Cheryl Herndon
Pre-Event 7 assignments
FIRST ASSIGNMENT:
Story: Our protagonist, screams “watch me!” She constantly seeks attention, searching for validation of her worth. Although ambitious and highly motivated, she has no clue why she acts the was she does or how to get where she wants to go. Her voracious appetite for approval often regurgitates all over the place as she searches for her famous self.
SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them.
Antagonist: The constant challenge for our protagonist is her struggle to feel not just accepted, but amazing. Her first hurdle is simply ignorance. She does not know what she does not know, about herself, the world or life. She simply knows she wants “more”. Her journey exposes her to circumstances she often feels are the reasons she is not recognized yet as the most famous (insert any definition of a successful performer) ever.
Is she being held back by her humble beginnings - too poor? Her looks - too many freckles? Her education - or lack of? Rather than a sequential building of facts and experiences toward “true happiness”, she takes a circuitous route, intermittently facing bigger, more complicated obstacles. She encounters difficult societal norms, fluctuating economic challenges and ever-changing cultural values. She’s pretty sure there is also some gender bias out there also thwarting her plans. “Which just isn’t fair,” she complains, stomping her little foot. At times, she feels she is wrestling with bad karma and how does one overcome metaphysical in the real world? Real or imagined, Carol longs to conquer everything and everyone who tries holding her back from being the greatest performer ever.
THIRD ASSIGNMENT: create a breakout title (list several options, not more than three, and revisit to edit as needed).
Performance
Show off
Persona
The Fourth Wall
FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: - Read this NWOE article on comparables then return here.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles: Loosely based on a true story, The Paris Library is about a young woman working in a library in Paris during WWII who immigrates to Montana. A generation later, the librarian reframes her life’s journey perspective while mentoring a young girl also facing the challenges and tasks of self discovery and growth. Intimate, insightful, detailed settings all add to this intriguing story.
The Beach House by Rachael Hannah (Not Patterson or Monroe): The protagonist is in her 40’s when life circumstances dictate she move to a beach house in North Carolina. As she rebuilds her life, she also reframes her outlook in a meaningful, sometimes frustrating and often hilarious quirky ways. She must deal with past “baggage”, but discovers new ways to being a more authentic self. Change over time with interesting flashbacks help build this story.
Fried Green Tomatoes by Fanny Flagg: Although I can only dream of writing anything as colorful as this author, I do feel I can “spin a good yarn” adding depth and detail to interesting geographical places from Paris to the Redwoods of California. Hidden agendas, crazy interruptions, unbelievable outcomes are my specialty. And let’s not forget family dynamics. Who’s hungry for a treat at the Whistle Stop Cafe?
FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: write your own hook line (logline) with conflict and core wound following the format above. Though you may not have one now, keep in mind this is a great developmental tool. In other words, you best begin focusing on this if you're serious about commercial publication.
Hook line: Carol is determined. She is fiercely passionate about being not just better, but best, at impressing the world with her incredible performance skills. She’s on a mission to prove she is worthy of earth shaking admiration. (Core wound - inferior self esteem)
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SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: sketch out the conditions for the inner conflict your protagonist will have. Why will they feel in turmoil? Conflicted? Anxious? Sketch out one hypothetical scenario in the story wherein this would be the case--consider the trigger and the reaction.
Inner conflict: Our protagonist has become somewhat successful in her journey toward fame and in finding love, but it’s NOT how she thought it would be. She knows some of her skills led to her rising status, but she isn’t sure if it was fate or her hard work that have gotten her this far. As she faces the mirror of self absorption, she realizes love, contentment and purpose seem almost as far away as her first venture to the stage as a child. AND, she wants a man. Maybe not just any man. She’s been chasing the epitome of a perfect guy for years, but every time she seems close to a real connection, she manages to sabotage the whole thing - again.
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: sketch out your setting in detail. What makes it interesting enough, scene by scene, to allow for uniqueness and cinema in your narrative and story? Please don't simply repeat what you already have which may well be too quiet. You can change it. That's why you're here! Start now. Imagination is your best friend, and be aggressive with it.
Setting: The setting involves several unique and interesting world locations as the protagonist experiences her chronological journey of change over time. Our story begins in the 1950’s spanning about 60 years. The contrast between her humble beginnings to becoming a wealthy world travel is vividly portrayed as she pursues her dreams.
She begins in a shanty town in the Pacific Northwest where she hears she is “poor white trash”. But like Scarlet O’Hara, in GWTW, she rises from the ashes declaring, “As God is my witness, they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
From her humble beginnings in the Pacific North West, and on to New York, London, Paris and Africa provide the reader with a fresh look through “virgin eyes” at this diverse world. The contrasts and similarities among peoples and cultures and geographic locations take the reader on a journey of discovery for themselves.
Part III assignment: Performance tells Carol’s story from childhood to middle age. She’s always been an intense, determined woman who longed to be famous from her earliest memories. She battles humble beginnings, a dysfunctional family and her own self doubting demons to become great. This dialog excerpt is a flashback to age 12. It captures our protagonist childhood personality and her relationship to her dysfunctional family. The scene is Christmas shopping alone in 1964. Carol finished most of her shopping and still had $1.50 left. Both doors of Maxon’s Music store stood wide open. Christmas music blared from the strategically located self-playing organ. Carol entered the music store and was greeted warmly by Mr. Olson. “Merry Christmas!” he shouted a little too loudly. Carol could smell a peculiar odor on his breath but didn’t yet recognize it yet as cheap liquor. Carol’s eyes searched the rack of 45s displayed along the back wall. She had never purchased a record before. Her father had dozens of broken record players in his junk collection. She was not sure if any of them worked, but she already decided if she had any money left when she finished Christmas shopping, she would buy her first very own record. She knew it had to be, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” by the Beatles. Yes, this was the day. Handing Mr. Olson her prize purchase and a one-dollar bill, she smiled at the thought of being able to tell her best friend, Sandy, all about it when she got home. “Do you have a 45 rpm adapter for your record player?” Mr. Olson asked. “I, I don’t know,” Carol stammered. “Well, it’s only five cents for one of these little wheelie things to snap in the middle of your record, just in case you don’t have a real stereo adapter for converting 45s to LP’s.” Mr. Olson explained. “Some kids call them spiders,” he added. “Please, I’ll take a green one, my favorite color.” Carol added. “Green, it will be then, just like you pretty eyes,” Mr. Olson whispered. Carol took a step back and shivered. His compliment felt creepy. He reached into a large glass candy jar near the cash register and pulled out a neon green disk. Carol clutched all of her bags to her chest and hurried out the door. She ran up the hill to the waiting family station wagon. It was nearly dark and everyone in the car was tired and hungry. “Where were you?” her mother demanded. “We’ve been waiting for you for hours.” “Yeah, we’re starving!” her youngest sister chimed in. “I saw her just standing and staring at reflection in a store window,” berated her older sister. “I was not. For your big fat information, I was trying to pick out presents for each of you,” Carol cried in defense. “You are all mean and I’m giving every one of these gifts I just bought for you guys to the poor instead.” “Now Carol,” her mother interrupted. “The Bible says, ‘It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.’ (*Mark Twain) There she goes again, Carol thought. Mom and her messed up quotes. Carol clamped her mouth tightly shut and stared out the opposite window, ignoring the rest of their relentless interrogations.