In today’s episode, I’m covering the key scenes that every status story needs. I’ve also included examples of how they show up in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[01:40] Status stories center around the protagonist’s inner need for respect that manifests as a specific desire to achieve or accomplish something in the external world.

[02:40] Readers of status stories want to feel hopeful that the protagonist will succeed. They want to read about someone who works hard to improve their situation–and they want to feel a sense of triumph when that person succeeds.

[04:20] 1- The protagonist becomes aware of an opportunity to rise in position.

[05:07] 2- The protagonist commits to pursuing this new opportunity, leaving their comfort zone or current circumstances to go after it.

[05:55] 3- The protagonist sees the true nature of the antagonist and/or learns what the antagonist wants and why.

[07:00] 4- The protagonist reaches an all-is-lost moment where the antagonist or rival takes the lead and/or destroys the protagonist’s chance at getting what they want. 

[08:00] 5- The protagonist faces the antagonist, and either gets what they want or redefines their definition of success to get what they need.

[09:05] 6- The protagonist is rewarded externally, internally, or both.

[09:50] Key points and episode recap

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Links mentioned in this episode:

• Episode Freebie: Status Genre Conventions PDF Cheat Sheet
• Click here to take the Fiction Writing Made Easier quiz to get your personalized podcast playlist!

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