First Draft, In Second Place

Writing for Life, Change and Heart: Onto the Thumb Rules

Onto the Thumb Rules

Thumb Rules 1-4

Last time we established three rules and one infinite thumb rule. This week, Thumb Rules 1-4

1. Use scenes and sequentials.

2. Create clear scene goals.

3. End scenes with setbacks.

4. Sequence scenes to the Arc.

Yes, but what is the Arc?

The “character progression arc,” or the hero quest, is a meta-frame consisting of the Hook, the Complexification, the Darkness, the Big Dawn, and the Climax.

It is inside this meta-frame that rules of the game are:

1. Raise questions.

2. Answer them.

3. Scale the conflict.

4. Heighten the stakes.

5. Make love to the subplot.

6. Discover your inner child.

In the end, these four Rules of Thumb, the Arc, and the six Rules of the Game, are all you really need to write an exceptional story. You don’t even need these. Like almost all things, you only practice.