The second section of my Premise Sheet template is drawn primarily from James Scott Bell's Write Your Novel From the Middle. It's just a tiny taste of the wisdom in that book, and it's become part of my process every time I plot a story.
JSB does a much beter job of explaining it that I'm about to, but basically the Golden Triangle consists of these three things:
- The Pre-story Psychology: This is a detailed account of the way your character thinks before they become involved in the story (I.E. before the Key Event). In other words, this is the psychological portion of their flawed status quo. For my favorite example monkey, Dr. Alan Grant, the pre-story psychology was simply disliking kids.
- The Mirror Moment: This is midpoint of your story, which unveils what the story is about on its deepest level. The Mirror Moment should highlight your theme, and tie into your story argument. The idea is that this moment is what makes it possible for the character to change. For Dr. Grant, this was the scene in the tree with the kids. (Personally, I think there's a distinction between the Midpoint and the Mirror Scene itself, but that's another post)
- The Transformation: This is a detailed account of the character's final state. It is the person they turn into after surviving the events of the story. It too highlights your theme, and in a sense it's the conclusion of your story argument. For Dr. Alan Grant, this was shown most clearly in the movie's denouement, where we see him and the others riding away in the helicopter, and his newly-forged bond with Hammond's grand kids is clear.
But why do this during plotting? Is it even possible?
When I write a story, I find that my Golden Triangle is in a constant state of evolution. I usually start with some idea how to fill this in, because if I've started developing a story I must have some notion of what I want it to be about, and the Golden Triangle is just a way of expressing what a story is about at a deep level. But sometimes I write scenes that show the characters doing something different, or I'll get to the midpoint, and realize that what I thought was the midpoint wasn't actually the strongest scene.
I think it's important to start with some version of a Golden Triangle, because these three ideas make up part of the foundation of any story. But don't be worried if things end up going in a different direction, that's all part of the fun.
The next Item JSB invites us to consider is the story's Death Stakes. In every story, the stakes need to be as high as possible, and JSB suggests phrasing them as some sort of "death" for the character.
The death stakes might be physical, as they are in most shoot-em-up action stories: if the antagonist wins, they will actually kill the protagonist. The death stakes could be professional, as they often are in courtroom dramas: if the protagonist lawyer doesn't win the case, their career is over. The death could also be psychological, as they often are in romance movies: the character will be dead inside if they can't be together.
However you choose to phrase them, make the stakes as high as possible. Nobody wants to read a story where nothing bad will happen if the hero loses.
The next Item JSB invites us to consider is the story's Death Stakes. In every story, the stakes need to be as high as possible, and JSB suggests phrasing them as some sort of "death" for the character.
The death stakes might be physical, as they are in most shoot-em-up action stories: if the antagonist wins, they will actually kill the protagonist. The death stakes could be professional, as they often are in courtroom dramas: if the protagonist lawyer doesn't win the case, their career is over. The death could also be psychological, as they often are in romance movies: the character will be dead inside if they can't be together.
However you choose to phrase them, make the stakes as high as possible. Nobody wants to read a story where nothing bad will happen if the hero loses.
In Middle, JSB also talks about the "pillars" of a story; crucial moments that support the overall structure. JSB isn't the first author to discuss them, and the terminology varies, but I call them the two Turning Points.
These are the scenes that take place at the transition from Act One to Act Two, and from Act Three to Act Four (if you're used to hearing about three act structure, take a look at my overview of Four Act Structure) Each of these points represents a "point of no return" for the characters; afterwards, nothing will ever be the same. Knowing what these are is a great way to start a story.
If you have an idea for a great scene--even if that's your only idea related to the story--see if you can't make it one of your Turning Points. The fact that it's already in your head is reason enough. If it came to you "unbidden and without method", chances are it highlights something important to you, so make it important.
If you're walking into this outline without any ideas for scenes, try to come up with a Golden Triangle first, then try to think of a couple of Turning Point scenes that can force your protagonist to face their flaws. What are they comfortable with? Throw the exact opposite at them.
The last item on this template is what I call "The Twist". This is not an M. Night Shyamalan twist, where everything before it turns out to have been pointless misdirection, but just the notion that after the Final Showdown, there's still time for one last surprise.
In the freelance project that led me to JSB, we were developing a series of novels. The structure we went for gave enough resolution at the end of a novel to satisfy the reader, but we threw in a little rising action right at the end, to help lead into the next book. We decided 90% resolved, 10% unresolved was the ideal ratio.
The Twist is not a necessary item in every story, it works best in a series. But it's welcome in any novel, because it provides a sense that the fun continues for the protagonist, even after the story is done.
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The Premise Sheet is usually the second template I fill out when plotting a story. It lays a firm foundation down, upon which I can build nearly anything. I hope you find it just as instructive.
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