Script Class Ongoing

Last night's script class was probably the most useful so far. We discussed sub-plots and how they are created by through the relationships that characters share. It was very interesting to see how two simple tools can help you to create and manage your sub-plots.

The first was what I call a plot-blob-diagram (I'm sure there's a proper term...). You draw a line representing your rising action and along it you place blobs that represent events and developments in plot. You use a different coloured blob for each of your plots and vary the size of the blobs depending on how much time is spent there. This can be very useful for judging if your sub-plots are underdeveloped or if they're in danger of overwhelming your main story thread. If your rising action is more of a jagged line it can help you judge whether each plot is receiving enough attention at the peaks.

The second was the relationship diagram. By writing the names of the characters in your story and drawing lines between them that represent their relationships, the dynamics between them can become a lot clearer. This visual representation can also enable you to see relationships that you weren't previously aware of and create new plots between those characters. We applied the relationship diagram to two people's stories and I think the ideas it generated were extremely useful (and they weren't even my stories!).

We also went through our stories and talked about/brainstormed ways in which they could be improved. I found this extremely useful and have a lot more material to work with now. I really enjoy workshopping!