Story Line

by Jennifer Grisanti

  ~ Stephen A. Brennan

  Many of you are still in the pursuit of your life goals and others of you have achieved them. Some of you have given up trying. The achievement of a goal, as I mentioned earlier, gives us a purpose. We are striving to attain something. When we are young and fresh out of school, we feel like we can conquer the world. Why do we feel this way? One of the reasons could be tied to the fact that we graduated from school. When we started our first day of school, graduating seemed almost impossible. The idea of all of the hours of work ahead of us was daunting. Yet, in the moment of the achievement, we became empowered. We were filled with the light and the possibility of what the future could hold for us. We were fueled by the idea that we could do it if we just set our mind to it. We were willing to dream big.

  Somewhere along the way, many of our lights grow dimmer. You get humbled by reality. You take different paths for things like security and advancement, which sometimes, depending on your life circumstance, can outweigh the importance of your dream because you have to put food on the table, raise the kids, and provide shelter. If our light dims, can we reignite it? I believe that as long as we’re here, we can make anything happen. Our dream may have gotten lost in the shuffle of life. Why not try looking for it and thinking back to that moment of achievement when you graduated from elementary school, high school, or college? You can go into that moment and figure out how to utilize it now. If you can capture the innocence from it, mix it with faith and the wisdom that you have from the highs and lows you’ve gone through, and put it into action, anything is possible.

  In his book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill reflects on the formula for success that Charles M. Schwab, the founder of Bethlehem Steel, used in pursuit of his dream. Napoleon Hill singles out the following ingredients that Schwab used: Form an idea, mix it with faith, formulate a plan, put plan into action, follow through with persistence, prepare the way for success with a burning desire.

  I love this because of the key words that it tapped on: idea, imagination, faith, plan, persistence, decision, and burning desire. What if you were to think of all these concepts? Think back to your goals when you were too young to recognize the obstacles and went after what you wanted in life. I believe that when you mix faith with an idea and utilize your imagination, you’re already headed in the right direction. You add to this by setting up a plan. Think about a goal that you had long ago and devise a plan to make it happen. Then, add persistence to your plan and a burning desire to attain the goal. What is the worst that can happen? Wouldn’t you rather fail and at least have the knowledge that you tried? When I feel like I am in a walking sleep and going through the motions, I love to wake myself up and enlighten the spirit within. We are only on this earth for a small amount of time, yet we can leave our tracks in a big way if we choose to do so.

  I like to encourage adapting goals in life, because I know, for writers, this will inform their writing. If you are not out there living—by this I mean fully going at life with everything in you and giving 100%—you will not have as big a well to draw from when you’re writing. I mentioned earlier that when that Olympian luger was killed practicing for the attainment of his goal, it had such a profound effect on everyone who watched. Emotions welled up inside because we all know what it is to put hours upon hours into something. To know that he never got his moment to see this dream through breaks our hearts. For many of us, it represented the death of a dream. In his case, there was no choice. In yours, there is. You can decide to reignite the passion that you had for your dream at one time. You can make it happen.

  With this in mind, think of President Barack Obama. If we were to think about his life journey from the time he graduated college to hearing a nation chanting “Yes we can” after he won the presidency, we see that dreams do come true and what may appear to be impossible in fact, is possible. The fact that he won represented the passion inside all of us. I remember being at the celebration in Century City that night that he was elected. After he won, there was a celebratory feeling of elation that is difficult to capture in words. The room was electric. His dream represented the dream inside each one of us. The public attainment of watching Obama achieve his dream, fueled hope in all of us. No matter what your politics are, I believe his winning was a universal moment for everyone because we recognize the work that has to go into achieving that kind of life moment. We can all connect with the achievement of a dream. The next day, I remember sitting at a restaurant and listening to other customers talk about it. It was the topic of conversation at every table. There was a universal feeling that ignited something in everyone who viewed it. There was magic in the air. The words “Yes we can” spoke to all of us.

  Another public attainment of a dream in which many found inspiration is when Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director and Best Picture awards at the Oscars for the movie The Hurt Locker. It represented the dream inside every woman watching her that anything is possible. She was the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director in 82 years. This was an enormous victory, not only for her, but for everyone watching. What she accomplished in her vision of The Hurt Locker and bringing Mark Boal’s brilliant words to life earned every moment that came her way. The fact that she is so gracious and so humble with this achievement makes it even more heartfelt. She is in full stride. She is a strong example that the dream inside can still happen. Her story is empowering to all who are in pursuit of a creative dream.

  These public examples show us that anything is possible. In our pursuit, we are often our own worst enemy. Self-doubt, low self-esteem, past experiences, rejection, fear of failure are just a few things that get in our way. We tell ourselves that “it’s too late.” Yet, as long as you’re above ground, it’s never too late. Abundance can be yours if you go after it. It may be more difficult than when you were young and first starting out, but what you have now that you didn’t have then is wisdom. You know that you can fall and you can get back up again. You know that you have the tools to move past something. You know that if the fire is still inside, there is a way to utilize it and put the dream back into action. The page is such a beautiful place to go to when we are making plans to achieve our dreams. As a writer, if you’re not out there pursuing life to its fullest, you will not have depth in your writing. If you want to find your gold, you have to be willing to shoot for the moon as well as embrace the fall if it comes.

  When I first started my career, I remember going to a book signing for How to Make a Good Script Great by Linda Seger. I went up to get the book signed. I was a junior level executive at the time. When I reached the front of the line, I said, “I want to do what you do. I work in television.” She looked at me and said, “You can’t do what I do yet. I have 20 years of experience.” I felt like my hope was shattered in that moment. Yet, cut to the present and I totally understand exactly what Linda was saying. I was not in the place to pursue what she was doing because I was still building my foundation. I needed to put in the time analyzing story before I could be an expert on the topic like she was. It was a valuable life moment for me. It also makes me realize that doing what I am currently doing was my dream from the beginning. Succeeding in the corporate world was my way here.

  Since I am able to see this clearly, I recognize that it was my perceived fall from grace that put me back on my authentic path. I can look back with gratitude. However, when I was in the experience of the transition, I had to embrace this experience as well. I had to heal. I had to rebuild my inner spirit and go after a goal I had set long ago, to be an author and teacher of writing. After I spent my time reconnecting with self and bonding with the idea that now, anything is possible, I just had to put a plan into action. I felt a tremendous relief. I felt a freedom. I revisited the side of self that was 22 years old and graduating from USC and I was ready to shoot for the moon again. My falls along the way had not extinguished my fire. Instead, they made the flame burn even brighter than it had before the fall.

  In the pursuit of my goal
of setting up my company, I had the support and vision of a few dear friends in the business. One was Melinda Moore. She was a high-level marketing executive at the time. She told me that I should do consulting. She introduced me to my website designer, Suzie Roth of Suzie Roth Designs. Suzie was the best investment that I made when I started my business. Then, I had lunch with a close friend, Andy Elkin, an agent at CAA. He encouraged me to pursue the business. He said that since the writers strike was going on, I could afford to take six months and give this a try. He set up a meeting with me and a business development executive, Brian Weinstein, at CAA. It was all these moments combined that helped me believe I could put a plan into action and I could make it work. My foundation gave me the credibility and my circle of resources helped to fuel my belief in self and the idea that anything is possible. I went from feeling like my world had crashed in on me when I was told my contract was not being picked up, to a whole new chapter beginning. It took going to this place to create the new goal and write my way into my next chapter of life.

  When you go through something like I did, you suddenly become an expert on what it is to go through a fall. This leads to other people connecting with your journey and seeking answers. This is what our life is all about. We experience our falls, we rebuild, we learn new tools to heal and we pass our story on to others. We inspire those who are beginning the transition process to know that they will be okay and to reconnect with self as a way to know what to do next. We are so much stronger than we know. We have so much more strength inside than we ever guessed. If we have the courage to go inside, we will reap the rewards. Our connection with self is our greatest gold of all. It is this relationship that builds our voice. Our voice is what connects us.

  One afternoon, while sitting with a dynamic young woman, Christine Hassler, author of the book 20 Something, 20 Everything: A Quarter-Life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction, we got on the topic of what connects us to others. I told Christine that I truly believe that my failures are what connect me to others. My failures humanize me. Looking at failure as a building block instead of a fall or the end has made me come into the awareness that anything is possible. Going from being on staff and working for others and often hearing the words “No, you can’t do it” and entering the world of being self-employed and discovering that the words “Yes, you can” are much more a part of this experience is something that we shared. We really bonded over our shared experiences of working in the entertainment industry. Christine had left the corporate world, where she was an agent at the young age of 25, before me. She went on to redefine herself in a way that has inspired many young women. She is a consultant, author, and life coach who is a prime example of taking her life experiences and putting them into an authentic direction that works for her.

  If you did not achieve your life goal, go into what this experience is. Not achieving it may have led you down a different path that had its own rewards. In the beginning of life, we set our goals based on our perspective of what we know at that point in life. As we travel down our path, what once may have seemed like the perfect life goal could change. It changes as we change. Our goals evolve as our life evolves. Our purpose reveals itself as we go through the highs and lows and figure out what balance is best to make our life work. Our picture may not be what we thought it would be or what others thought it would be, but there is beauty in all of it because our experiences are the colors and flavors in our story. They are the truth behind our mosaic. There is beauty in all of our stories. It just exposes itself in different ways. Our pains and sorrows are not that different and they are what connect us to our possibility. I encourage you to bond with yourself and understand what you desire at your core. Do not be afraid to make it happen. It is never too late to pursue a dream. You can get out of your own way and turn your obstacles into fuel.

  EXERCISE

  Look back at your goals from when you were a young child on. What did you think you wanted to be between the ages of five and ten? What did you think you wanted to be when you graduated? Cut to five years out of school: How did your goals change? Did your path lead you away from an authentic goal or did it lead you toward a goal that revealed itself in a different way? How do you feel about goals at this point in your life? Are you still in pursuit of them? Do you believe that you can attain them? In your story lines, do you believe that your central character can attain his/her/ goal? My guess is that you do. So, draw from your inspiration on the page and bring it into your life just as you draw from your life and bring it to the page. You will see results. You will add depth to your experience.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  DOES YOUR CENTRAL CHARACTER ACHIEVE HIS/HER GOAL? IF SO, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? IF NOT, HOW DOES IT CHANGE YOUR CHARACTER?

  None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.

  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

  In your story lines, does your central character achieve the goal? In episodic television, the goal does need to be achieved. In features, sometimes the goal is not achieved. The key is showing the change in your character as a result of the journey. What does his/her world look like if the goal is not achieved? It is fascinating that the goal being achieved is a key component in most successful stories. When we watch others accomplishing their goal in story, it fulfills and empowers us to believe. At the core, this is the beauty of story. Set a goal, add a dilemma, obstacles, escalating obstacles, turning point, “all is lost” moment, resolution, and you have the ingredients of a story that could affect your audience and take them into your vision. You want your audience to see what you see. This is your goal as a writer.

  Once your character does achieve the goal, you want to make sure that you see a shift in what the world was before the goal was achieved and what it is after the goal was achieved. You can show this visually and with the behavior of your character. If you set up your goal correctly, there were strong obstacles and the stakes were high, so the achievement of the goal represents a change. Make sure that you express this change. To go into this, think about all the moments in your life when you achieved something of significance. What were some of the emotions in your achievement? Think about how you can fictionalize these into the moment of your character where the goal is achieved.

  If your character does not achieve the goal, give us a sense of what this picture looks like. In 500 Days of Summer it is clear from the beginning that Tom’s goal is to get Summer back. In the end, he does not achieve his goal. However, he does change from the experience. Through his last meeting with Summer, after we see the effects of the breakup, he receives her answer as to why it wasn’t him. Before this, Tom tells her that she was right about love and that the idea of soul mates and fairy tales was all silly childhood nonsense. She tells him that she wasn’t right, Tom was right to believe. She tells him about the moment that she met her husband and that she knew then what she was never sure of with Tom. She tells Tom that he was the one who was right. It just wasn’t her that he was right about. This was a very clever approach to resolving the goal. Even though he didn’t achieve his goal of getting Summer back, he did realize that his belief system meant something. Then, he meets Autumn. It ends on a note of possibility. We can all connect with the feeling that we met “the one,” only to discover that they were “the one” in our eyes but not in their eyes. The best way to deal with this is to try again. I love this movie because of the depth of heart in the story that it tells. Hearing one of the writers, Scott Neustadter, speak about it on a panel, it was clear that he drew from a few of his relationship stories in his own life and fictionalized his truth into this beautiful story.

  Another example of seeing the initial goal achieved, even though he doesn’t get the girl, is in Up in the Air. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, we see Ryan’s character go from being detached into being open to the possibility of attachment. He does not achieve his goal in getting the girl but he does achieve his goals
of reaching ten million frequent flier miles and not getting “grounded” by his company. We visually see the change in his character through him going to see his girlfriend, Alex, at her home in Chicago, giving his sister and her husband a large amount of his frequent flier miles to go on a honeymoon, and giving a referral to his ex-colleague for her next job. All of these show us that his character has changed. This adds depth to the story line.

  When we see themes explored at two opposite ends of the barometer, we watch as the character goes through the transformation during the story. If we empathize for your character at the beginning, which is always a strong way to start your story, we hope they will be empowered and transformed through your story. When we can visually and emotionally feel the change, it fulfills us and connects us more to your vision. When you’re constructing your story lines, think of ways that you can have your character start the story in one way and show the change, if there is one, by the end. In some stories, there is absolutely no change in the character from beginning to end. However, the character or characters can still be affected by the journey.

  In television, the formula is that the goal should be achieved. The episodes that are the strongest are the ones that have powerful dilemmas and clear goals that you feel throughout the episode, and the ones where you understand the emotional stakes and obstacles that happen along the way. If you add a dilemma to the mix, the story line is even stronger. If the goal is unclear, your story will not work as well. You want your audience to understand from the beginning where they hope the plot will lead, and the key to this is the setup of your goal. When you’re watching television, start being conscious of identifying the goal at the beginning. Think about where the character starts before the goal, and what their world looks like after the goal. Notice the episodes that resonate the most with you. You will probably find that the clear setup made a big difference in your experience of the story line.