20 MP Lesson 11 Plot #5 Escape
Jul 9, 2021 21:09:40 GMT -6
Post by ScienceGirl on Jul 9, 2021 21:09:40 GMT -6
As you are probably starting to notice, the difference between some of these plotlines are slight. Escape is similar to pursuit and rescue. Adventure is similar to quest. Though some of the mechanics are similar, pay close attention to what Tobias has to say about which character gets the emphasis and where the action takes place. All of these elements are important in crafting a good, believable story.
Like Pursuit and Rescue, Escape is a plot of the body. Thus we are not talking about a plot where the character has to escape the demons that plague his/her mind.
Tobias defines this plot as such:
In some ways, you can think of the escape plot as being the rescue plot in reverse. Instead of following the rescuer through the action, the writer follows the victim through the action as they free themselves.
Like the rescue plot, there's a black and white morality. The hero, as Tobias says, is unjustly imprisoned. And the stakes are high. Escape or die. Escape or life sentence in prison. Escape or be banished.
Phase One
Tobias refers to the three dramatic phases fairly often, I think using them interchangeably with acts one, two, and three. In phase one of the escape plot, the protagonist must be imprisoned for a real or imagined crime. They are rendered a punishment that does not fit the crime, so we readers become outraged. And thus we pull for them to succeed in their getaway throughout the story.
Tobias relates an example using the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," where Peyton Farquhar stands on a railroad bridge looking down at swift waters. His hands are tied behind his back, and there's a noose around his neck. Either he's going to be hung, or he will escape through some miracle. Great conflict and strong tension. A nice set-up for an action-filled getaway.
The question for this plot is simple. Will the protagonist escape? Yes, or no?
Phase Two
In the second phase, the writer delves into the details of the protagonist's imprisonment. The hero may attempt to escape and fail. This phase will include a tug of war between the forces of good and evil, with the reader rooting for them to get back up and try again. Just as with the rescue plot, this is a place where you don't want the action to take the protagonist directly from point A to point B. Don't be afraid to knock them down a few times and have them struggle to get back up. And throughout this phase, the antagonist will likely be in control.
Phase Three
Though the character may have attempted escape several times, now begins the successful attempt (And it had better be successful. Readers hate to root for the protagonist the whole book to only be disappointed when they fail. Is this predicatable? Yes. But does it sell? Well, that's why there are so many of us out there addicted to a good escape plot.
Finally, the protagonist has slipped away from the control of the antagonist and the odds tip in his favor. He gets the upper hand, settles the moral score, and through what's typically a great increase in action, makes his getaway.
Tobias reminds us to not forget to use wildcards. Let all hell break loose, he says. Let there be a careful escape plan that fails miserably, and the protagonist has to be innovative and clever to work around all the kinks.
He says,
The Checklist
Like Pursuit and Rescue, Escape is a plot of the body. Thus we are not talking about a plot where the character has to escape the demons that plague his/her mind.
Tobias defines this plot as such:
The Escape Plot is literal. The protagonist is confined against her will and wants to escape.
Like the rescue plot, there's a black and white morality. The hero, as Tobias says, is unjustly imprisoned. And the stakes are high. Escape or die. Escape or life sentence in prison. Escape or be banished.
Phase One
Tobias refers to the three dramatic phases fairly often, I think using them interchangeably with acts one, two, and three. In phase one of the escape plot, the protagonist must be imprisoned for a real or imagined crime. They are rendered a punishment that does not fit the crime, so we readers become outraged. And thus we pull for them to succeed in their getaway throughout the story.
Tobias relates an example using the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," where Peyton Farquhar stands on a railroad bridge looking down at swift waters. His hands are tied behind his back, and there's a noose around his neck. Either he's going to be hung, or he will escape through some miracle. Great conflict and strong tension. A nice set-up for an action-filled getaway.
The question for this plot is simple. Will the protagonist escape? Yes, or no?
Phase Two
In the second phase, the writer delves into the details of the protagonist's imprisonment. The hero may attempt to escape and fail. This phase will include a tug of war between the forces of good and evil, with the reader rooting for them to get back up and try again. Just as with the rescue plot, this is a place where you don't want the action to take the protagonist directly from point A to point B. Don't be afraid to knock them down a few times and have them struggle to get back up. And throughout this phase, the antagonist will likely be in control.
Phase Three
Though the character may have attempted escape several times, now begins the successful attempt (And it had better be successful. Readers hate to root for the protagonist the whole book to only be disappointed when they fail. Is this predicatable? Yes. But does it sell? Well, that's why there are so many of us out there addicted to a good escape plot.
Finally, the protagonist has slipped away from the control of the antagonist and the odds tip in his favor. He gets the upper hand, settles the moral score, and through what's typically a great increase in action, makes his getaway.
Tobias reminds us to not forget to use wildcards. Let all hell break loose, he says. Let there be a careful escape plan that fails miserably, and the protagonist has to be innovative and clever to work around all the kinks.
He says,
Your responsibility as writer is to keep the reader off-balance by constantly shifting the terms of the escape. Nothing goes as planned; something always goes wrong. And that's the joy of it.
1. Is the escape a literal escape, where the hero is confined against his/her will (often unjustly) and wants to escape?
2. Is the moral argument of the plot black and white?
3. Is your protagonist, hero, and victim all the same person?
4. Does your first dramatic phase deal with the hero's imprisonment and perhaps initial escape attempts that fail?
5. Does your second dramatic phase have the hero make plans for escape (that will likely be thwarted)?
6. Does your third dramatic phase deal with the actual escape in an innovative and clever way?
7. Does the antagonist have control of the hero in the first two dramatic phases?
8. Does the hero gain control in the third dramatic phase?
2. Is the moral argument of the plot black and white?
3. Is your protagonist, hero, and victim all the same person?
4. Does your first dramatic phase deal with the hero's imprisonment and perhaps initial escape attempts that fail?
5. Does your second dramatic phase have the hero make plans for escape (that will likely be thwarted)?
6. Does your third dramatic phase deal with the actual escape in an innovative and clever way?
7. Does the antagonist have control of the hero in the first two dramatic phases?
8. Does the hero gain control in the third dramatic phase?
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