Building Story Kernels Redux

It’s been a month since I wrote my first attempt at building story kernels. What are the necessary elements, in what stages, are required to create a micro-OS or seed that gives a clear compass, direction, and path-to-ending? And since then, I’ve consumed a lot more stories at a much faster cycles via Marvel Unlimited. For the most part (and especially since its untested still), I don’t have a lot of changes. But there are upgrades.

On a more personal note, this whole process is starting to feel like the summer of 2004 when I built my first trading system, and 2009 when I built my own autodidactic formula for writing sales letters. It was a series of intense self-studies, hand-copying, re-reading books and/or courses, obsessive following of certain teachers, with some ventures into actual live courses. So maybe 90% auto-didactic. (Took a moment to reflect on the one trading course my brother and I did. Taking days off at eBay to do it. But also the copywriting journey from JM/SC/SWS/SH/PMM, which was a period starting from March or April 2007 for JM/AWAI/SC to October 2009 for SWS/SH and 2010 for PMM). If I had to draw analogues, I am either in the mid-2008 period or early-2009.

I don’t know why I need to do this, to examine my life in cycles like this. Perhaps there’s a little comfort in believing there is a pattern. So in 2008, it was all theory with a few exercises for the portfolio (JM/SB/JN/SC). 2009 was do-or-die with being laid off from eBay… and those first few projects. Paid ones even. I guess I’m doing this to help myself frame this as a long-term game. I have ways to go if I want to actually do this professionally, understanding full well that the income disparity between copy and fiction is tremendously wide, but also understanding the non-monetary factors for doing it, plus also the asymmetrical nature of novels in that they could be black swans. But don’t count on it. I’ve since settled on the fact that I’ll be working a day job so to speak, and at the same intense levels, for at least another five years.

Anyway - that was largely tangential.

Let’s talk about remodeling the project tracker. Currently, the stages are st (started), fd (1st draft), ed (edited), rv (revised), xd (current draft being worked on). I think what’s throwing me is the gap between st and fd is simply too wide. There’s too much work between those two stages and if habitica has taught me anything, (or reminded me) is that I need my small dopamine hits in a gamified way. This isn’t new to me. I am someone who needs quick wins and multiple small victories with a progress bar. Give me more quantifiable XP damn it.

So, on that, the layering concept that Andy Schmidt talks about, with a ton of reconstruction on my part, makes sense to me.

Stage One: Seed (S1)

• MECH : the rules of the constructed world.
• CDA: the central dramatic argument.
• PROT/POV: the protagonist and/or the POV character
  • GST: the ghost that haunts them, or backstory, to be dropped at a crucial moment, but never right away.
  • LTP: the lie/truth pair. What side of the CDA are they on right now?
  • ARC: which of the seven arcs makes sense here? PSTV, FLAT-G, FLAT-B, DLSM, CRPT/REBL, FALL.
  • KPT key personality traits that help them defend or escape STS.

re: KPTs: They are defending a STS if they’re in denial via PSTV or FLAT arc. Or very good at what they do in a CRPT/REBL/FALL arc until the DSR makes them question their world of truthiness. Whereas with the DLSM arc, it seems like they’re simply tempted with more.

Stage Two: Story Sentence (S2)

• DSR: the disruption
• PROG: the progress bar, or plot, which is often paired with the DSR, which also defines the PROT’s…
• WANT: the want, or goal of this story. What does PROT want? To quest for X, inquire about Y, or network towards Z.
• ANTG: the antagonistic force. Can be a villain, environmental obstacles, a network of conspirators, power dynamics, whatever conflicting force.

With stage one and two, I should have a clear “story sentence”. PROT, a [role description] who [KPTs], PROGs (qst/inq/ntw) because they WANT XYZ driven by LTP, but is stopped by ANTG.

Stage Three: Structure Outline (S3)

• STS: Stasis
• Sc1: Scene One
• Sc2: Scene Two
• BWO: B-World (basically the MID in short stories)
• LOW: Low Point
• CMX: Climax & Climax-Inside-Climax
• DNM: Denouement

Stage Four: Starting Scenes (S4)

SC1: Scene One

From K.M. Weiland’s Creating Character Arcs: Eleven things you may want to accomplish in the opening scene:

1. Introduce PROT
2. Reveal PROT’s name (probably)
3. Indicate gender, age, nationality, occupation
4. Indicate important physical characteristics
5. Indicate role in the story
6. Demonstrate prevailing aspect of personality
7. Hook readers’ sympathy and/or interest
8. Show the PROT’s scene goal
9. Indicate or hint at PROT’s story goal (WANT/PROG)
10. Demonstrate, or hint at PROT’s LIE (ARC)
11. Influence the plot – foreshadows later events.

Questions to Ask to Help Build This Scene

1. What important personality trait, virtue, or skill best sums up your protagonist?
2. How can you dramatize this trait to its fullest extent?
3. How can you dramatize this trait in a way that also introduces the plot?
4. How can you demonstrate your protagonist’s belief in his LIE (or TRUTH)?
5. Can you reveal or hint at his Ghost?
6. How can you use this scene to reveal the WANT?
7. Does your protagonist’s pursuit of both the overall goal and the scene goal meet with an obvious obstacle (conflict)?
8. How can you share important details about your protagonist (name, age, physical appearance) quickly and unobtrusively.

SC2: Scene Two

Depending on the ARC chosen, it can be:

• PSTV: DENIAL → RESISTANCE
• FLAT: DISMISS → RELUCTANCE
• DLSM: DESIRE → REORIENT
• CRPT/REBL: DOUBT → REMINDER
• FALL: DEPENDENCE → REGRESSION

The Four Preliminary Stages

And so, once again:

1. S1: Seed: MECH/CDA + PROT/ARC/STS
2. S2: Story Sentence: DSR/PROG + WANT/ANTG
3. S3: Structure Outline: Sketch out ARC/PROG
4. S4: Starting Scenes: Draft Scene 1 and 2 for short, sequel for longer.