Story Design

My mom is something else.

I got home today. She opened the door for me and immediately went on to turn on my router and modem, which she usually does.

I told her to stop and that I will be not be needing the computer for now.

You see, that's what I usually do when I get home - turn on my computer.

I surf. I chat. I read. I watch television. All on my computer.

"Don't frighten me!"

She said to me in Cantonese.

My mom associates my work with the computer. Rightfully so. She must think I've lost my job, although that never happened to me before.

"You're giving me a heart attack."

She went on to say.

So I told her I wanted to read. I haven't dedicated enough time to reading lately. And I realized I won't get any reading done if I don't plan for it and set apart time. Besides, since I work so much on the computer at work, I shouldn't be doing too much of that at home.

I went to McDonald's to read, knowing that a computer sitting at home turned off will tempt me to do something about that.

I'm reading Robert McKee's Story, an influential book on screenwriting.

I'm actually re-reading parts I have read before although I never finished it. But what I am reminded of again is that screenwriting is all about design. Nothing happens by accident. There is a plan. Everything happens for a reason.

Even in good antiplot films, there is a reason why illogical, apparently random events happen.

I'm constantly aware of aspects of life that are now happening randomly.

It's time for me to go back to the drawing board.

For a start, I've designed it in such a way to finish the book in a week's time, from where I ended off. Meaning 2 chapters a day and I will be done with that on the 22nd.

You can say that this is an Inciting Incident, described as an event that "radically affects the balance of the forces in the protagonist's life."

A hell of a start.