The Three Act Structure

For most stories they are split in to three parts. The first, second, and third act. The three act structure has twists, turns, and specific moments in which certain things should be unfolding at certain times. Moreover, it's an organizational tool to help build your story.

**Aristotle stated that dramas have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Really cool since the Greeks invented drama. Screenwriters get much more detailed with requirements of what goes into three acts of a movie. The key takeaway is understanding that one event in the story goes into another event which unifies actions and creates the semblance of a story.

For a general idea of the three act structure, let's take a look at the essential parts, shall we? Here's a breakdown on Thunderbolts #26 from 1999 entitled "Lockdown."

First act-Introduction of the cast of characters.

Second act-Prison riot; Rhino breaks free.

Third act-MACH 1 stops riot. Then his actions are found out by the CSA (Commission on Superhuman Activities).

Neat, yeah? 

*Comics' legend Peter David pointed out that Aristotle's simple observations of beginning, middle, and end have been codified, institutionalized, or mummified. Editors, producers, etc, will be analyzing your story frequently based on whether they see the beats of the three act structure present. It will be helpful to know what they're looking for so you can be sure to accommodate them.

My Writing Challenge colleague Emily Moore will agree with the notion that we're dealing with a structure, not a formula. A formula results in a sameness that makes everything seem overly familiar and predictable. And she'll mention how films like Candyman hinges on the three act structure which will differentiate itself from other motion pictures.

Now we go in-depth into the three act structure. For research, I did an analysis of the Gundam: The 08th MS Team episode "Gundams in the Jungle."

First Act-Introduction of the team. Here in the first act of the episode, we meet the 08th Mobile Suit team (Ensign Shiro Amada, Michel Ninorich, Karen Joshua, Terry Sanders, and Eledore Massis). They are on their way to base for their first mission under ensign Shiro's command. Being introduced also is Commander Kojima who briefs the team on a Zeon base built somewhere in the jungle.

First act turning point-After a brief scrimmage with Zeon forces in the jungle, Shiro gets separated from the rest of the unit by going after the damaged Zaku drone.

Second act-The middle of the story. Ensign Shiro is hot on the trail of the Zaku but he ends up getting lost in the jungle (For the record, I say it's his damn fault for running off like that). Then he stumbles upon fresh water coming from a waterfall, where he encounters Kiki Rosita of the guerrila resistance. 

Second act turning point-Elsewhere from the action, Aina Sahalin is having tea & biscuits with her brother, the rear admiral Ginias Sahalin. They're discussing her brother's "dream" would soon become a reality, hinting of a weapon that will tip the balance of power in favor of the Zeon.

Third act-It's round two of Shiro vs the Zaku. 

Climax-Shiro unloads everything at the Zaku, defeating it. With their mission over, the MS team returns to base. Shrio sleeping in the cockpit while his Gundam was on autopilot ended the episode on a lighter note.

Whether you're writing a script for a movie or a comic, most stories in between those genres, hinge on the three act structure. 

Happy Creations!

Sources: *Writing for Comics & Graphic Novels with Peter David pg. 98

**Alyssa Maio. "What is the Three Act Structure in Film? No Formulas Necessary." https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/three-act-structure/

 

 

Comic Book 101

Greetings!

I know that are those who are unfamiliar with writing for comic books and graphic novels. So I'm bringing forth knowledge on the craft. First, we'll begin with formats.

*Full Script-This gives the artist and editor the entire story descriptions of scenes, dialogue, sound effects. Character dialogue is written in all caps. Action descriptions of characters and setting are described in each panel up to several paragraphs or less. Plus, each page should start fresh on another piece of paper with a notion of how many panels. Another thing to take heed are the modifiers.

• OP=Off panel.
• Thought=dialogue in a word balloon.
• Whisper=dialogue lettered in a whisper balloon.
• SFX=Sound effects.
• Cap=dialogue written in captions.

*Marvel Script- Also know as the Plot Script. This particular style was created by Stan Lee in the 1960's. With this format, the writer breaks down the story and for each page you describe the action and situations that's wished to be represented within the artwork. Panel breakdowns are suggested or given and more or less dialogue is required.

*Now that we got that covered, we now move to the word balloons. When writing word balloons in the comic script, they are formatted in different formats such as italics and bold.

• Word balloon for "punch"= italics. Applies to an irritated character. 
• Express yelling= Dark type. Comes in handy when a character is yelling at another character.
• Anger= italics and boldface. Bruce Banner will tell you that one.
• White Area= dropping point size letters. This one occurs when a character's speaking in a strangled voice.
• Thought balloon= puffy cloud. For those who've read comics of days past, you know how characters don't want say something out loud, so the dialogue goes in that balloon. Sadly, no one uses them anymore.
• Illegal Immigrant Effect= Anyone falling into a time portal? The Punisher throwing a hoodlum out the window? Words emerging from the balloon border indicates that a character is being dragged away, pushed out of a window, or off a cliff. In the case of The Punisher, sometimes firearms won't cut it when "punishing" the wicked.
• Attach balloons for conversation= When someone is talking in one panel, attaching one balloon to the next occurs with the following. 1. to convey individual thoughts; 2. to emphasize certain beats; 3. to indicate a measured way of speaking; 4. avoid too many words in a balloon and a massive block type.
• Stacking balloons= Two or more characters speaking to one another. One balloon is inserted between two others in exchange of dialogue. They run horizontally or vertically.
• Wavery balloon= Upper/lowercase letters with a "wavery" look makes the speaker talk with much effort. Best use for when a character is drugged or stark-raving-drunk.
• Burst balloon= Zigzag pattern to indicate shouting, conveying volume and extreme anger. Also referred to as the "static burst" when pointer is to a radio or telephone.
• Narrative caption= For those who read Spider-Girl, DC Comics' Talon, and Wolverine, this is used for first-person narrative. Of course, Harry Dresden does that since his adventures are blended with magical mayhem and noir themes.
• Frosted balloon= icicles dripping off the bottom of the balloon to indicate sarcasm. Best for female characters.
• The whisper= Broken line around balloon to indicate whispering.
• "Hmmm" balloon= This is new here. Found in manga, or Japanese. A place maker where a character has just received a message, or piece of information but doesn't know how to react.
• Heart balloon= Word balloon shaped like a heart indicating love affection. Hugh Grant could use that in his movies.

When submitting comic book scripts, stables like DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Top Cow have certain guidelines to follow. Another thing I feel that needed to be addressed is that reading comics and graphic novels plays a part in writing them. Screenplays to start small, if you wish. I recommend that anyone up for the challenge of creating their own super hero or fantasy adventure need to do their homework and pick up books that give insight on this form of writing.

Happy Creations!

*Source: Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David.

*Dave A. Law. "How to Write a Full Script for a Comic Script." www.suite101.com Oct. 16, 2001

*Dave A. Law. "How to Format a Comic Script: Part 2." www.suite101.com. Oct. 30, 2001

  

The Big Brawl

The following post contains strong language and spoilers to a motion picture.

Conflict-(noun) a serious disagreement or arguement, typically a protracted one. (Verb) Be incompatible or at variance; clash.

Batman vs Predator by Andy Kubert

Conflict can come in many different forms. From Michael Keaton battling his substance abuse in Clean and Sober to the battle between the Caped Crusader and the Ultimate Hunter in the DC Comics/Dark Horse Comics crossover Batman vs Predator. Whichever way you put it all drama is conflict, it stands in the way of the protagonist accomplishing his goal. But it doesn't have to be limited to a single conflict: it comes from within and without. The protagonist might have to face obstacles that are arranged for him by his opponent and from within himself.

Conflict is boiled down to these three variations:

• Man vs Himself
• Man vs Man
• Man vs Nature

• Parental Conflict- *Comics' writer Peter David states that a staggering amount of literature focuses on the themes-and conflicts-stemming from father/son or mother/daugther relationships. That, or a substitute dynamic like teacher/pupil or master/apprentice. The Star Wars franchise focuses on such relationships: Obi-wan/Anakin, Luke/Obi-wan, Luke/Yoda, Luke/Anakin (Darth Vader), Luke/Rey, and finally Luke/Ben (Kylo Ren).

When dabbling in parental conflict one has to think that parent/child relationships are the most important aspect of our lives, be it ourselves to our parents or parents to their own children. We writers find new ways to tap into this emotional vein, and connect with readers on some levels.

*On the matter of conflict, it helps to clue the reader early on what the main character is dealing with. Wait halfway through your story to give readers at least a sense what challenges await the hero and they're going to get impatient.

*Another thing to keep in mind is to keep the conflicts small. Anyone who's read team books like Thunderbolts and Young Justice can tell you about how the writers kept the conflicts as small as possible. Mr. David points out that small equals real because the conflicts most people have to face on a daily basis involve family, friends and the like. These are the conflicts that have meaning to readers. The closer to home you can make your conflict, the more resonance it's going to have.

Now... for the Three Basic Conflicts!

Man vs Man- Ain't nothing like a good ol' fashion one-on-one between two individuals in the squared circle. In the words of Optimus Prime: "One shall stand, one shall fall." Two men in opposition to the other for the same goal, but only one can get it. So they duke it out! This can be told in a lot of ways.

Highlander starring Christopher Lambert and Clancey Brown is a prime example of Man vs Man. They've fought and struggled throughout history to reach the time of the Gathering, where the few who are left will fight to be the last. Now Connor Macleod and The Kurgan face off in a battle in which there can be only one! Y'know, because there can be only one?

Man vs Himself- In some stories, a hero's greatest opponent can often be himself. Overcoming a weakness, an addiction, or a traumatic experience. In order to fulfill his/her destiny, the main character must battle internal forces that plague them in their quest. What's tricky about internal conflict is that it has to be handled carefully when showing the hero's weakness so the reader doesn't get the impression that he or she is a total whiner.

Recalling the novel Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca, it addressed the main character's sexual assault that was the catalyst for her internal conflict. As she and other survivors ward off a viral epidemic, she must deal with the emotional scars left from the assault.

Man vs Nature- Humans have always been at odds with the great forces of nature. Like say, a volcano, a tornado, tidal wave, you name it, we would come face-to-face with nature and lose. And all we can do is stay the hell out the way or survive. Herman Melville's Moby Dick is an illustration of it.

The Shallows starring Blake Lively is another fine example of man vs nature. The protagonist (Lively) is out enjoying a peaceful time at a private beach in Latin America. It's all sun and surf until she gets bitten by a great white shark. Stranded only 200 yards away from shore, her survival depends on her resourcefulness, ingenuity, and fortitude. After swimming to a buoy and getting stung by a jellyfish, it comes down to the final showdown between the main character and the shark.


With all the basic conflicts addressed, let's move on to conflict in teams.

What spawns this kinda conflict are mutual frustrations, arguments, and friction. *Mr. David points out that the essence of drama is conflict which is essential to story telling. Looking at the original Thunderbolts, let's consider that the entire group is made up of opposites. Each person has someone who's a polar opposite. Citizen V (Baron Zemo) who's the leader of the group and strategist vs Meteorite (Moonstone) the second-in-command who's psychology expertise allows her to keep the team down on an emotional/psychological scale, although she has betrayed him a time or two. M.A.C.H. 1 (Beetle) whose confidence is an opposite of Songbird's (Screaming Mimi) timid approach and trust issues. Atlas (Goliath) who can grow to a colossal size in action as Techno (The Fixer) battles with his tech-pack. There's also the "Outsider" of the team. The youngest member Jolt who doesn't have a criminal past but she's been the "heart" of the 'Bolts.

There are two things to keep in mind about creating conflict in teams. One is to look for real differences and the other is to keep it simple. The Fantastic Four are an example of differences. Mr. Fantastic uses his intellect to solve problems vs. Thing's solving them with his fists. Invisible Woman is the nurturing mother type of the group as her brother Human Torch is fiery and takes point in every dangerous situation.

Also when creating conflict in teams, start small and keep it simple with whoever you write into your team. Have their personal traits, tics, way of thinking be a polar opposite to the other person. Tea drinker vs Coffee drinker. Patient vs impatient. Rich vocabulary vs slang.

Happy Creations!

*Writing for Comics & Graphic Novels with Peter David pg. 62-82. 

Movies and Books that Inspired my Writing

Hello all Black Thursday/Friday survivors!

I'm back on the blogging horse to answer one of the most simple writing questions...What inspired my comics?

Considering how I wrote my "first" piece of fiction off the top of my head, I've no idea. In the years of writing my comics I came to realize some aspects came from books, movies and comics. Here are the following.



1) The Howling (1981)

2) Blood & Chocolate

3) Darkman (1990)

4) The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs




















5) The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

And there you have it. My top inspirations for fiction friends.

Source for Creating Characters: Yourself.

Your first, best source for characters is your own personality.

Writing For Comics & Graphic Novels with Peter David, page 46

When creating characters for your stories the greatest challenge is making them "real". Personality traits. Flaws. Character tics. Take your pick. But did you know you can add something really cool to your characters...Yourself.

Well, not all of yourself into them. Just bits and pieces. Your past to your experiences as a high school teacher. We writers invest aspects of ourselves to create identifiable characters in a manner of ways. For instance, Diana Rowland has poured in all her years in law enforcement for her Kara Gillian series, giving it the realism not all crime solving/urban fantasy books have. Comics icon Stan Lee would tell you about the "origin" of Spider-Man from his teenage years when he was, to a degree, a lonely kid desperate for acceptance.

When writing my own stories, I've plucked a few things from my own personality to add to my characters, and some were without even knowing it. I named a character Andre McDyess ("Andre" short for my name; McDyess after former NBA player Antonio McDyess). Plus, I gave him five percent of my sense of humor. My superheroine in a comic book series was crafted from my experiences in a US History course at a community college, and I equipped her with some of my own quirks, like coffee and Pop Tarts for breakfast when on the go. Sorry, no super powered mayhem involved. One of my most flawed aspects I'm not proud of is being a smart ass. That's what I share with another one of my characters because let's face it, we all have that one friend or relative who'll shoot his/her mouth off.

The more honest you are about yourself, the more you can give readers something to identify with in terms of characterization.

What's his name again?

What's in a name? that we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet

Sound familiar?

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

Today I share a daunting experience in writing that, like most of my peers, have endured during the process. Character names. When I started writing my graphic novel, I didn't have a clue as to how to pitch my project to a comics publisher and which writing group can look at my work. Hell, I didn't know where I get my character names from.

I stumbled upon up to several naming websites and found behindthename.com which has information on every name across the planet. What blew my mind was how my protagonist, Rhea Ortiz, has a unique meaning behind her name. According to the website Rhea's a latinized form of Greek. In Greek mythology she was a titan, the wife of Cronus, and the mother of Zeus, Hera, Hades, Demeter and Hestia. Also, in Roman mythology Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

And with that I chose Behind the Name as my source for naming characters.

Where do you go for naming your "children"?

#MayWritingChallenge Weekly Report #3

Good morning and we're back with more #MayWritingChallenge progress by none other than, moi.

 Can you believe the month's almost over?

I can honestly say it's been rather a slow progression for me when I came back to Twitter's Monthly Writing Challenge after four in a half months of college courses. But that's the beauty of it. Progression is what you make of it in the work you do, friends.

All right, now. Let's take a look at my Week 3 results.

Day 15-1,336 words in 35 minutes. I wasted five minutes being distracted by social media and made up for it. Slow but I can't argue with what I put down.

Day 16-Took another 30 minute sprint for improvement. The result was 1,543 words.

Day 17-1,788 in 30 minutes.

Day 18-90 minutes of writing Wednesday night.

Day 19-1 hour & 16 minutes of writing.

Day 20-15 minute sprint. A little slow but I plowed through and finished with 2,447 words a little before midnight.

Day 21-2 hours of writing. I can see the finish line for the second issue of my WIP.

What's the takeaway from the past week? Keep trying those writing sprints. I know I can be a slow writer most of the time, but it's important to keep on to not only carve out a word count, but to improve your speed on the keyboard. Distractions are a given, yes. You just have to push through them with whatever the time you take for writing. For this week I'll take another shot at writing 30 minutes to improve my words per minute and move on to the next comic book script.

That's a wrap for my weekly writing challenge report. I'll catch ya'll cats at the end of the month!

Writing Habits: The 90 minute Session.

Since I jumped aboard the #writingchallenge group in June, I've developed some writing habits that have become helpful while jumping back on the saddle.

I know some people can't spare the time due to not "having the time" to sit down and write because of various reasons like day job demands or wishing they have time to write.

How do I handle such diversions outside the craft? Take at least an hour & thirty minutes (90 minutes) a day to write. Did I hear somebody in the third row say "90 minutes? But I can't spare that kind of time to write my paranormal romance novel in a month with just 90 minutes a day." Yes you can.

If there's anything I learned from my writing challenge compatriots is that it's not about the numbers, it about the daily commitment. During my writing sessions I carved out a word count of 2k and the results are amazing.

When writing for just 90 minutes, you're developing good writing habits on days you just want to lay off and binge through Netflix, or in my case, a comic book collection.

Now for what the experience has taught me, it's the following essentials every writer needs:

1. Commitment. That's what the challenge is about. You're not only putting down the words per page, you're building a sense of commitment to your project as you take an hour & thirty minutes of your time to write.
2. Accountability. Like any writer, I try to set a personal goal to hit high word count. But at times when I don't, I take a look at my shortcoming(s) and take it as a lesson for when I get back to the next session.
3. Have Fun with It. Yes. That's what I do when doing my writing sessions: have fun. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but the basic essential here is to enjoy every minute of telling the story you want to tell, friend.

Now before you say you'd love to take 90 minutes to write that novel or what-have-you, but can't spare the time, make the time. See what the results come from it. Let your writing discipline build as well your word count.

Happy Creations!