Discussing the key scenes every worldview novel should have, focusing on character growth, relatability, and emotional experience. Covering scenes challenging protagonist's beliefs, committing to wrong choices, and facing truth to drive personal growth
Worldview stories focus on characters transitioning to new understanding through external events.
Obligatory scenes in worldview novels move protagonists from point A to point B emotionally.
Deep dives
Key Scene 1: Protagonist's Worldview Challenged
One essential key scene in a worldview story is when the protagonist's worldview is challenged by an opportunity or circumstance that conflicts with their beliefs. For example, in the movie Juno, Juno's worldview is challenged when she discovers she is pregnant, forcing her to confront her notions of adulthood and responsibility.
Key Scene 2: Protagonist Commits to the Wrong Thing
Another crucial key scene involves the protagonist committing to the wrong thing, often pursuing their wants over their needs. In Juno, she decides to put her baby up for adoption to maintain her perceived freedom, overlooking her deeper emotional needs and the impact of her actions.
Key Scene 3: Protagonist Ignores the Truth
A pivotal moment occurs when the protagonist ignores the truth or lessons presented to them. In Juno, despite glimpses of reality, Juno chooses to overlook the flaws of those around her, clinging to her preconceived notions and avoiding necessary changes.
Key Scene 4: Protagonist Can't Avoid Change Anymore
As the story progresses, there comes a point where the protagonist can no longer evade the truth and must face the need for change. Juno reaches this realization when confronted with unexpected events that challenge her existing beliefs and priorities, pushing her towards transformation.
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every worldview story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:20] Worldview stories focus on a period of the main character’s life where he or she is transitioning from one significant state to another. These stories show how the external events of the plot affect a character in such a way that he or she must grow, change, and awaken to a new understanding of themselves, or the world around him or her. [02:30] Readers choose to read worldview novels because they are super relatable. Life doesn’t always give us what we want, right? We’ve all experienced some kind of “life problem” that has forced us to stop in our tracks and re-examine who we are and what we value in order to move forward. [03:45] Obligatory scenes are the key events, decisions, and discoveries that move a protagonist along their journey from point A to point B. They help us writers craft a story that works AND a story that will deliver a specific emotional experience. [05:40] Key scene #1: A scene in which the protagonist's worldview is challenged. [06:45] Key scene #2: A scene in which the protagonist commits to the wrong thing. [07:50] Key scene #3: A scene in which the protagonist sees the truth (either part or all of it) but chooses to ignore it. [09:00] Key scene #4: A scene in which the protagonist realizes they can't run from the truth anymore. They need to change if they want to move forward. [10:00] Key scene #5: A scene in which the protagonist embraces the truth. [11:00] Key scene #6: A scene in which the protagonist's loss of innocence is rewarded. [12:25] Key points and episode recap.
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