.
With this inquiry, craft your artist question by having the courage to probe the deepest hurt, the widest wound, and the most deceptive betrayal. Skip the small talk, go right for the big reveal, and choose the bloodiest of the bloody.
Begin to plot the EMOTIONAL Story by asking a question like this:
Q: "Why do good people let themselves get treated so badly?"1
Asking a HARD EMOTIONAL QUESTION, like the one above, reveals the arc of the emotional plot, which lies in these two words: GOOD + BAD.
Notice the inherent emotional polarity stated within that simple question about our everyday human existence? It bears repeating: "Why do good people let themselves get treated so badly?"
Side note: If we could sell the ANSWER to THAT question in a bottle, we'd be rich girls.
Utilizing the emotional juxtaposition of good vs. bad as a writer in your artist question, for example, can serve as a jumpstart to crafting a universal theme. This type of question will satisfy an audience because there is room for character growth and character arc.
Step 2: Discover the emotional truth in the answer
We've asked the hard question. Now, craft an answer that contains the ugly truth.
A: Here's the answer to the hard emotional question, "Because we accept the love we think we deserve."2
Not only is the artistic question vital to creating a premise full of conviction and establishing a long-distance marathon that the character must run, but the answer is also doubly essential to showing you, the storyteller, how your character thinks.
Step 3: Plot the emotion change through the character’s beliefs
What your character thinks is what must change. Therefore, plotting the changes in the emotional Story goes in step with plotting the changing beliefs of your character.
How to Mine a Character's Fixed Mindset
The only thing that changes in the Story is what a character thinks.
At the start of your Story, your character's fixed mindset is the key to your character's arc. In knowing what they think, what their weakness/need is, and how resistant they are to change (inner/outer) then, you can emotionally plot your character's arc by working in the conflicts that will create an alchemical transformation in your character to change their mind (or not).
Q: "Why do good people let themselves get treated so badly?"
A: "Because we accept the love we think we deserve."
The hard Q&A above is the exact interrogation and self-examination that Stephen Chbosky probed and pondered for the film he wrote and directed, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012).
In his story, the main character, Charlie Kelmeckis—played by Logan Lerman, embodies the inner emotional character arc of self-rejection to self-acceptance.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is an example to use as a masterwork when plotting the emotional Story of self-rejection to self-acceptance.
WRITING TIP: Find out how Charlie transforms from his “fixed mindset” of depression into a “growth mindset” of happiness. Look for scenes of central conflict that include his enemies, inner obstacles, allies, and small wins.
From Self-Rejection to Self-Acceptance
Let’s review the emotional arc of self-rejection to self-acceptance and how it is crafted in the film THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012) is an American coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Stephen Chbosky and based on his 1999 novel.
Synopsis
The protagonist, Charlie Kelmeckis, battles with deep-seated feelings of self-rejection stemming from traumatic childhood experiences and PTSD. As he navigates high school and forms friendships with fellow misfits, Charlie grapples with his sense of identity and struggles to accept himself for who he truly is. Through the support of his friends and a journey of self-discovery, Charlie gradually learns to embrace his uniqueness and find acceptance, ultimately coming to terms with his past and gaining a newfound sense of self-worth.
Plotting Self-Rejection to Self-Acceptance
ACT I: SEEDS OF SELF-DOUBT. The character initially struggles with feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, or shame, rejecting aspects of themselves that they perceive as flaws or shortcomings. These thoughts are their blind side, their shadow, which creates a weakness/need they seek to fill.
ACT II: CONFRONTING THE SHADOWS. The Story's central conflict drives the character to meet inner/outer obstacles that cause time for no other choice but to spend time in self-reflection…
ACT III: EMBRACING AUTHENTICITY…So that growth, a change of mind, and acceptance support the character to embrace their true identity and value themselves for who they are.
Write a Draft Choosing Emotion over Plot
Whether starting a story or revisiting a rewrite, try emphasizing the significance of the main character's emotional arc over the plot.
In the realm of storytelling alchemy, remember this: the true magic lies not just in the events that unfold but in the emotional transformation of our main characters.
Think of the plot as the vessel, but the emotional arc as the wind in its sails. It's the driving force that propels the narrative forward, shaping not only the characters but also the very essence of the Story itself.
Links are to selected film scenes on YouTube.
THE DIARY OF BRIDGET JONES (2001) comes to mind.
Consider the emotional journey as the beating heart of your screenplay. It's the pulse that gives life to each scene, infusing it with meaning and resonance. Imagine your characters as emotional explorers, navigating the peaks and valleys of their inner worlds.
Think of SIDEWAYS (2004) and THE HOLDOVERS (2023).
As you craft your screenplay or Story, ask yourself: What emotional landscape are my characters traversing?
Check out ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) and HBO's THE REGIME.
How does their internal evolution mirror or challenge the external events? The plot may set the stage, but it's the characters' emotional reactions, growth, and transformation that steal the spotlight.
Watch the film CODA (2021).
Challenge the notion that the Story is a mere sequence of events. Instead, embrace the idea that it's an emotional odyssey, where the characters' emotional arcs are the compass guiding us through the narrative terrain. The plot is the journey, but the emotional arc is the destination, the ultimate takeaway for your audience.
So, fellow storytellers, let your characters' emotional journey be the North Star of your screenplay and book. Illuminate the path with the glow of their internal struggles, victories, and metamorphoses. Because in the end, it's the emotional resonance that lingers, leaving a lasting imprint on your audience.
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I look forward to reading your stories and connecting in 2024!
Best wishes,
Kelly E. Keough
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower_(film)