EGPs & Moments

This is me making a list of “Emotional Gut Punches” (EGPs). They can make you cry, make you sad, make you satisfied, make you get frisson, make you melancholic. I don’t know how well thought out this is, but I’m building this list because I realize that despite all my work the last six months in understanding the theory of it more, I’m still struggling to find the “end goal” and I think I need that when I write stories.

Yes, And

• SUAC: Stand Up and Cheer. PROT or ALLY fought hard, overcame obstacles, resolved conflicts, and got what they wanted and more. Or WANT just so happens to work out with NEED as well.
• AHNN: Acceptance of Healthy New Normal. PROT finally accepts that their new environment is actually good, not toxic, and mentally healthy.

Yes, But

• FAFO: Fucked Around and Found Out. PROT or ALLY in a DLSM/CRPT/REBL ARC fucked around, got what they WANTED, but now realized what a horrible idea that was. They realize it was what they wanted but not what they NEEDED.
• SROC: Shocking Revelation of Cage. PROT in a CRPT/REBL ARC realizes their world isn’t the “good place” they thought it was. They’ve been living in the Matrix.
• LGSA: Letting go, self-acceptance. In a PSTV ARC, realizes they’re “enough”, “accepted/loved/supported”, or “always had it in them”… and they don’t have to beat themselves up anymore.
• GOGU: Got Out, Got Unstuck. PROT gets out of the “bad place” at great cost.
• RAST: Realizing A Sad Truth. Realizing PROT/ALLY has been masking their pain, and/or making great sacrifices, and/or SECRETLY taking care of PROT/ALLY

No, But

• SSGG: Self Sacrifice for the Greater Good. PROT realizes and/or gives up WANT because NEED is greater. OR PROT realizes this was their fate all along.
• GGAR: Grand Gesture Apology and Redemption. When PROT/ALLY makes up for past sins with a grand gesture, or even a simple admission of guilt.
• CNWI: Cost Not Worth It. PROT finally hits their limit and breaks down, realizing their WANT costs too much and isn’t worth it.

No, And

• BGGC: Bad Guy Gets Comeuppance. PROT in FALL ARC finally dies and people around them celebrate.
• PDHC: Power Dynamic Has Changed. Realizing an ALLY or RIVAL is now more powerful, and PROT no longer has a hold over them.

Moments

• BAHV: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays, Vacations. PROT/ALLY experiences an important date in the context of the PROG.
• COST: Connecting over Shared Trauma. Went through something bad together, or had similar experiences: growing up, a type of boss, teacher, parent, etc.
• SWNG: Sharing Wisdom with Next Generation. Could be parent, mentor, or just veteran. It’s teaching the next generation a lesson of wisdom. May be included with practical/physical training of skill, but the real lesson is how it relates to the arc about courage, fear, stress, overwhelm, etc.

Reveals

1. Deception: Ally lied, kept secret, has a different role, covered up, secretly dying, secret relationships. Betrayal!
2. Big Bad Was Actually… best friend, ally, lover, mentor, side character, etc.
3. Misinterpretation: Prot misread past, sees world in new context, misread ally/ lover/mentor/etc.
4. That Moment When Hero Realizes… She’s the one, I fucked up, It was X all along.
5. Secret Exposed: ally/antagonist already knew
6. Backstory Reveal: Reader’s perception of character changes
7. Secret Relationship: actually a relative, evil twin, doppelgänger, secret marriage, divorce, love child
8. Wasn’t Real: It was a all a dream, VR, coma or delusion in psychiatric ward OR It was actually in a different universe, plane, world, enclave, timeline
9. Somebody A Ghost/Made-Up: Narrator is lying about a character, or narrator is actually dead/ghost/made-up
10. Flashback/FlashForward: What happened actually happened in the past/future.