You’re in the right place if you want to:

-      Learn how to create iconic story moments

-      Understand why these scenes are so powerful

-      Know which 3 story elements are critical to plotting a powerful moment

-      Stu up your iconic plot moment to cue all the feels without plotting or outlining

What is a grand gesture? It demonstrates:

-      The hero is willing to face a fear

-      And making a choice to fulfill a need

-      that bring them positive change

-      on the other parties love language

The requirements for a grand gesture story scene

-      the hero realizes what they fear most

-      they recognize that pursuing the need is more important than satisfying their want

-      they face their growth-relevant fear

-      they embrace being vulnerable

-      they chose need over want

Then they can communicate their commitment to transformation with a grand gesture

It’s not just about the memorable moment - big, flashy, stands out in your mind

It’s about the Memorable Moment – like the scene from the  movie ‘Say Anything’ – Not the Grand Gesture Plot Point

Romance is Optional

The Three Powerhouse Story Elements

-      fear

-      need

-      turning point decision

Plan your grand gesture with a line lib – and start crafting your story without plotting, outlining or writing a synopsis

Why we care about grand gestures?

Great stories are about transformation

-      They are about characters: feelings + personal evolution + glimpses of

ourselves

(our grand gesture examples are the movies: Pretty Woman & Avatar)

         Pretty Woman: limo scene & Avatar: wheelchair bound war vet)

Story Elements that enable a grand moment

-      #1: Fear (the character trait that all other elements are based on)

Fear is a specific experience that the character wants to avoid –

And always rooted in backstory

         Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman) - external fear is heights/falling

                 Internal fear is losing control of his personal life

                          Used wealth as a shield

         Jake Sully (Avatar) – internal fear (early part of movie) is losing sense

of self – craves feeling useful

                 Internal fear (2nd half of movie): losing newfound/chosen family

                 Late movie he finds an external cause bigger than himself

-      #2: Need: the thing they must do to become their transformed self

Stems from an emotional experience they are lacking that would give them true happiness or peace

         Edward Lewis needs to allow himself to be emotionally vulnerable

                 By valuing people more than wealth

         Jake Sully needs to feel part of something special

By protecting the Na’vi from the RDA’s invasion (and bring positive change)

-      #3: Turning Point Decision: must be built on fear and need

Three Types of Change Arcs:

Growth – Protagonists

Flat – Supporting Characters

Fall – Antagonist

#3 Turning Point Decision

In the protagonist’s journey, there are four acts with five levels of growth between acts marking the rise and fall between acts

1 – 25%

-- decision based on fear

2 – 0%

-- decision mixed with fear

3 – 50%

-- need recognized and accepted

4 – 75%

-- decision based on need

5 – 100%

The Turning Point Decision is the moment in a character’s growth arc where they actively choose to:

1 Face their dear, and

2 Fulfill their need

3 and try to become a better version of themselves

Note: This is usually paired with a personal risk or sacrifice

The Turning point spring from the fear into the transformation

Example:

         Edward Lewis chooses to partner with Mr. Morse

                 Rather than prey on his company

                 He sacrifices guarantee profits for financial risk

                 He sacrifices a decades-long partnership with his head attorney

                 He drops a toxic relationship that was stunting his growth

Jake Sully chooses to stay on Pandora and become Na’vi

         Rather than return to earth for leg surgery

                 Risks losing his job, his mobility, and his life

                 Jake’s decision illustrates he recognized the change in himself

How to script a grand gesture

The Grand Gesture Line Lib:

___ (character name) ___ (willing faces this specific …) ___ (… and relevant fear) to (fulfill …) ___ (… this specific need that brings positive change) (in this specific way that speaks to other party’s love language)

Pretty Woman: Edward Lewis faces his fear of heights and climbs the fire escape (her “castle”) to woo Vivian and show that he respects her as a person because HER fantasy is to be rescued by a white night

Avatar: Jake Sully risks death to tame toruk and petition the Na’vi to help them defend their land from the RDA invasion because the coming of Toruk Makto fulfills one of their ancestral prophecies

How to Practice What You’ve Learned

Identify the protagonist’s fear

Figure out their emotional need

Choose the turning point decision

Find the right Grand Gesture

Fill in the Line Lib Template

More Story-smithing

Beef up your hero’s backstory

The Story Snapshot Method

htts://hi.suebrownemoore.com/DW-DL-PS22

online university: Storysmith U

book: Story Snapshot Method