H.R. DCosta - Trough of Hell: How to Wrap Up the Middle of Your Story with Maximum Impact

Trough of Hell

How to Conclude Act Two of Your Screenplay with Maximum Impact

Kindle First Edition

H.R. DCosta, Copyright 2014

Special thanks to Zoutedrop for the flame image; to Ryoichi Tsunekawa for the Bebas font; and to Caroline Hadilaksono and Micah Rich for the League Gothic font. You all are awesome!

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Introduction

Have you ever been stuck in the desert of Act Two?

If youre like me, you know how your screenplay or novel is going to start. Maybe not the exact image or line, but youve got a rough idea of what youre going to write. Same goes for the ending.

So, you begin writing your story with lots of enthusiasmuntil you reach the middle, aka Act Two. Thats where you get stuck. Suddenly, all of your enthusiasm evaporates.

Blank pages are scary in general. But blank pages from Act Two are downright terrifying .

There are two main ways to tackle this problem. One is to determine the midpoint, the event at your scripts center which functions like a fulcrum, taking your story into a new direction, and perhaps increasing the story stakes. While the midpoint strategy is definitely useful, its a topic for another book.

The second solution is to focus on the events which end the second actoften referred to as the all is lost moment. Thats what this screenwriting guide is all about.

My high school track coach used to tell me to keep my gaze on the finish line; for some reason, you run faster that way.

The same principle applies to Act Two. Once youve determined how its going to end, it will be much, much easier for you to write.

Everything will fall into place. Youll write more quickly, more effectively. And the pages you write will be more engaging too.

What the All Is Lost Moment Is Really About

So whats the key to creating the perfect all is lost moment? Ill tell you right here, right now for free: create a painful, emotionally charged series of scenes which somehow brings the hero closer to his goaleven though, on the surface, he appears to be the furthest from it.

Those three ingredientspain, emotion, and paradoxare basically all you need to create a second act ending which is effective and powerful. In short, one with impact.

Combined, each of these elements re-engages audiences, right when their interest is about to flag. Thats why its so important to get this plot point right.

Do this, and youll have audiences eating from the palm of your hand. Promise.

All Is Lost = Trough of Hell

Theres a reason I envision the all is lost moment as a trough of hell. Its a trough in the sense that its an emotional low point for your hero. The lower you bring your hero, the deeper you dig his trough, the more impact it will haveand the more youll engage audiences at this critical juncture.

This emotional intensity is generated by painful experiencesthats where the hell part comes in. Its a reminder that this isnt the time to molly-cuddle your hero; this is the time to make him hurt.

(As for the paradoxical aspect, its implied. Paradoxical trough of hell is just too wordy a term to use!)

Once you know how to craft a gripping trough of hell, youll be less likely to get stuck in the desert of Act Two. Completing the middle of your story will become far less terrifying.

Youll be approaching your keyboard (or pad of paper) with anticipation instead of dread. Sounds good, right?

At this point, you might be curious about specifics. Well address those next.

What This Book Will Teach You:

With this screenwriting guide, youll learn:

• how to use four different pain types to inflict maximum damage to your hero (and why you should)
• three methods to make the trough of hell more emotionally intensewithout altering a single beat of the all is lost moment
• how the hero seems to be the furthest away from his goal, when you and I both know hes about to accomplish it in 15 pages (give or take)

and thats just in Part I! Youll also learn specific tips and strategies you can implement right away, including:

• seven common ways to end Act Two and how to overcome the unique challenges each presents
• how to enchant audiences by combining multiple trough types
• the trick Peter Jackson used to increase the emotional weight of THE TWO TOWERS
• why the most effective way to hurt your heroeven in an action moviedoesnt involve blood, burns, or bruises
• five different forms of betrayal you can use to split your heroes apart
• how to use setups and payoffs to extricate your hero from dicey situations (like capture and death)
• the secret sauce to turning allies into foes (think Dr Nichols in THE FUGITIVE)
• what stuck out the most to Johnny Depp when filming THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARLand why it matters to you
• the STAR WARS secret which will help you achieve galactic screenwriting dominion
• five clich-free ways to show your heros post-trough distress
• how to pace your story with panache
• how to handle problems specific to thrillers, action movies, comedies, and romantic comedies

Like Examples? Me Too!

Im a big fan of learning by example. So I use plenty of them throughout this book to illustrate my points. But sometimes examples just arent enough.

Thats why Ive also included eight detailed case studies which should help you implement all the hand-selected screenwriting tips Im about to share.

Each movie in the case studies section was carefully chosen based on its educational value and commercial success. I cover a variety of genres too. If youve ever wondered how films as diverse as BRIDESMAIDS, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, OCEANS 11, and BRAVEHEART conquered the end of Act Two, youre about to find out.

But before we get to the juicy stuff, I need to address

Caveats and Other Ephemera

Screenwriting Knowledge

This guide assumes that you have at least basic knowledge of screenwriting principles and concepts. It doesnt address screenplay formatting at all. The focus here is on structure, primarily the trough of hell, (aka the all is lost moment).

While other characters besides the hero often endure their own troughs, I, for the most part, focus on the big kahuna. If you understand how to craft an effective trough of hell for your hero and how that trough affects audiences, it should be easy to apply this knowledge to your other characters.

Additionally, while the majority of screenplays end Act Two on a low point, there are a fewnot many, but somewhich end on an emotional high point, typically a false victory.

Although powerful, this kind of structure is rarely employed and is definitely not the focus of this screenwriting guide. If your aim is to write a screenplay which ends Act Two with a false victory, this book will probably still be helpful to you, but perhaps not in the way you were anticipating.

Also keep in mind, this is just one way to approach screenplay structure. There are certainly other successful perspectives. You need to pick the method which helps YOU tell the best story.

Speaking of storytelling

Can This Screenwriting Guide Help Novelists?

Sure! If the success of mega-author James Patterson is any indication, readers enjoy novels whose plotting, pacing, and twists mirror those found in a Hollywood blockbuster. The principles and examples contained in this guide can help you craft a movie-style middle for your book which keeps your readers turning the pages.

However, my references are made from the point of view of writing a screenplay. Translation? Youll have to decide how to apply these principles and examples to the process of writing a novel. Since screenwriting and novel writing are both forms of storytelling, it should be fairly simple!