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algy
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Bored
Web-sites, eh? Who'd wanna bother?
I'm trying to construct one and I just can't be bothered. So here I am avoiding it.
Question: After receiving feedback for a work in progress there has been only one universal comment: the first chapter is not as good as the rest. So, should the first chapter be brought up to the standard of the rest or should it be left so that the piece improves as it is read?
The first chapter is obviously very important. Those reviewing the piece were (mostly) happy with the initial stage before they'd read the later parts. Can they be trusted? Would they have stopped reaading if they weren't 'doing a favour'? One person said they would've stopped. The rest said they wouldn't.
Just how important is the beginning? I would say it was very important but not the be all and end all. By that I mean that I don't want to take things away from the later stages to give a boost to the first chapter. But if there's anywhere a boost is needed it's in the beginning. Swings and roundabouts...
Last edited by algy, 2/18/2008, 2:29 pm
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2/18/2008, 2:26 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Bored
quote:
algy wrote:
Web-sites, eh? Who'd wanna bother?
I'm trying to construct one and I just can't be bothered. So here I am avoiding it.
Question: After receiving feedback for a work in progress there has been only one universal comment: the first chapter is not as good as the rest. So, should the first chapter be brought up to the standard of the rest or should it be left so that the piece improves as it is read?
The first chapter is obviously very important. Those reviewing the piece were (mostly) happy with the initial stage before they'd read the later parts. Can they be trusted? Would they have stopped reaading if they weren't 'doing a favour'? One person said they would've stopped. The rest said they wouldn't.
Just how important is the beginning? I would say it was very important but not the be all and end all. By that I mean that I don't want to take things away from the later stages to give a boost to the first chapter. But if there's anywhere a boost is needed it's in the beginning. Swings and roundabouts...
From the consumer point of view only, the first chapter will be the first thing a prospective purchaser (agent, publisher etc) will read, and if it does not reflect how good your story is in the same quality as the later chapters apparently do, then you're on rocky ground - the reader may not get past the fist chapter so they won't see how good your following chapters are! This is how Hollywood script readers work: if they like the first 3 to 5 pages, they'll read on; if not, the script hits the waste basket! Whether or not novel readers (who are hired to read on behalf of busy agents and publishing execs) work in this same manner I don't really know, but I would assume they do rather than leaving it to chance.
Basically, I would argue that the first and last chapters of a novel, just the same as the first and last acts of a film or play, are the most important parts of a commercial story. The opening pulls in the audience and makes them stay; the ending allows them to leave however you want them to feel... happy, sad, whatever...
Hope I've helped... 
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2/18/2008, 3:05 pm
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algy
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Re: Bored
Doesn't build me a web-site though does it
Thanks for that. I'm pretty much in agreement.
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2/18/2008, 6:07 pm
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algy
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Re: Bored
Any tips on getting a synopsis down to one page?
I'm having a bash at it but I can't seem to decide what to leave out. I think it should be made clear exactly what happens in the story but I want to get some of the smaller details and more subtle events that impact greatly on the narrative. A dry list simply won't do but putting life into it just takes it over the edge.
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2/19/2008, 3:29 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Bored
quote:
algy wrote:
Any tips on getting a synopsis down to one page?
I'm having a bash at it but I can't seem to decide what to leave out. I think it should be made clear exactly what happens in the story but I want to get some of the smaller details and more subtle events that impact greatly on the narrative. A dry list simply won't do but putting life into it just takes it over the edge.
Aaghhhh Explaining how to write a one-page synopsis is difficult to get across in a coherent way. I always struggle to write them and it really is an art in itself, but here's my thinking.
The only function of a one-page synopsis is to get across the main spine of the story.
If you look at a story as a whole, and I'll use Jaws as an example, there is a definite storyline through its centre (the main spine, plot, or whatever you want to call it) that is surrounded by a less definite area which is made up of subplots and relationships of minor characters. The one page synopsis is this definite line. What I usually do is list the events along this definite line, so I'll give it a go with Jaws (and this is from memory so it may not be entirely accurate!!).
1) Body washed up on beach, Chief Brody (who is afraid of the ocean – a very important character flaw) investigates.
2) Coroner rules it a shark attack.
3) Brody closes off beaches.
4) Mayor Vaughan stops Brody from closing beaches by forcing coroner to change his conclusion to a boating accident.
5) Shark kills Kintner boy while Brody watches (this is the scene where Brody’s flaw is revealed).
6) Brody again plans to close the beaches but the Mayor again thwarts him at a public meeting by saying that it’ll only be for 24 hours.
7) During this public meeting Quint offers to kill the shark for a certain amount of money.
8) Mrs Kintner hits Brody, holding him personally responsible for her son’s death (This is important because it puts stress on Brody to do the right thing and I would have it in a synopsis if it fits, but arguably it could be dropped).
9) The shark expert Matt Hooper appears during a scene of mass hysteria as everybody with a boat goes out to catch the shark and claim the cash reward offered by the community.
10) The shark is caught. Everybody celebrates. The threat is over.
11) Brody and Hooper cut open the shark – it’s not the killer.
12) The shark attacks Brody’s eldest son, but he survives. The shark has made it personal and Brody now realises that he’s going to have to face his fear of the ocean and go out and kill it himself. (This moment of realisation is shown brilliantly through the image of Brody staring out at the open ocean. This is the midpoint of the story where Brody goes from passive to active).
13) In the hospital with his son, Brody finally conquers the dithering Mayor Vaughan (this actively shows Brody’s move from passive to active).
14) Brody hires Quint to take him out to sea. Hooper tags along.
15) In a final battle, the shark kills Quint and sinks his boat, and Brody manages to kill it. He and Hooper swim back to shore – Brody has finally conquered his fear of the ocean.
Only the relationships and interactions that have a direct effect on the main plot need be shown. Even the woman swimming at the beginning isn’t really necessary as it is the discovery of her body that kick-starts Brody’s quest.
Fitting all of this into one page will be problematic, and when completed it will seem crude, bland, one-dimensional and you will hate it (although as a writer you will attempt to make it flow as best you can), but unfortunately that’s the nature of the one-page synopsis. It is an important tool that will help sell your story, so unfortunately they are very popular with agents, publishers, producers etc. They tell the main story quickly and efficiently, and also as a writing tool help you keep focussed when you write a treatment, which I can guarantee will be the most valuable writing tool you will use.
Hope I've helped...
Last edited by Edge44, 2/21/2008, 1:12 pm
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2/21/2008, 1:07 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Bored
Jaws. Classic 
... and timely. RIP Roy Scheider.
With some minor differences, those look like just my old A Level lecture notes on JAWS' structure, Edge: those are precisely the key narrative events in that film.
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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2/21/2008, 1:21 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Bored
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
Yes indeed. I've always felt that he was an underrated actor, but this may be because of his choice in projects later in his career.
His work throughout the 1970s is consistently good: MARATHON MAN, JAWS, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE SEVEN-UPS. Even into the 1980s, he appeared in some pretty good films: 52 PICK UP, BLUE THUNDER.
quote:
Jaws is a big favourite of mine and I've analysed it endless times, needless to say I have it memorised pretty well. It's just a great movie to use to teach story structure, when I get a chance to teach, that is
You'd be surprised how many young 'uns haven't seen JAWS. That's why I stopped using it in my A Level classes: during the space of around five years, the percentage of students in any given group who had seen the film went from around 90% to something like 15 or 20%. And then you'll always get the wildcard 5% who moan because they'd rather discuss BRIDGET JONES' DIARY instead
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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2/21/2008, 5:37 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Bored
quote:
Fitzgerald Fortune wrote:
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
Yes indeed. I've always felt that he was an underrated actor, but this may be because of his choice in projects later in his career.
His work throughout the 1970s is consistently good: MARATHON MAN, JAWS, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE SEVEN-UPS. Even into the 1980s, he appeared in some pretty good films: 52 PICK UP, BLUE THUNDER.
quote:
Jaws is a big favourite of mine and I've analysed it endless times, needless to say I have it memorised pretty well. It's just a great movie to use to teach story structure, when I get a chance to teach, that is
You'd be surprised how many young 'uns haven't seen JAWS. That's why I stopped using it in my A Level classes: during the space of around five years, the percentage of students in any given group who had seen the film went from around 90% to something like 15 or 20%. And then you'll always get the wildcard 5% who moan because they'd rather discuss BRIDGET JONES' DIARY instead
BRIDGET JONES' DIARY!! You're kidding?
I'm not surprised really that many young kids haven't seen JAWS. With the spectacle of today's ultra-real special effects, the old greats get overlooked. But for a student studying film studies or scriptwriting, I thinks it's a must-see film
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2/22/2008, 9:22 am
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Bored
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
quote:
Fitzgerald Fortune wrote:
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
Yes indeed. I've always felt that he was an underrated actor, but this may be because of his choice in projects later in his career.
His work throughout the 1970s is consistently good: MARATHON MAN, JAWS, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE SEVEN-UPS. Even into the 1980s, he appeared in some pretty good films: 52 PICK UP, BLUE THUNDER.
quote:
Jaws is a big favourite of mine and I've analysed it endless times, needless to say I have it memorised pretty well. It's just a great movie to use to teach story structure, when I get a chance to teach, that is
You'd be surprised how many young 'uns haven't seen JAWS. That's why I stopped using it in my A Level classes: during the space of around five years, the percentage of students in any given group who had seen the film went from around 90% to something like 15 or 20%. And then you'll always get the wildcard 5% who moan because they'd rather discuss BRIDGET JONES' DIARY instead
BRIDGET JONES' DIARY!! You're kidding?
I'm not surprised really that many young kids haven't seen JAWS. With the spectacle of today's ultra-real special effects, the old greats get overlooked. But for a student studying film studies or scriptwriting, I thinks it's a must-see film
John and I have always said that if we were allowed to interview the students on the A Level Media Studies and Film Studies courses before they enrolled (which, of course, is anathemical to the college ), we would ask them questions that would gauge their interest in the topic and their open-mindedness, if you like. (For example, I've always said that the first few questions should be 'What was the last black and white film you saw?', 'What was the last foreign film you saw?' and 'What's your favourite film made before 1980?') It's clear that a lot of the students enrol on the courses because they see them as a 'doss', and because they've got no interest in the subject and no intention of doing any hard work (and their ego has taught them to value their opinion over hard research) they invariably end up struggling, switching off whenever they're asked to discuss something they might not like (can you imagine a class in which students are asked to look at a sequence from JAWS and some of them assert, 'It's boring'? It happens), and as a result where the students should end up widening their horizons they often retrench into their own firmly-established tastes. (The A Level English Literature staff have said exactly the same thing too.)
Last edited by Fitzgerald Fortune, 2/22/2008, 7:18 pm
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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2/22/2008, 7:14 pm
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