Crucible: arena of conflict
What binds the two combatants together?
Thriller
- Reason the bad guy keeps going
- Is not going to give up
Moral or professional duty to continue (eg police, detective)
Eg The Odd Couple
- Friends but very different
- Felix is suicidal as his wife has left him
- Oscar, as his friend, it the one who agrees to keep an eye on him
Location
- Casablanca
- Misery – variation, he is incapable of leaving
Self
- Can`t escape yourself
Write your novel from the middle
- James Scott Bell
Midpoint (of story, may not actually be)
A look in the mirror
- Who am I?
- What have I become?
- What MUST I become?
Or
- I am probably going to die
- Look at self, find inner strength to carry on
In a movie, go to the mid point of time and have a look around
Casablanca
- Rick drunk, has remembered Paris
- Midpoint is when Ilsa walks in
- She tries to explain why she left him
- He insults her and she leaves
- He has a moment of loathing himself, put his head down on the table etc
- Point where he looks at himself, what he has become – decides what he wants to be
- Goes on to sacrifice himself
The Fugitive
- Kimball in hotel
- Police arrive, he thinks it is for him
- Another man is arrested for drug dealing
- Breaks down, realisation that he can`t win
- Has to find inner strength to keep going
Lethal weapon
- Gibson playing suicidal cop, doesn’t have strength kill himself, so keeps getting into dangerous situations
- Danny Glover about to retire, wants to stay alive
- Midpoint is discussion after Gibson goes to dinner with Glover`s family
- Opens up – the only thing he has ever been good at is killing people
- Film is about the transformation of that character back into society
Looking at books, turn to the middle
Gone with the Wind
- Scarlet is looking at Tara, realising that Tara is worth fighting for
- Accepts the challenge to fight
The Hunger Games
- Katniss is having a moment
- Accepting that she is about to die
Character psychology before the story begins:
Moral flaw to be overcome?
Ordinary person getting hammered by circumstances?
Becoming
- Transforming
- Becoming stronger