#9: Value Shifts: The Quickest Way to Determine if a Scene Works
May 5, 2020
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Learn how value shifts can help you create impactful scenes and a better story outline. Discover the main value at stake in different genres and how to turn low impact scenes into meaningful ones. Explore the importance of internal and external changes in scenes and how value shifts can help weed out unproductive scenes. Dive into next level value shifts to create a compelling story that keeps readers engaged.
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Quick takeaways
Value shifts are crucial in every scene, creating a mini arc of change.
Analyzing both the external plot and internal changes strengthens the overall story and engages readers.
Deep dives
Value shifts and planning your story
Value shifts are important in every scene of your story. Each scene should have a mini arc of change, starting positively and ending negatively or vice versa. When planning your story, consider the global genre and the main value at stake. This will help you shape the arc of change in your scenes and ensure that they contribute to the overall storyline. For example, in a romance story, the value at stake is love, so each scene should move the protagonist closer to or further away from love. By aligning each scene with the global value spectrum, you can create a meaningful and impactful story.
Value shifts in editing and adding layers
During the editing phase, it's important to analyze the arc of change in each scene. Ensure that there is a meaningful arc of change and consider both the external and internal shifts. This means examining the external plot and the internal arc of change within the protagonist. By combining both internal and external changes, you can elicit positive and negative feelings in readers, creating a sense of narrative drive. Additionally, adding layers to your story by exploring the external and internal changes in each scene strengthens the overall story and enhances the reader's experience.
Key points on value shifts
Some key points to remember about value shifts are: 1) Every scene should have a mini arc of change, starting positively and ending negatively or vice versa. 2) Understanding the global genre and the main value at stake helps shape the value shifts in each scene. 3) Value shifts can be seen as positive and negative answers to the global story question. 4) During the editing phase, consider both the external and internal value shifts in each scene to craft a compelling story. By keeping these key points in mind, you can effectively utilize value shifts to write and edit a story that resonates with readers.
In today's episode, we're going to talk about value shifts. Specifically, how understanding the concept of value shifts can help you write an edit a story that works. Here's a preview:
[01:10] What are value shifts and why do I need to care about them? [01:40] What does it mean to create a mini-arc of change in each scene? [02:10] How value shifts can help you create a better story outline and write impactful scenes that work. [03:50] Each genre has a core value at stake. For example, in a romance novel, the main value at stake is love. The protagonist stands to lose or gain love. [04:50] What should you do once you know the main value at stake in your story? [05:50] How to turn a low impact scene into a meaningful scene that works. [06:40] You can also think of story values as mini-answers to your central story question. For example, will Katniss survive the Hunger Games or not? [07:00] What to do if you can't figure out the exact value that will change in a scene. [07:50] How value shifts can help you weed out unproductive scenes and/or turn them into scenes that impact your global story. [08:30] Next level value shifts. How to weave internal changes with external changes to create a compelling story that keeps readers turning page after page. [12:00] Key points and a quick recap of the episode.
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