In The Hurt Locker, the overall goal for the three central characters is dismantling as many IEDs as possible and completing their tours of duty alive. As mentioned earlier, they each have their individual goals. They also each have their own set of escalating obstacles. For Will James, one of his biggest obstacles is himself. He is a wild card. He gets a rush from what he does on the job that disconnects him emotionally from the rest of his life. In every situation when he has to dismantle an IED, the suspense and tension of the situation escalates. Will he or won’t he be able to do it in time? He encounters an escalating obstacle when he thinks that a young Iraqi boy whom he knows from around the base camp, Beckham, is a casualty. This sends him into a rage and causes him to do things that could jeopardize the overall goal. Some other obstacles for him are his personal relationships with J. T. Sanborn and Owen Eldridge, two men in James’s unit who are endangered by his recklessness. Sanborn’s job is to “protect his leader.” The external obstacle that he faces is being able to accomplish his job despite a leader who challenges him at every turn. Sanborn’s internal obstacle is that he doesn’t trust James. Eldridge’s obstacle is his obsession with death. Eldridge is convinced he will die in the line of duty. When James is assigned as his leader, Eldridge feels like this reckless bomb defuser could be the one that leads him to his death. Other escalating obstacles happen when a psychiatrist—who Eldridge confided his fears in—is himself killed by a bomb, and then, ultimately, when James accidentally shoots Eldridge. This final obstacle causes Eldridge to finally tell James how he feels about him. It is the escalation of the strong and well-placed obstacles and dilemmas in this film that make it stand out and resonate with everyone who sees it.
Obstacles lend to the emotional effect that story will have on your viewer. This is why many stories start by creating a scenario that makes you feel empathy for your central character. When you feel for the circumstances, you understand the stakes, and then overcoming obstacles to the goal becomes that much more rewarding. In well-told stories, we see how the characters change as a result of the obstacles.
Well-developed obstacles have a very large impact in a pilot and the setup of a series. If the obstacles presented in the pilot are strong enough and you can clearly see how these obstacles will be escalated in the series, you have a stronger chance of selling your pilot. The higher the stakes, the greater the intrigue. In the past few years, we have seen this in Lost, Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Big Love, to list a few. All these shows start on a premise that has the fuel to see 100 episodes come out of the concept. In all of these series, the concept involves a major obstacle that is put in the way of a central character or characters, achieving a goal.
In Dexter, a charming blood-spatter expert for the Miami police, there is an obsession with meting his own twisted brand of justice: stalking and murdering the guilty. We know that every episode will be about Dexter gaining justice by killing a serial killer and having to keep himself under wraps so that he can continue to achieve his goal. Obstacles he faces are both external and internal. His external obstacles are the fact that he works so closely with the police. His cover could be blown at any moment. Other external obstacles happen within the development of his personal life. What if he falls in love? How can he keep this side of his life apart from finding future happiness and fulfillment? The “closing in” aspect really adds so much to this premise. Also the irony behind a serial killer that kills serial killers and the fact that he is doing something bad for the betterment of society is a huge draw of the series.
Breaking Bad follows protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife (Anna Gunn) and teenage son (RJ Mitte) who has cerebral palsy. White is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of two years left to live. With a new sense of fearlessness based on his medical prognosis, and a desire to secure his family’s financial security, White chooses to enter a dangerous world of drugs and crime and ascends to power in this world. The series explores how a fatal diagnosis such as White’s releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from mild family man to a kingpin of the drug trade. The pilot episode starts with one huge obstacle as we see the consequence of what happens when Walt starts making meth. Then, you go back to what led up to the consequence. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He was given six months to live. What is at stake? He is married and has a handicapped son. He is a chemistry teacher and if he dies, he will not have a lot to leave his family. He gets an idea: he can use his knowledge of chemistry to make meth. If he can do this, he will have money to leave for his family. All the obstacles come out of this dilemma. You can see that if he does go down this dark path, he will have to face all the obstacles that come with being a drug dealer. He will have to keep his job as a teacher protected and he will have to keep his lifestyle away from his family, the most important part of his life that is motivating him to do this in the first place. This is another very strong example of a pilot premise that utilizes the impact of strong obstacles to set up the series.
In Big Love, a polygamist, Bill, has to manage his lifestyle of being married to three women, Barb, Nicki, and Margene and keep this lifestyle a secret from society. The stakes: If they are found out, they could lose everything, including Bill’s business. The great thing about this concept is the clear obstacles to this lifestyle and their need to keep the secret. We are taken into a world that most of us know very little about and shown both the universally identifiable and unique obstacles that they face. The internal goals and dilemmas have to do with the commitment to their faith. They are in conflict with their external goals, having to keep their practice secret. Within this, you also have opposing religions. The obstacles provide so much fruit for story.
EXERCISE
Look at the scripts that you’ve written. Does each of your story lines have strong obstacles? Do your obstacles escalate? Is your “all is lost” moment a big enough obstacle in which it seems like your central character is as far away from the goal as possible?
Obstacles will make a major difference in your writing. Start being conscious of all of the obstacles surrounding you on a daily basis. Pay special attention to the ones that appear to be impossible to overcome. Think of ways you can look into the truth of these situations and fictionalize them into your story.
Think about all the obstacles that you have gotten over in your life. What type of intimacy did you find at the other side knowing that you could get over them? In your relationships, how do you feel knowing that you can get over obstacles and build intimacy?
Chapter Fourteen
WHAT IS THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN IN YOUR OWN LIFE IF YOU DON’T SOLVE YOUR DILEMMAS OR ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS?
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
~ Sir Edmund Hillary
Goals are the greatest motivators. When we set a goal, it forces us into action so that we can achieve it. In our lives, there are many small goals that we reach on a daily basis. They are our barometer for accomplishment. Achieving each goal makes us want to set new goals. Setting goals for ourselves is a lifetime journey. When we stop setting goals, we stop participating in life. Goals give us purpose and something to work toward.
What is the worst thing that has happened as a result of you not achieving a goal? Think about this. From the time you were a child, think of all the things that you wanted to do by now, but haven’t. Go into this feeling. Some of the worst things could be realizing a truth that we’re afraid to face. When we get our hearts broken, one of our worst fears could be, “What if we’re not lovable?” Will we ever find the right mate? Will we always choose the wrong person? Will we always be alone? What if we never find our true love? The worst that can happen here is leading a life that some might view as unfulfilled, while others might prefer it. What does this fear cause us to do? More often than not, it causes us to spring into action. We look at the worst-case scenario and we
use it as a motivator to help us to achieve the goal. When we lose our jobs, as so many have over the last couple years, one of our worst fears is, “What if I don’t find a new one?” Why did our boss stop seeing the value that we bring to the table? Where will we find our value, identity, and purpose if we don’t have a job? The New York Times reported that millions of people will be without jobs for years. This is representative of a worst-case scenario. What will your life look like if you don’t have work? You won’t be able to pay your bills. You could lose everything. I once heard someone say that most of us are three pay checks away from being homeless. These are strong threats that can help us see that there has to be a better way. Picturing the worst-case scenario inspires you to know that you don’t want this to happen. Knowing this is what prompts you into action.
When I lost my job, some pretty powerful visuals danced in my mind. I am blessed that I come from a loving family that gave me immediate support. On separate occasions, my mother and my father told me that I always had a place to return to if I needed one. This was a definite comfort; however, I knew that I needed to do whatever I could to get back on track where I left off. I had worked way too hard to get there. I remember someone saying to me, “What are you going to do if your company concept doesn’t work?” I told them that I never even allowed my mind to go there. It was the beginning of the 2008–2009 writers strike. People were losing their jobs left and right. At my level there were very few openings. I knew in my heart that I had to make this work. So, I kept my mind clear of doubt and I jumped off another cliff.
At a career luncheon, my friend, Deb Colden, who is a Career Coach and Strategist, had a group of us do an exercise. She asked us to write down three goals that we planned to achieve in the next six months. After we wrote these down, she asked us to close our eyes and imagine that we had achieved every single goal. She asked us to really relish that feeling. Then, she asked us to open our eyes. We went around the table and everyone revealed how exhilarating it was to be in the moment of achieving their goal. Then, she asked us to go back into it. We are at the moment of achievement. How did we get there? This was great because we had to learn to map our way back to the beginning of the goal, starting from the point of achievement and think about all the ways that we could have gotten there. I loved this exercise. It really made me feel alive and like anything is possible. My goals were having a successful seminar that was coming up, selling a book proposal, and holding a writers retreat in Hawaii. I knew that thinking about the worst-case scenario would help me spring into action.
The most challenging of my goals was the writers retreat in Hawaii. I had a friend that was getting married there, but I knew that I could not justify the expense and time off while I was in the middle of launching my business. So, I figured, “Why not bring my work with me?” When I started my business, one of my goals was to make it completely mobile. The freedom to be anywhere and still be able to operate in a full capacity really appealed to me and was one of my reasons for launching out on my own. Here was a perfect opportunity to do just this. First, in Los Angeles I promoted the retreat as a Writer/Yoga Retreat in Hawaii. Since my brand is Developing From Within, I figured that mixing these two practices was a unique and appealing angle. However, by adding yoga to it, it was more expensive. Because the economy was in the tank, I knew this would not be easy for people to afford. Needless to say, I only had a small number of people sign up. Many people told me that they loved the idea of combining the two practices, but they could not afford it.
I was deflated. In my mind I could clearly see this event happening. What was the worst that could happen if it didn’t? I would not get to see a close friend get married. I would not get to feel the sense of achievement from accomplishing my goal. Rather than get totally deterred by this obstacle, I decided to promote the retreat in Hawaii. I went on the Internet and googled every phrase having to do with setting up an event in Hawaii. I called the local colleges and explained my background and that I was going to teach a Storywise Seminar in Hawaii. This led me to a journalist at a local paper, the Star Bulletin. She loved the idea and did a story on it. This led to 18 sign-ups. It covered the cost of my trip and my stay at The Turtle Bay Resort for seven nights. It allowed me to go to the wedding and to enjoy being in Hawaii without feeling guilty. That all started with Deb Colden’s goal exercise. I was able to feel what it was to be in the moment of achievement. This led me to know that I could figure out how to map my way to it. When I hit a major obstacle, I let my mind go to the worst-case scenario. I used this to motivate me to use a new approach to achieve my goal.
The success of my Storywise Seminar was important because conducting seminars was one of my main goals when I started my business. I looked at the careers of Robert McKee and Blake Snyder, two well-known story experts who blazed a path of teaching story with their famous books and seminars. I knew this was the path that I wanted to follow. I had many years experience in analyzing story. I knew this had value. I just had to figure out how to best put it into action. I wanted to have a successful seminar where the room was filled with people who wanted to learn. The worst-case scenario: I would not have enough to cover costs and I would not be able to inspire writers with all that I have learned as a way to help them attain and achieve their goals. It was going to the worst-case scenario combined with knowing what it was to be in the moment of achievement that led me to make it happen. I had a completely full room.
Writing this book has been one of the most fulfilling experiences that I have had thus far. After losing my job, after we lose anything, the page is a great form of escape. It’s where we put it all out there and we try to make sense of things. We can go to our darkest places, the caves that are buried within and know that we will see light again. With writing, we can put life back into alignment, even if it’s only on the page. This motivates us to know that if we can see it and express it, we can make it happen. It’s all about setting goals and believing that you can reach your destination with the right amount of commitment and determination.
Writing this book reminds me of something Aaron Spelling told me several times. He would say, “You should write.” He said this after reading a treatment that I gave him when I first started working in his office. He continued to say it after every card and every set of script notes that I gave him. At one point, we discussed the idea of me writing a book about the creative side of television. He offered to write the foreword. I went to several of the top agencies. They all said that my audience was too limited since it was about the television business. At this time, there were very few books about the television industry available to readers. Even with Aaron Spelling writing the foreword, I was still hearing “no.” Like the other times I’ve heard this word before, I knew that someday, it would turn into a “yes.” I could see the potential of the concept. I knew that it would be part of my destiny, eventually. In the meantime, I had to move past the fear and meet my muse. I had to be ready for the experience.
Shortly after leaving CBS/Paramount, I wrote a pilot. I figured that it was time that I knew what it was like to be on the other side of the table. If I was going to analyze others’ writing, I knew that there were lessons to be learned from walking a mile in the shoes of a writer. So, I wrote a pilot called “After Happily” based on my autobiographical experience with my divorce. When I was finished, I was so excited just to know that I had the courage to try. I knew that it was not very good but it was a starting place. It’s all about putting it on the page. Then, the molding process begins. I knew this. I gave it to three close writer friends who were all working. I remember the fear I had between giving them the script and waiting for their response. Now, I really knew what it was like to be on the other side. I still hold their notes close to my heart. Vanessa Taylor, my close friend who co-created the television show Jack and Bobby gave me great insight. She said that it felt like more of a feature, not a pilot because there was a beginning, middle, and end. The feature world would also give me mo
re room to be visual. She also thought that a book would be a better way to go with the story because I could get into the spiritual side of my being that probably would not transfer well to television.
Roger Wolfson, a successful writer on many top shows, told me he did feel that it was a pilot because he did like the central character and felt there was something there. He gave me more constructive notes on how to change it. I had given the type of notes he gave me countless times before but when it was my own work, I could not see it. As an analyst, this was a valuable lesson for me. My other very close friend, Deb Cahn, currently consulting producer on Grey’s Anatomy, said, “Jen, you remind me of me when I wrote my first script.” This was a huge compliment because she is a brilliant writer. They all are. She gently went on to say that because it was autobiographical, like hers was, it was not transferring as well as it could if it were fiction. She said that I could do one of two things. I could use this as a learning experience and be happy that I wrote it and put it away. Or, I could listen to all the notes and add fiction to it. She said that she didn’t want me to start at the bottom because I had achieved so much as an executive. She knew that I was in a chaotic place at this time and not sure of what was next, so her honesty meant a lot. It helped me to put things in perspective and know that regardless of the outcome, this was an exercise that I needed to do to understand what it was to be on the other side. What was the worst-case scenario? Well, since I was a television executive and analyzed story for many years, one of the worst-case scenarios was, “What if I wasn’t a good writer?” I have heard from so many writers that the more you write, the better you get, and that you have to keep writing. As an analyst, I had been doing it since 1992 and I had been taught by the best in the business. With writing, I knew that it was all about putting the time in. Also, I was realizing that I would probably fail several times before I would succeed again.
Story Line Page 14
