Up to this point in the class, we've been designing the story from the top down. "In just four sentences, what's the overall story?" And then we talked about the acts, we talked about the sequences, the chapters. Each sequence has 3-5 scenes in it. We're going from the largest unit of plot, the overall story, all the way down. But what's the smallest unit of story?

The smallest unit of the plot-- the least thing that can happen in the plot-- is called an action. An action is a verb that the protagonist performs in the story. Any verb! You get to pick the verb. And you can pick the adverb too!

Talking about action gets really, really trippy. Because we're getting to the point where being an architect with your story, planning every single moment of the story, kind of meets being a gardener by letting the characters just behave and do their own thing. So this is where my systems kind of start to break down a little bit. Which is good. I'm handing over power to you. And you're handing over your power to your characters to let them behave the way that feels most natural to them.

In other words, when you're thinking about the actions of your story, you're no longer designing it from the perspective of the god puppeteer who's moving the characters around the plot. When you're designing the actions of the story, you are experiencing the story from the character's perspective, one moment at a time.

And ideally, every action that your protagonist takes will contribute in some meaningful way to the conflict. The protagonist behaves in a way that helps the audience understand their motivation. The protagonist tries to do something to overcome their antagonism. The protagonist focuses all their efforts to try and get the objective.

What are they doing? What's the verb? Are they punching? Are they begging? Are they reflecting? Are they blowing up the Death Star?

When I start planning the plot by the action, the smallest unit of plot, I start to see my story the way that Neo sees the Matrix. I have, like, Terminator vision. Because the story really does break down into this protagonist performs this action, which is followed up by another action, which is followed up by another action, which is followed up by another action, until the end.

So my challenge to you this week is to start looking at stories as a gigantic collection of verbs. What are the most interesting verbs that demonstrate where the character is and how they're dealing with the conflict?

Two weeks ago, in the lesson about Sequences, we talked about how scripts usually have 7 major scenes in them. The audience's first impression at the beginning, the audience's last impression at the end, the midpoint in the middle, and there's also the inciting incident, the act one closer, the act two closer, and the climax.

Scripts usually have all 7 of these scenes, and all 7 of these scenes usually boil down to at least 1 major action. There can be more than one, but there's usually at least one major action that demonstrates the scene. It's like the big action that the scene is building up to.

So for example, in the first impression, we spend formative time with the protagonist. We get to know them, we get introduced to them. But the first action of the first impression is really the first impression, right? It's the major action within the major scene.

So how do you plan a major action? You'll be shocked to hear that my answer is with a 4-sentence summary. Like most of the lessons in this class-- conflict, plot, arc, theme-- they all have 1 sentence in the beginning (which explains the premise of what's going on in this part of the story), and then 3 follow-up sentences that explain what happens (the plot).

Well, it turns out you can also plan the major actions of your story with a 4-sentence summary. So the premise of a major action-- the thing that prompts it, the thing that gets the ball rolling-- is a stimulus. Something happens to the protagonist. Because it's related to the conflict, it probably changes their status quo, which triggers them to act.

So something happens to the protagonist, there's a stimulus. And narratively, there are three phases of their action. There's the action itself, the reaction, and the pre-action. (I'm not proud of the term "pre-action", but it's the best I can do right now.)

Obviously, the action is: what does the protagonist do? What verb? Or what do they try to do? Because maybe they're not fully arced yet, so what are they trying to get done? What do they think is the right way to approach this problem? Or maybe they're fully arced and they know what is the right verb for them to be doing, what's the right way for them to be behaving right now, in order to overcome their antagonism and achieve the objective.

The reaction is what happens after the protagonist does the action? And a million prompts can come from that. How does the protagonist react, internally and externally? Does it go well? Do they get what they're hoping for? Are there other characters in the scene? And if so, how do they react to the protagonist's action, internally and externally? Does the protagonist's action affect the setting at all? If so, how does the setting react?

And last of all, there's pre-action, which is whatever the protagonist was doing before they took the action, before they were confronted with the conflict, before they were prompted to act. The easiest way to explain a pre-action is to say the protagonist prepares for the action, except you're not always prepared for conflict, right? Sometimes you're oblivious to what's coming. Sometimes you're not prepared at all. Sometimes you're somewhere in the middle. So that's why it's not planning, it's not training, it's the pre-action. And the creative goal there is to pick verbs that are, like, meaningful when compared to what the action is. It's a good way to do before and after, which is a good way to demonstrate the character's arc, but at the smallest level of plot, from action to action, before and after.

So when I'm planning a major action, even if once it goes into the script, it's just gonna be a couple words, even if in the script I only type, "Marty McFly goes back to the future," period. If it's one of the major, most important moments in the whole story, then I think it's worth planning with a 4-sentence summary. Stimulus, pre-action, action, and reaction.

When I'm designing the major actions in a story, I think it's important to remember that a major action is a decision. The protagonist may not realize that it's a decision. They may realize it, but they don't like the options. They might have to choose between too many good options. It may be an obvious decision that they just need to summon up the bravery for, but each major action should be a decision.

I say this because when I'm designing actions (and reactions & pre-actions & stimuli), when I'm picking the right verbs to build my story, then I'm seeing the story from the character's perspective... and not from the storyteller's perspective. So it's easy for me to just keep behaving the way that I would behave in the situation, and then fizzle out. I don't know where else to take the scene.

The problem is I'm not also still thinking of it as the storyteller. The storyteller gives the character a conflict, the character deals with the conflict as best they can, and the storyteller responds to them. It's a back-and-forth relationship.

So if I remember that my characters are always building towards a decision, it reminds me to switch between the two perspectives, to keep focusing on the agency of the character, while also puppeteering the story around in the way that the storyteller's supposed to. A character makes a decision, so the next part of the plot happens. They could have chosen something else, something else could have happened, but it didn't. So now we're leading towards this ending.

A character exists in the present tense, right now, living in the moment, moving forward, and the storyteller is trying to chronicle what happened to the character in the past tense. Even if you write the script in present tense, the storyteller's gonna finish the script and walk away from it and live their life. The script will be in the past tense.

So a major action is a decision. What does the protagonist do (or try to do) when they're faced with the conflict, when they want something badly but they have trouble getting it? And that lets the audience watch the protagonist struggle and cope and strategize and run for the finish line in real time.

The decision can also demonstrate who the character is at this particular point in their life. In Back to the Future, Marty McFly accidentally goes back to 1955. He meets his own father, who's just a teenager at the time. Marty's dad is about to get hit by a car, which is how Marty's dad meets Marty's mom & they fall in love. But Marty's not thinking about that. He just sees his teenage dad about to get hit by a car.

Now, to be fair, Marty doesn't know that if he changes history, if he pushes his dad out of the way, if he stops his mom and dad from falling in love, that he will be erased from time. He will stop existing! He doesn't know that yet. He just sees his dad about to be hit by a car. So he decides to act. He pushes his dad out of the way. He gets hit by the car and his own teenaged mother starts falling for him. Whoops!

At this point in the story, Marty doesn't realize that he's a bull in a china shop. He doesn't know he's supposed to be laying low. He doesn't know that he can alter history itself. Later, he finds it out! If Marty from later in the movie saw George, his dad, almost get hit by a car, he might know enough to think, "Wait, am I supposed to let him get hit by this car though?" But earlier in the movie, when it happens, Marty doesn't know that yet.

So the action demonstrates his character. It shows us that he really loves and cares about his dad. That he's a brave guy, he's willing to put himself on the line. And that he's a little impulsive, in self-destructive & self-sabotaging ways. And you can get all of that about Marty's character, from "Marty pushes George out of the way." Marty pushes. That's the verb. One decision demonstrates the whole character, at that moment in their life!

Okay, but does every single action need its own four-sentence summary? No, of course not.

I do think it's a good idea to write a four-sentence summary for, like, the really really really important moments in your script. The first impression, the last impression, the biggest punchlines, the scariest moments, the most thrilling moments. I just think it's an easy way to organize.

But the truth is, you can add or subtract as many actions to that as you want! If you've got a big cast, then chances are, whatever happens at the climax of the story-- at the biggest, most spectacular point at the end of the story-- you're going to want to check in with everybody in the cast and see what their reaction is. One action can lead to 57 different reactions!

And if we think of the big action in the climax of the story... then technically every moment that came before it was a pre-action. I told you talking about action can get a little trippy!

So the easiest way to organize a group of actions is with a beat. An action is the smallest unit of a plot, and a beat is the second smallest.

A group of actions who are united by one conflict, they turn into a beat. And once you have a group of beats, you have a scene. And once you have a group of scenes, you have a chapter or a sequence, as we say in script writing. Once you have a collection of sequences, then you have an act. And once you got three acts, you got yourself an overall story. For most of these units of plot, I recommend using a four-sentence summary to figure out what happens in them.

When you're figuring out the beats of your story, though, this is the boundary between individual action and a scene. So when I'm designing a beat, I think it's a good idea to start with a four-sentence summary... but realistically? It's going to get longer than that. It's going to turn into a bulletpoint list.

I like to start each bulletpoint with the name of the protagonist of that particular action. Which character is acting right now? Who is the spotlight on right now? So I start with the protagonist of the moment, and then I follow it up with the verb that they're performing. And then I can add some contextualizing information after if I need to.

• The protagonist of the moment, the verb that they're performing, any other information. And then that leads to the next bulletpoint, in which...
• the protagonist of the moment performs the verb, and any other information I might need. Which leads to the next bulletpoint.

It's a blow-by-blow way to plan out your story, one moment at a time!

I know a lot of writers who, when they're planning out the beats of a story, will also just start writing dialogue, because you're so keyed in to the moment of what's happening in the story, that you might as well just start writing. And if you feel like doing that in the assignment, then that's totally okay! But I do think you should practice with this bulletpoint system, because I think it's a helpful way to think about it.

When you're outlining the beats of your story, the outline gets a cute name. It's called a Beat Sheet. And to demonstrate how I might write out a beat sheet, let's take a look at a scene from Back to the Future.

To be specific, we're gonna be taking a look at the climax of Back to the Future. The protagonist of the scene is Marty McFly's dad, George. Marty's trying to get his parents together.

Marty's mom, who doesn't know that Marty is her son, has a crush on Marty. They're going to the dance together. Marty's mom likes Marty because she's seen him stand up for himself and for the woman he loves against the neighborhood bully, Biff.

Marty's dad, George, is a big nerd who gets bullied by Biff all the time. And Marty has been mentoring his dad, which is an interesting theme that they kind of touch at in the movie. In the beginning of the movie, all of Marty's male role models are kind of terrible. They're really, they don't seem to be the best versions of themselves. So the movie kind of becomes about Marty figuring out how to find faith in his own parents' relationship.

So Marty's been mentoring his dad. He's been trying to get his dad to ask out his mom.

At this point, I should mention, as a CONTENT WARNING, that this scene deals with the subject of date rape & sexual assault. So if that's triggering to you, then maybe just skim through the beat sheet and see how I did it.

Okay, so Marty concocts a plan. A plan to make his dad seem tough & impressive to his mom, and a plan to make his mom have less of a crush on him. It's a problematic plan. Maybe it wasn't in 1985 when they made the movie. Maybe it wasn't in 1955 when this part of the movie is set. But what can you do? We need it for the story. So here we are.

Marty's plan is he's gonna go on this date with his mother (who again, doesn't know that she is his mother). He's gonna get handsy with her at a specific time, he's gonna wait until nine o'clock or whatever, and that's when he's gonna start getting handsy with his mom. And he tells his dad, "George, interrupt us, yank me out of the car, say, 'Hey you, get your damn hands off her!' And then you can punch me & it'll be great. You'll be like her knight in shining armor. And I'll be the jerk who tried to date rape her that one time." Problematic!

Unfortunately, George is late. And by the time he gets to the car... it's not Marty in the car. It's the neighborhood bully Biff!

So let's take a look at what happens in the climactic scene of Back to the Future, beat by beat by beat.

I start w/ a 4-sentence summary of the scene, overall.  Then I know what I'm aiming for.

• George wants to impress Lorraine, but he needs to rescue her from Biff.
• George accidentally interrupts Biff, while he's assaulting Lorraine.
• George & Lorraine try to stand up to Biff, but Biff overpowers them.
• George summons the courage to knock out Biff.

Then I break it down, by the beat.  Here's how I'd chop up the scene:

• George wants to enact Marty's plan... but Marty's plan has gone horribly horribly wrong.
• George arrives late.
• George assumes that Marty is in the car, pretending to sexually assault Lorraine.
• George swaggers over & starts to interrupt the assault.
• George fizzles out, when he realizes that he interrupted Biff (and not Marty).  Uh-oh!
  
  
• George wants to rescue Lorraine, but Biff intimidates him.
• Biff tells George to scram.  "I think you got the wrong car, McFly."
• George freezes.
• Lorraine begs George to help her.
• Biff offers George an escape.  "Just turn around & walk away."
• Biff waits for George to flee... but he doesn't.
• George summons the courage to stand up for Lorraine.  "No, Biff.  You leave her alone."
  
  
• George wants to stand up to Biff, but George sucks at fighting.
• Biff calls George's bluff & gets in his face.
• George (tries to) punch Biff.
• Biff catches the punch & easily sinks George into a submission hold.
• Lorraine begs Biff to release George.  "You'll break his arm!"
• Biff ignores Lorraine & continues to bend George's arm.
• George reacts, helpless w/ pain.  Can no one save him??
  
  
• Marty wants to help his parents, but he's locked in a trunk.
• Marvin Berry uses a screwdriver to get Marty out of the trunk.
• Marvin accidentally cuts his hand (which sets up a conflict in the next scene), while rescuing Marty.
• Marty thanks Marvin & the Starlighters for helping him.
• Marty runs to rescue his parents from Biff.
  
  
• Lorraine wants to rescue George, but she can't overpower Biff.
• George suffers in Biff's submission hold.
• Lorraine begs Biff to let go of George.
• Biff ignores Lorraine & keeps bending George's arm.
• Lorraine (tries to) pull Biff away from George.
• Biff shoves Lorraine to the ground.
  
  
• George wants to punish Biff for hurting Lorraine, but he needs to be confident.
• George reacts to Biff shoving Lorraine.  Don't hit women, you jerk!
• Biff laughs at Lorraine.
• George summons The Fighting Spirit & clenches his fist.
• Biff looks back at George... just in time to see the wind-up.  "...huh?"
• George punches Biff so hard, he knocks him out!
  
  
• A beat of reactions
• Marty arrives just in time to watch George punch Biff.
• Biff falls to the ground.  He's out cold!
• Lorraine reacts to George KOing Biff.
• George reacts to KOing Biff.
  
  
• A beat of Happily Ever After
• George offers to help Lorraine.  "Are you okay??"
• Lorraine accepts George's hand, and now they're smitten w/ each other.
• George & Lorraine exit, to attend the dance together.
  
  
• Marty wants to know if he's fixed the timeline, but for some reason he hasn't.
• Marty reacts w/ pride for his newly coupled parents.
• A bunch of students arrive & discover that George KO'd Biff.  George is gonna be more popular than he was, in the original timeline!
• Marty checks the photo of him & his siblings, to see if he's fixed the timeline.
• The photo shows that Marty has not yet fixed the timeline.
• Marty exits, following his parents to the dance, so he can keep helping them & (hopefully) fix the timeline.