Author: Martin Johnson

Categories
Screenwriting

Emotional Storytelling

Last year I let a screenwriting and producer friend with 30 years of experience read the first draft of my latest screenplay. I was both excited and nervous to let him see this passion project. After a week I received his feedback on my latest narrative.

His main comment was to put more emphasis on my protagonist’s disability. My initial concern was I didn’t want to overdramatize or belittle persons that belong to this particular community. I had to walk a tight rope of respecting the disabled community and the audience.

But I understood my friend’s concerns and wanted to respect his time and energy he put in to give me an honest evaluation. So I decided to look back over my experiences with persons in this particular disability group. My ultimate goal is to write a better story that can convey the ideas, imagery, and message I wanted to present in this particular story.

It didn’t take long for me to remember little quirks or traits that are common to persons with unique personalities like my protagonist. Fortunately, these commonalities also allow for me to show more than tell.

One of the best pieces of screenwriting advice I received was, “Let the actors act, don’t make them tell through dialogue.” Keep in mind movies are a visual medium and allow us to engage our audiences’ senses. This has its benefits.

  • Increased storytelling capabilities.
  • More ways to communicate our message.
  • Less room for misunderstandings.
  • More opportunity for subtext.

Another rule most screenwriters know is that we need to hook our audience within the first 10 pages or 10 minutes of the movie. The first 10 pages of any story are prime real estate, this is your chance to get the audience to invest in your movie for the long haul.

Storytellers must use every tool and their toolboxes to hook their readers/audiences as soon as possible. With the character arc in this particular story, I was able to utilize the innate power of human emotions.

 I wanted to create in my audience sympathy for my protagonist. One of the surest ways to get an audience to connect with your story is to tug on their heartstrings. To help them feel for your characters by stirring their emotions through your fictional world. This emotional storytelling.

Emotional Storytelling?

Emotional storytelling is a technique to draw our audience/readers into the world of our story via appealing to their emotions: feelings of love, fear, sadness, or happiness.

Emotional storytelling taps into the heart of life. Robert McKee notes, “To be entertained is to be immersed in the ceremony of story to an intellectually and emotionally satisfying end.”1

Due to the nature of my controlling idea of disabled persons as my protagonist, this approach to storytelling has become an earmark of my screenplays. As I have learned, this technique has benefits:

1. It helps my audience connect with my protagonist quicker.

2. Helps to build conflict.

3. Creates a need in my protagonist.

As we know conflict is king in storytelling and nothing builds conflict better than emotional unrest. Sometimes conflict is external (i.e. man versus nature or man versus society).

But most stories deal with internal conflict (fighting temptations, pride versus humility, or justice/revenge). Most people can relate more to the latter conflict and in the end our stories are more relatable, causing the audience to connect to the story quicker.

Screenwriting teacher and producer David Trotter points out, “Movies thrive on action and emotion. Thus, screenplays usually tell two main stories. Think of them as fraternal twins, dual plotlines, or the two key story tracks. The emotional story derives from a relationship and/or the character’s emotional life and is generally driven by the internal need… It’s the emotional story.”2

As writers, we each have something we want to say, the emotional story is often the best way to say what we want to.

What I Want!

We each go to the movies expecting one thing or another: entertainment, escape, or enlightenment. Emotional storytelling gives us more bang for the buck! Below are a few of my favorite movies that check off all three of the aforementioned incentives for me.

Forest Gump is a particular favorite of mine because it was filmed in Georgia while I was in college and inspired me to become a storyteller, not because it was entertaining, but because it’s premise is emotional storytelling.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1   Mckee, R.. (1997). Story, Harper-Collins e-books, Pg. 12.

2  Trotter, D. (2019). Screenwriter’s Bible, Silman-James Press. Pg. 39.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Goal Setting?

As we start a new year, most people have decided upon New Year’s resolutions, or made new goals. Most of my writing friends have already decided on specific writing goals for this year. I have a few aspirations myself for 2021.

  • Relaunching my monthly newsletter with specific content.
  • Building and launching a new website for my nonfiction writing, screenwriting, and speaking opportunities (I am an avid brain injury awareness advocate and I am a volunteer with Promise Keepers men’s ministry.
  • Getting more involved with both the disability community and men’s ministry.
  • Getting my latest screenplay professionally evaluated and then hosting it online.
  • Adding more content to my YouTube channel.
  • Possibly starting a new podcast.
  • Seeking professional representation.

These are more of the milestones I am working towards this year; I learned a harsh lesson after my accident about goal setting: Sometimes we don’t reach all of our goals.

Since the accident, I am unable play a guitar and I no longer play video games. And worst of all, I can no longer type 60 words a minute, much less type at all. My brain injury has affected my fine-tuned motor skills in my left hand. With that said, I understand that goal setting can be both good and bad in life.

Goal Setting!

We writers tend to be results-driven. We think if we pound out enough words or pages per day, in the end, we will achieve our writing dreams. And some do, but for the most part, few writers make a full time living only writing.

Still, I’m conflicted when I see my writing friends posting their word or page totals on any given day to their social media. Those kinds of results goals work for some, but for others of us, it only adds to the pressures of the writing life.

Let me be clear I understand the benefits of setting goals. I am not debating the need for them, just the tendency to over-focus on them. The following are clear benefits of goal setting.

1. Helps to meet deadlines.

2. This helps us to be more professional.

3. Goals help us to focus our attention in our writing.

4. They can help us to be more productive.

To be completely honest, I am not a fan of setting goals in my writing projects. When I try to focus on a word count or page number, I tend to get stressed out and place too much pressure on myself.

With my brain injury, stress overload can cause me to seize or stroke out. So I don’t overemphasize my goals. However, I do shoot for milestones or structure points in my writing to give me a place to work towards in each writing session.

For me, it is less stressful and doesn’t stifle my creativity. It can also stifle my writing voice when I try to force myself to write. I am more of a quality than a quantitative person; not just in my writing but in every aspect of life.

The disabled life can amplify the negatives of a writing life. If you think you have bad days, try adding a life-changing disability to it. Being disabled has taught me to appreciate the little things in life and not to stress over achieving big things.

Small victories are the goals I hope for, such as days when I can think clearly, write purposefully, and communicate effectively. I want my writing to have a clear message and purpose, and I hop the same for each day I live.

Be fervent about the little victories.

Fervent?

The best writers write with a purpose—they want to communicate. Their goal isn’t to turn out the most words or pages possible, their goal is to be a clear communicator.

One of the first rules I learned in my training as a writer was to learn how to “say more by writing less.” We must be intentional with each letter, word, and punctuation point. That is how our writing becomes concise.

With a brain injury, I have to consciously think about every move I make. I must consciously think to move my left leg and let my left arm swing as I walk. Disabled persons sometimes struggle to do the simplest things. We try our hardest to get better, even when it hurts. This is why we as writers must be intentional and realistic in our goal setting!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Controlling Idea!

As the pandemic unfolded last year, a story concept I toyed with for years kept coming to mind, mainly because the conflict in the story dealt with the end of the world. And I wanted the hero of my story to be a protagonist with a disability or mental issue. So I had my controlling idea clearly planned out.

A story’s controlling idea should be obvious by the time we get to the narrative’s resolution. First, we need to understand what the controlling idea is not.

  • Plot
  • Theme
  • Message

However, these aspects of story can and should emerge from the story, particularly in the subtext of it. The bottom line is you should have a grasp of your controlling idea before you start writing the story.

Controlling Idea!

A controlling idea of the story should simply be a one sentence statement about the story’s meaning and how it is expressed through action, events and characters all the way through the story’s climax.

Think of it as an X marks the spot on a treasure map. It’s what we want in the end of the journey. Thus, the importance of the concept is undeniable. It will shape the message via guiding the plot and revealing our theme.

This helps writers to know why they are writing the story before the initial fade in. There are two parts of the controlling idea: the how and the why. Below are a few examples of how a controlling idea can produce a story’s theme.

  1. True strength isn’t always in might – humility.
  2. Love overcomes hate – the power of love.
  3. Good triumphs over evil – justice.
  4. Revenge doesn’t pay – forgiveness.
  5. Shallowness doesn’t last – find the meaning/purpose.
  6. Overcoming impossible odds – hope prevails.

David Trotter explains, “Give your movie some meaning. According to Patrick Sheane Duncan, ‘A movie is generally about one thing, one theme or idea, and every scene and every character is formed from that fountainhead’. … Each scene, and the conclusion in particular, points to the idea.”1

If we know and understand our story’s message, we should understand how the controlling idea will produce it. More importantly our audience should understand both concepts: what our theme is and why we feel that way. Your job as a writer is to make these clear.

One of the first writing “rules” I learned is to always think about the reader or audience first. Our stories or art aren’t just for us—they are a communication to others. Do your job well and make sure others will get it!

Get It?

We all go to movies for different reasons, but the fact is we expect to get something in return for the money we pay: entertainment, information, or to escape from reality.

The controlling idea needs to be obvious to the audience if we’re going to help them receive what they’re expecting. The controlling idea is the framework to sell our message effectively.

Robert McKee notes, “A controlling idea may be expressed in a single sentence describing how and why life undergoes change for one condition of existence at the beginning to another at the end.”2 Below are a few examples of movies for strong controlling ideas with emotional undertones.

Knowing your story’s message is important. As we start a new year, do you know your controlling idea?

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  Trotter, D. (2019). Screenwriter’s Bible , Silman-James Press. Pg. 94.

2  Mckee, R.. (1997). Story , Harper-Collins e-books, Pg. 115.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Baby Steps

After my accident, I was eager to get back to my old life. Why wouldn’t I? I was in college and those are supposed to be the best years of our lives. But, I spent most of my junior year in the hospital struggling to do everyday tasks.

I was young and full of life, ready to conquer the world. The only problem was, I didn’t understand the extent of my injuries. After only working with a physical therapist for one day, I believed I was strong enough to do everything I used to do.

The next day I wanted to use the bathroom like a normal twenty-something-year-old, so I convinced a new nurse to help me. Everything was fine until I leaned forward to reach for toilet paper….

It was like a bodybuilder slapped me on the back of the head. I lost my balance and did a belly flop onto the floor. The elderly nurse toppled with me and had to call in a second nurse to help get me back in my hospital bed. That incident taught me a lot about life and my new normal.

  • Passion can be good and bad.
  • We need to be realistic about our abilities.
  • Excitement isn’t the same as experience.
  • It’s important to be coachable/teachable.

When I first began my professional writing training, I came across a quote from Christian author Jerry Jenkins about how writers can succeed that has stuck with me to this day.

“In any writer, I look for the –ilities: humility, teachability, coachability, availability, and flexibility.”

Jerry B. Jenkins in Writing for the Soul

While passion and talent are crucial to a writer’s success, the “ilities” are key to funneling them into a successful writing career. You may know your story or prose, but the best writers know they don’t know everything. They understand the need to hone their skills; we all start out taking baby steps in our writing careers.

Baby Steps?

As 2020 comes to an end, most of us are excited to start a new year. With the arrival of vaccines for the Covid-19 virus, we are all eager to get back to life as usual. We are heading into 2021 expecting a better year.

But, it’s not exactly full speed ahead. There are still hurdles to overcome, precautions to take, and getting used to a new normal. Even if that’s not the news you want to hear, there’s still hope.

We are all going to have to start out taking baby steps, especially for writers. We can prepare and plan, but we must be realistic. Most of us writers have dreams and aspirations about successful writing careers, but the sad truth is few writers make a full-time living solely from writing.

Those who are successful didn’t start there. They too had to take baby steps in their careers. Having all of the talent in the world or the most riveting story concept can only get you so far in the modern publishing era.

As writers, we will crawl before we walk and some of us will never be able to sprint like the pros. Be patient and navigate the baby steps of the writing life. Start with smaller projects

  1. Blogs, reviews, magazine articles, newspaper columns.
  2. Opinion pieces, devotionals (Christian market).
  3. Promotional material.
  4. Build a social media presence.
  5. Consider a podcast.
  6. Build your brand.
  7. Develop your writing voice.
  8. Keep learning the craft and honing your skills.

The writing industry is constantly in flux. Successful writers keep learning the craft either by online courses or in-person conferences. Last month I attended my first conference in three years and I learned a lot. Goals like these are basic baby steps to getting the end results.

Getting Results?

Living with a disability is a lifetime of baby steps towards a new normal. Although baby steps aren’t the goal—they are a process of getting results.

Twenty-three years ago I began a process of baby steps of relearning everything in life. There are a few things I still cannot do, like play guitar or type, but I have learned to live with the new normal I gained through taking baby steps.

  • Stronger muscles.
  • Learning how to fall and get back up (hopefully).
  • Learning new skills.
  • Be patient (huh!)

Positive results don’t always come easy. Likewise in writing, we can only get results after taking baby steps.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

December Denouement

Thanksgiving is over and we’re eagerly awaiting Christmas and the new year! It’s a safe bet 2020 hasn’t gone the way many of us had planned our hope. It’s a sad fact in life that while all things come to an end, they don’t necessarily end like we want.

As I write this nearly 1 ½ million people have died from Covid-19, it’s a safe bet that their fate was unexpected. While 2020 nears an end, our hopes for what 2021 will bring depend on the resolution of this year.

  • A vaccine.
  • Better health.
  • Financial gains.
  • A return to normal life.

In storytelling, the resolution is the end game of the story, it is what everything has been leading to: goals, hopes, and freedom. In a five-act structure, resolution is known as a denouement.

Denouement?

A Denouement is meant to tie up loose ends our climax didn’t settle and may even have caused. McKee notes, “The resolution, the fifth of the five-part structure, is any material left after climax.”1

If we break down the word Denouement we can better understand its purpose. M-W.com says: from Latin nodus knot, node; akin to Middle Irish naidm bond Middle English, from Latin nodus knot, node; akin to Middle Irish naidm bond.”

While the denouement is the final act of the story, it isn’t necessarily the end of our characters’ life journey. (Hence the rise of movie sequels.) This is why there are so many different kinds of story endings.

1. Book endings (The Bodyguard): this resolution uses similar imagery and characters to the setup of the film. It brings a story to a full circle while answering some questions along the way. I use this type of ending in my current WIP.

2. Narrator Ending (A Very Long Engagement): this concludes with narration by one of the characters over a still or moving image from the story.

3. Twist ending (Seven): these endings are inevitable, but not predictable. They are typical of mystery and horror movies.

4. Expected ending ( Pretty Woman): These endings conform to genre conventions. If they aren’t included in your screenplay the audience will notice something is lacking. An example is a romantic comedy. We all know the fated couple will eventually end up together. We enjoy these films because the characters have overcome multiple obstacles and have earned their relationship.

5. Moral endings (Shawshank Redemption): These are morality tales and the audience must sense that justice has been served. The main characters have learned a valuable lesson about life and have grown as individuals. The characters may either verbalize their journey or simply apply their character evolution to their new world.

6. DUBIOUS MORAL ENDING (Return Of The Jedi) : The main characters have achieved their goal, but they are feeling morally conflicted. Was the journey worth it? Did they achieve their goal? If so, at what cost? These are often bittersweet endings where the characters question their choices despite having achieved personal growth.

7. Emotional ending (Life Is Beautiful): These types of endings require the audience to have either an intense positive or negative response. The audience might be in tears (of happiness or tragedy) or warm and fuzzy inside.

8. Anticipation ending (Avengers Infinity War): This type of ending incites the audience to want more; either by a cliffhanger where the audience is excited to know what happens next or via a teaser scene which gives them a glimpse into how the story continues.

9. Gag ending (Beverly Hills Cop): This is a light-hearted farewell to the story. It could end with a joke, punchline, or sight gag to leave your audience laughing.

10. Confusing ending (Looper): This is the domain of screenwriting auteurs. It doesn’t give a clear indication of the story conclusion and is designed to initiate debate since the vital story details haven’t been given.

While the denouement ties up loose ends, it also hints at what’s next after the credits roll. Because the story continues after this adventure, only the characters know what happens after we leave the theaters.

What’s Next?

Keep in mind, the denouement serves more than one purpose. While it does provide a resolution of the story adventure, it may not be the end of your characters’ story. This gives the audience’s imagination a chance to write more into the story and it gives writers a chance to build a franchise or simply provide a sequel.

The end goal of every story is to convey a particular message or as Robert McKee shares a “Controlling idea may be expressed in a single sentence describing how and why life undergoes change for one condition of existence at the beginning to another at the end.”2 Below are a few examples of controlling ideas:

  • Justice
  • Unconditional Love
  • Greed
  • Revenge

By the time the credits roll in your film, the audience should have a clear picture of what the controlling idea of the story is. As the year comes to an end, we will each walk away with specific memories and thoughts about 2020. That is a December Denouement!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1   McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 312.

2 McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 114-115.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Make Every Moment Count

Fifteen years ago a high school football standout was diagnosed with brain cancer his senior year. He approached me at the gym and shared how he was struggling. Since we went to the same church, he knew about me. I began sharing with him some of my struggles.

I’d learned a few hard truths during the difficult season of my recovery, including:

  • No one knows how much time they have left.
  • Things don’t always go as we hope or plan.
  • Every injury or story is different.
  • We all need help at some point in life.
  • Use your time wisely and make it count.

My struggles resonated with him because they were similar to his. We bonded over our passion for physical fitness. About two years after we met, I noticed he was no longer coming to the gym or attending church. His parents informed me his brain cancer had returned. It wasn’t long after that that he died—at the young age of 21.

His death reinforced the need for me to make every moment count.

Make It Count!

The first few days after my accident I could only get around in a wheelchair and I had to be pushed by someone else. Those are some of the hardest times in my life because I was dependent upon others. It taught me how to ask for help.

I had a severe learning curve with my new normal and while doctors understood what was going on physically, they didn’t understand how I felt mentally. It was a long road getting to where I wanted to be. We all have good days and bad days, but when you’re disabled the difference between those is drastic.

Each setback made me only appreciate the good days more. This is why I take advantage of every chance I get to walk, run, or bike. Because I know I can lose those abilities at any moment.

The writing life is just as fragile and unpredictable. There are days when we can turn out a thousand words and others when we can’t even stream together one sentence. By now most of you have learned the discipline of time management and how integral it is to the writing life.

When we get sidetracked in our writing or face a setback in publication, it takes up more than just time; it sucks the life out of our passion for the art. That’s why we must take every opportunity to grow, learn, and help others within the writing community.

As I write this I am recovering from an intense five-day writer’s conference that was amplified by the pandemic. Not only were there class times to meet, agents and publishers and writers to network with; in the back of my mind, there were health concerns. Still, I was able to pick up a few tools for my writing toolbox and learn a few other things.

  1. It’s good to be with others who understand the pressures of the writing path.
  2. You need a strong sense of humor to be secluded with people from all walks of life during a pandemic. This gives you a bigger perspective.
  3. We’re all at different stages in our writing careers.
  4. We need to hear the advice and stories of others within the community.
  5. We all know need encouragement.
  6. Writers need self-care (physically, mentally, and spiritually).
  7. Technology does what technology wants (both Apple and PCs).
  8. Mac users are not morning people and PC users start the day early.

I noticed the latter during the morning breakfast time. It was rare to see a Mac user up that early. My fellow PC users and I joked that the Mac users were up late trying to get things done. You never know when you can learn from each other.

One night after dinner I was talking to an acquaintance who is a Mac user about the publishing industry and my frustrations. She politely shared with me her views as an agent and encouraged me to think about it. Well, as in life—you never know.

You Never Know!

Last year, the mother of a 21-year-old soldier who sustained a brain injury in a training accident reached out to me on social media for some advice and encouragement about what her son was going through.

Over the course of 4 to 6 months, I learned about Luis’s family and injuries. While I wanted to tell the mother everything was going to be okay, I knew the truth that every brain injury is different and no one knows what will happen.

Unfortunately, this summer I learned the soldier had succumbed to his injuries leaving behind a young wife and a small child. I still keep up with his mother on social media and it breaks my heart to see her grieving. Time is indeed precious and during this pandemic, people need encouragement more.

  • Social distancing means limiting physical contact.
  • Limiting the spread of the virus means less travel and interactions with others.
  • Depression preys on the lonely.
  • Lack of activity has severe effects on the body.
  • Even after nine months of this new normal, no one knows what lies ahead.
  • It doesn’t take much to encourage others.

A few weeks before the conference, I went on a mountain getaway. At the same time, a writing acquaintance was having a release party for her devotional. I decided to take a slight detour to support her and cheer her on. It didn’t take long before she returned the favor to me.

She is the agent I spoke with about publishing at the writing conference. She’s also a fellow columnist on this website, pandemic life should teach us all to make every moment count!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Almost There!

By the time you read this, Halloween will be over; which means the year is almost over—more specifically 2020 is almost over! Most of us are ready for the new year but we’re not quite out of the woods yet.

Creatively and literally speaking we are in the falling action stage of 2020. We reached our climax, but we’re still working towards the resolution. Just like with 2020, our stories must continue before we can reach a satisfying resolution.

Our characters and hopefully audiences are still on an adventure towards the goals established at the beginning of the narrative. But, we can’t let the story flatline. We must keep breathing life into it through falling action.

This is why some screenwriters like to follow a five-act structure versus a three-act structure, this approach gives a story more momentum and some would say a more satisfying conclusion. Below are the structure points for a five-act approach.

  • Exposition(the set up)
  • Rising action
  • Crisis/Climax
  • Falling action
  • Denouement(resolution)

Those who prefer five acts over three acts believe the extra plot points give a story more direction and clarity. Cinematically speaking the falling action helps raise the stakes and the need for a satisfying resolution. For that reason, I want to discuss the structure point of falling action this month.

Falling Action!

Storytelling is made up of a series of events which flow effortlessly in a specific direction. There is a cause and effect principle at work here, what happens at one point directly affects what happens next or later on. There is an ebb and flow to the storytelling.

Screenwriter and script analyst Scott Myers explains, “I’m also able to amortize some of the cost of my college education as I remember having studied this part of ‘Poetics’ wherein we learned the concepts of rising action and falling action, the former related to Complication, the latter to Denouement.”1

Logically, the bigger the event, the bigger the effect or ebb will be. Imagine dropping a small stone into the water versus a big rock into the same water, one causes bigger ripples and affects everything else more.

Or think of landing an airplane. You don’t go straight down, but come in at an angle to arrive safely at your destination. The falling action brings the story to a safe conclusion since we don’t want to lose our audience along the way.

So, after the climax, there will be bigger ripples in our adventure. Since climax brings change, falling action shows us what that change is as we head towards our story’s resolution.

Falling action has important functions in storytelling.

  1. It keeps the momentum going forward.
  2. It helps tie up loose ends, especially in subplots the climax didn’t address.
  3. It helps the audience appreciate the climax more.
  4. It builds anticipation for a satisfying conclusion to the journey.

Remember, after the climax, there needs to be a change in the story’s charge, i.e. changes in our characters and their worlds. Falling action gives us a sense of change. It shows the audience that things can get better if we just keep going, keep pushing and make it to the end. Myers notes, “Falling action occurred after a reversal, thus the narrative flow turned against the Antagonist.”2

In the End!

The purpose of stories is getting from point A to point B. If point B is the final piece in our picture puzzle, falling action helps us anticipate what it will look like in the end. Myers concludes, “After the climax of the story, you wanna give the audience a glimpse of what it all means to the hero.”3

The elements of the falling action are the final hurdles our characters must endure before reaching the finish line. This is your chance to raise the stakes and increase the drama to create a better payoff for the audience and characters alike; it’s the bridge to where everyone wants to be.

Below are a few examples of stories with five-act structures:

Regardless of which structure used, let your characters fall time and again before they reach their destination. Our audiences and characters want an adventure en route to their goals and falling action means they’re almost there!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/studying-aristotles-poetics-part-18-a-complication-and-denouement-3367f15a33e9

2  https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/studying-aristotles-poetics-part-18-a-complication-and-denouement-3367f15a33e9

3  https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/studying-aristotles-poetics-part-18-a-complication-and-denouement-3367f15a33e9

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Break Through the Fog

Recently I heard an update about the long-term effects of those who have survived Covid-19. Not only can the virus cause damage to every organ it goes through, but it can also have lasting effects on our brains via our brain stem.

In regards to our brains, the virus can cause severe brain fog that inhibits survivors from being able to focus or maintain a train of thought for long. As a TBI survivor, I know all about brain fog.

Although I am more than 20 years removed from my accident, I still deal with the lingering effects daily. Some days are better than others and some days I can’t remember what day it is. My brain fog is pretty humbling in its ability to shut me down.

  • My short-term memory is shot.
  • The ability to focus is limited.
  • Motivation to get started is impaired.
  • Sometimes I can’t even put my thoughts into audible words.

The latter effect is rare, but debilitating, especially as a writer. We writers are wordsmiths; our job is to put words together to communicate a clear message.

The ability to think and communicate clearly is a necessity for writers. You don’t have to have a brain injury like me to suffer the consequences of brain fog or writer’s block; but, you do need to know what it is and how to handle it.

Brain Fog!

First off, we need to understand that brain fog isn’t a medical issue in itself, but may be an underlying symptom of one. Common symptoms are: memory problems, lack of mental clarity, poor concentration, inability to focus.1

Most of the time we writers describe it as writer’s block, but the issue is deeper than not being able to write or a lack of creativity; something is happening beneath the surface that needs to be addressed.

Medical experts have identified potential causes of brain fog that strikes both writers and the disabled alike.

  1. Stress – Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
  2. Lack of sleep – Poor sleep quality can also interfere with how well your brain functions. Sleeping too little can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts. Aim for 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
  3. Hormonal changes – Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog. Levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen increase during pregnancy. This change can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment. Similarly, a drop in estrogen levels during menopause can cause forgetfulness, poor concentration, and cloudy thinking.
  4. Diet – Diet can also play a role in brain fog. Vitamin B-12 supports healthy brain function, and a vitamin B-12 deficiency can bring about brain fog. If you have food allergies or sensitivities, brain fog may develop after eating certain foods. Possible culprits include: MSG, aspartame, peanuts, dairy. Removing trigger foods from your diet may improve symptoms.
  5. Medications – If you notice brain fog while taking medication, talk with your doctor. Brain fog may be a known side effect of the drug. Lowering your dosage or switching to another drug may improve your symptoms. Brain fog can also occur after cancer treatments. This is referred to as chemo brain.
  6. Medical conditions – Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose level can also cause mental fatigue. For example, brain fog is a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue for longer than six months. People who have fibromyalgia may experience similar fogginess on a daily basis. Other conditions that may cause brain fog include: anemia, depression, diabetes, Sjögren syndrome, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, dehydration.1

The important thing to remember is: Don’t panic. Even severe cases of brain fog and writer’s block will pass once you take the necessary actions to correct them.

Stay Calm!

The neurological effects of stress/anxiety can affect our bodies physically because they are connected. The trick to getting through physical stress is to stay calm and preserve mental health.

Below are my main steps to dealing with brain fog and stress.

  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Proper nutrition.
  • Take breaks.
  • Limit caffeine intake.

A lot of my writer friends would argue with my last tip. I have colleagues who live off of caffeine. The problem is that caffeine can actually make stress worse. Caffeine stimulates our nervous system and damages our neuroreceptors over time, which is why it takes more to work as we get older. The damage is done by overstimulation.

Medically speaking, the brain’s primary source of energy is glycogen, which comes from carbohydrates and even sugar, not caffeine. Besides, most of us know caffeine increases heart rate along with anxiety levels and that is no way to break through the fog!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-fog

Categories
Screenwriting

New Heights (The Climax)

At this point in 2020, we are over halfway through the year and it seems like a new setback or disturbance occurs every day. It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, and we’re still three months away from the end!

It reminds me of the classic writers’ adage, “Conflict is king.” It seems conflict has driven every aspect of life this year, and I dare to say it makes us yearn for a new year already. To continue with the theme of writers’ terms, we wish to get beyond the climax to the resolution, where there will be a change in the narrative—at least we hope so!

As creative writers, we can almost plot out 2020 with the plot points of a movie.

  • Exposition/set up
  • Rising action
  • Climax
  • Falling action
  • Resolution

As these plot points indicate, the climax isn’t what our story is all about and it definitely isn’t the end of the story, just the highest point of tension, this is why we call it the climax.

Climax!

When I think of my script’s climax, I think of a mountain, everything I’ve been writing before this point has been leading to it and nothing will be the same after it.

Eventually, the narrative will have to come down from the mountaintop, but things are always different after you experience a peak. This is why a climax is different from the resolution of a narrative.

Whether it’s simply a scene’s climax or the climax of an entire story, we must be able to see the changes that occur after the climax. The climax brings change.

Robert McKee explains, “A story is a series of acts that build to a last act climax or story climax which brings about absolute and irreversible change.”1 A satisfying climax always brings a change in the direction of our story.

The best climaxes happen before the end of our story because it gives the audience a chance to see the aftereffects of the climax. Many stories use the climax as a resolution to the conflict in a story, but they fail to include the falling action or change in the story’s charge.

Falling action and the resolution don’t have to be far from the climax, but are more effective as separate structure points, as I mentioned in the beginning of this post. Below are a few suggestions for making sure your climax is the peak of your story,

1. The run-up to the climactic moment (last-minute maneuvering to put the pieces in their final positions).

2. The main character’s moment of truth (the inner journey point toward which the whole story has been moving).

3. The climactic moment itself (in which the hero directly affects the outcome).

4. The immediate results of the climactic moment (the villain might be vanquished, but the roof is still collapsing).2

Keep in mind we are taking our audience on an adventure. There will be highs and lows along the way, but the climax is the highest point and there is only one way to go from there.

Get There!

Stories are all about getting from point A to point B and it’s a writer’s job to make the journey interesting and worthwhile. Not necessarily easy, though. What makes a story great are the detours and obstacles the characters must face in route to their goal.

Keep in mind, no one’s goal is to face maximum opposition which is the goal of a climax, not the resolution. The climax is the biggest hurdle in route to our narrative’s resolution. Following are a few examples of movies where the climax led to a satisfying resolution:

The great thing about these examples is that there is still a story left to tell after the climax because then the story has been taken to new heights!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  1 McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 42.

2  https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/4-ways-to-improve-plotclimax-in-your-writing

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

The Burnout

Last month I was ready to go on a road trip, shut down my devices, and just vegetate for a few days. I was drained and my creative tanks were empty. The writing life was the farthest thing from my mind and my usual writing responsibilities only frustrated me more.

  • Social media.
  • Writer promotion.
  • Blogging.
  • Screenwriting.
  • Content preparation.

The writing grind had gotten to me and due to the Covid-19 outbreak, a getaway was questionable. Typically this time I escape to the North Georgia Mountains to visit friends or to just be alone in nature. That is how I get my creative tanks refreshed.

Another drawback of the pandemic and remote work is always being at home, because in reality, we are always at work, too. I started working at home as a freelance remote writer a couple of years ago; it has been less stressful on me physically in regards to my disability.

However, since the world has gone on lockdown as a precaution against the virus, remote work has become more popular and the field is flooded with would-be writers all fighting for the same contracts.

This has increased the stress load for those of us already in a tough market that has been severely impacted by the pandemic. The double-edged sword means we have to adjust our pricing to be competitive and seek more work to survive. It’s no wonder many writers are struggling with writing burnout.

Burnout!

Burnout can happen to anyone, regardless of job or health and it is a serious condition. “Burnout is not simply a result of working long hours or juggling too many tasks, though those both play a role. The cynicism, depression, and lethargy that are characteristic of burnout most often occur when a person is not in control of how a job is carried out, at work, or home, or is asked to complete tasks that conflict with their sense of self.”1

Burnout can be disabling in itself. If I am tired, too hungry, dehydrated or stressed out it affects me physically: my speech is slurred, I drag my left leg and at times drool from the left side of my mouth.

These are only a few symptoms and side effects of stress on my brain injuries. Even a healthy person can suffer from the side effects of job burnout:

  1. Have you become cynical or critical at work?
  2. Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
  3. Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
  4. Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
  5. Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
  6. Do you find it hard to concentrate?
  7. Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
  8. Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
  9. Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
  10. Have your sleep habits changed?
  11. Do you find it hard to concentrate?2

As you can see burnout is both a physical and mental problem that can affect our writing goals. As creatives, we’d like to think we have freedom with our art, but activities like building a platform can be more strenuous than building physical muscles since our success is out of our control.

The American dream and the art of building a platform can push us to the brink of a nervous breakdown. This can impair our creative output. And when our creativity stops flowing, so does our writing. Yet, to be successful we must keep going.

Keep Going!

If you’ve been writing for any amount of time, you understand how difficult it is to keep writing once your creative flow has stopped. This is why we must refresh and recharge our bodies and minds to keep being productive.

Whatever refreshes you or sparks your creativity, do it! Do what you need to do to keep going in your writing career. Below are a few suggestions that might help you to recharge and refocus in your writing:

  • Nurturing your relationships and focusing on hobbies outside of work can help restore your sense of self and mitigate stress.
  • Scheduling regular breaks, starting and stopping at set times, and minimizing multi-tasking can all help maintain boundaries and reduce feelings of burnout.
  • Adjusting your work hours or location (perhaps by telecommuting) can help significantly, as an outsourcing or sharing responsibilities when possible. Setting clear boundaries between “work” and “life”—by not checking email during off-hours, for instance—and allowing for adequate downtime are also useful strategies.
  • Self-care is an effective weapon in the fight against burnout, research shows. Though self-care looks different for everyone, common strategies include yoga, mindfulness meditation, massage, exercise, dietary changes, and practicing self-compassion.3 

As summer comes to an end along with the endless travel, take time to clear your head, rest, and get ready for the upcoming holiday burnout!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

  • 1  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout
  • 2  https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
  • 3  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout

Categories
Screenwriting

On the Rise

Six months ago when the pandemic first came to America, scientists and medical professionals thought that once the temperatures warmed up it would kill the virus and everything would go back to normal.

But, as we know, in a crazy plot twist the heat actually made the virus spread like wildfire and everything got worse.

  • Businesses began closing back down.
  • Schools that tried to open have now switched to virtual learning.
  • Large gatherings are still frowned upon, meaning even movie theaters have yet to fully reopen.

The old adage came true, “what could go wrong, did!” It seems like every time something went wrong, fear and negativity went up. This is a clear example of how conflict encourages action and how actions fuel life.

The same principle applies to storytelling, especially movies. As the stakes are raised, the story is propelled forward when actions are on the rise!

On the Rise!

As we progress forward from our story’s inciting incident, rising action is the vehicle that moves our narrative from scene to scene; eventually to the conclusion of our journey.

Although it seems formulaic, it is more a framework to guide us as we go on the journey with the characters. Famed 19th-century German writer Gustav Freytag divided a story’s plot into five distinct stages:

1. Exposition (sometimes including the inciting incident.)

2. Rising action.

3. Climax.

4. Falling action.

5. Dénouement.

As we move from scene to scene, action is kinetic. Before the climax it is called rising action, because there is rise in tension, conflict and risk that creates a need for a resolution. It is important to understand that rising action isn’t the climax of our story, but the preparation for and road to it.

 Robert McKee points out, “In the ideal last act we want to give the audience a sense of acceleration, a swiftly rising action to climax.”1

The action that follows the climax is called falling action as we let the changes in the narrative lead to a satisfying conclusion. The rising action makes us anticipate a climax where the conflict will peak; falling action is the result of the climax.

 Understanding how action works in a story, helps us see which direction it should go.

Which Way?

Rising action in our narrative has a steady charge until the climax, which by nature changes the direction of the story: positive to better, positive to negative, or even negative to worse.

Think of your story’s character arc, where they’ve been and where they’re heading. Rising action is what takes them there. Below are some examples where the rising action changes the course of the story between beginning and end.

The Hobbit: The rising action occurs as Bilbo agrees to act as a burglar during this adventure.

Grease: All the hurdles and obstacles Danny has to overcome to win the heart of Sandy.

Legends of the Fall: As each brother vies for the heart of the same woman in their own way.

Again, rising action isn’t the climax, but the motivation to get there: what should I do? , what shouldn’t I do? moments for example. The answers are when our story peaks at the climax, but up until then it’s simply the action on the rise!

1 McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg Page 218.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Don’t Get Comfortable

My first week home from the rehab hospital, I suffered a seizure. It took days before I could feel the left side of my body. I was terrified. I was afraid all the hard work I had put in was lost and I would have to start all over again.

Turns out it wasn’t a medical issue, but a lifestyle one. In the hospital, I was given a strict diet, mainly drank water, and exercised regularly. At home, I ate whatever I wanted, and drank caffeinated sodas, and exercise was the farthest thing from my mind.

I had become comfortable after my recovery and I let my guard down. When I had a follow-up with my neurologist, the instructions were obvious:

  • Be more nutrition-conscious and drink more water, less caffeine.
  • Exercise regularly to keep my muscles stimulated.
  • Get plenty of rest.

A month after my seizure I began biking. It became an important part of my training to strengthen my left side. Later I joined a local gym and started strength training. Fortunately, the main fitness trainer had experience working with persons with disabilities and he was able to coach me on my journey.

It was then I learned the importance of switching up my workouts. From time to time we need to use different fitness routine to keep our bodies from getting comfortable and plateauing. This keeps the muscles confused which allows them to grow. Medical science has shown that it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to create a routine and 2 to 4 weeks to create muscle memory.

I have three eight-week exercise cycles and halfway through I reverse the weight process. When I tell you it shocks my body, I mean my body is sore and uncomfortable for weeks; which is what I want, because I tend to get bored when I get comfortable in my exercises.

Comfortable?

Being comfortable something we desire in most situations. The dictionary tells us being comfortable provides relaxation and puts us at ease. It’s a goal most of us want to achieve.

Most writers (me included) have certain goals in their writing career they are striving for: fame, fortune, a better lifestyle, or making a mark on this world. I’m sure there are other goals I could mention. Take the time to think about what motivates you to keep writing.

We spend hours at our computers or researching in libraries and sacrifice time with our family and loved ones. It’s human nature to want to get to the top.

A decade ago I had a chance to go to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado, over 14,000 feet above sea level. While the views were spectacular, I learned an important lesson.

Nothing grows on the mountaintop, no trees, grass, and certainly not flowers. That’s when I realized being on top might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

It can be barren at the top.

It reaffirms that often the journey is more beneficial than the destination. This is why writing coaches and professionals advise us to keep writing. Not necessarily to get our big break, but to keep growing our writing muscles and voices.

As we flex our writing muscles to create stories and articles we work more than just our hands and fingers, we flex the most powerful body part—our brains! Like strength training, training in the craft of writing requires consistent use of those muscles. It requires getting out of our comfort zones.

We can’t become lazy and apathetic just because we’ve reached our writing goals. I am reminded what Christian author Jerry Jenkins said, “In any writer. I look for the –ilities: humility, teachability, coachability, availability, and flexibility.”1

We must keep growing as a writer, which means we can’t become comfortable:

1. Keep learning the craft.

2. Keep reading.

3. Attend conferences and workshops.

4. Find a mentor or guide in the business.

5. Keep being creative.

6. And most importantly, keep writing.

If I don’t continue to exercise, my muscles can atrophy. Lack of use and growth can cause muscle tissue to deteriorate and waste away.

In the same way, how tragic would it be for writers to spend years seeking publication only to let their skills, passion, and creativity waste away?

Stay Rested!

I am not endorsing never taking a break or resting. Rest is integral to muscle growth, this is when the muscle rebuilds itself. Rest helps refresh us. Rest means different things to different people:

  • Sleep.
  • Not working.
  • Reading.
  • Absence of responsibility.

I can be on a bike ride 40 miles out and feel rested. My goal is to keep growing, not get comfortable!

1  Jenkins, J,B 2006 (Writing For the Soul) Writers Digest Books, Pge 105.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Plot Twist?

Before I began writing my current W.I.P I knew exactly who my protagonist and antagonist were. I knew how they were connected and when and how I would introduce them. The setup for my story was obviously act one.

But, the preparation and this information left me with a bigger problem: how to keep my audience interested all the way until the end of act three. That’s 70 pages or about an hour and 10 minutes of screen time.

Since my audience would have already met the bad guy in act one, I feared that I gave away too much information too soon. So I had to figure out how to trick my audience to keep them interested in my narrative. Then I remembered the key aspects of keeping an audience engaged

  • Conflict.
  • Relevance.
  • Theme.

In this case, its not about getting to the end of the story/destination; it’s more about how we get there and why we need to. Plotting a story should be interesting and challenging for both us and our characters.

As summer sets in a lot of people are planning on taking road trips. Many simply want to go from home to the destination, while others like myself like the little detours or pit-stops along the trip. They make the journey more interesting.

Easy paths in a narrative are boring, that’s why they need drama to keep us engaged. Life is full of drama, our stories should be as well.

Plot Twists?

Bad storytelling is like having a heartbeat that flatlines, there’s no life in it. Each ripple or obstacle in a storyline gives our characters purpose to continue on the journey. If things get too easy there’s no need to continue on in the plot.

Don’t let your story flatline. Screenwriting legend and teacher Scott Myers explains, “We WANT to see our story’s Protagonist struggle to overcome obstacles along the way. It makes for a more interesting read, the plot filled with twists and turns.”1

Robert McKee notes, “The final cause for the decline of story runs very deep. Values, the positive/negative charges of life, are all at the soul of our art. The writer shapes story around a perception of what’s worth living for, what’s worth dying for.”2

The charge of these values should change from beginning to end, ideally from scene to scene. Each change of charge represents a change in character or a change in our story, and these lead to character growth.

Each change of charge is a turning point in our story. Turning points are necessary to keep our stories from flatlining. Screenwriters have several ways to accomplish turning points.

  1. Roadblocks.
  2. Complications.
  3. Reversals.
  4. Plot twists.

  Turning points are a great way to keep the momentum in our stories going forward, they keep our audience on their toes and interested in our narrative. Without turning points and obstacles, stories just coast along from point A to point B in a straight line, which is pretty boring if you ask me.

Obstacles?

In storytelling, we know the journey should take us on an adventure. Whether the journey is one of self-discovery, self-sacrifice, or fulfillment, the obstacles we encounter along the way make the destination worth it.

When a story is told correctly, the audience connects with it. We are challenged along with the characters. Ideally, we will grow, grieve, and love right along with our favorite characters as they overcome whatever obstacle blocks their way. Below are a few of my favorite movies with plot twists.

Don’t make the journey to easy, it’ll bore everyone involved. Sometimes the biggest obstacle for a screenwriter faces in getting their scripts produced is the writer themselves—and that’s a plot twist.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/complications-reversals-and-roadblocks-1515facefba

2  Mckee, R 1997 (Story) HarpercollinsBooks, page 17.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Reaping the Rewards

It took 11 months after my accident before I was finally released from doctors’ care. That season was more than just recovering from a gruesome life-altering accident. It was a time when I had to adjust to my new normal.

Over 20 years later I’m still not used to it. There are times I encounter new challenges, but despite what life throws at me, I understand each challenge has its reward.

  • Processes to help me learn patience and how to listen.
  • Setbacks to make me stronger.
  • Rejections to grow my desire for my goal.

As I look back from this side of my recovery, the process changed me just as much as my disability has.

Regardless of how and why, here I am over two decades later walking when I’m not supposed to, eating on my own, and taking care of myself, despite what I was told by my doctors.

Actually, physically I’m in better health than a lot of people half my age. The struggles and long recovery have made me a better person. Now I get to reap the rewards of nearly a year of hard work. But, the cliché holds true, it wasn’t about the destination, but the journey to reaping the rewards.

Rewards?

The dictionary defines a reward as, “A thing given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement.” Rewards are a result of hard work and take time to receive. There were times during my recovery I thought I would never get to where I wanted to be physically. Each negative result only made me want to succeed more. Failure was not an option.

Writing is a business and it works like any other business. Contracts aren’t given to just anyone with a good idea. Successful writers do the prep work and put in the time to get where they want to be. As I learned during my rehabilitation, anything worth achieving is worth fighting for, even when the struggle is unbearable.

This is especially true if we plan to reap the rewards of a long-term writing career. One of my life hacks is to mimic people who are where I want to be. This is why so many artistic fields now offer “masterclasses” to help others achieve success. Below are a few tips from successful writers.

1. Develop good habits – Most beginning writers will have to balance their writing with other responsibilities.

2. Use your limited time wisely – Before you sit down to write, think of ideas, remind yourself of where you left off in the story, or make a mental plan for what you want to accomplish during that session. Some writers strive for 2,000 words per day.

3. Network with other writers at conferences – Conferences are an invaluable help if you’re looking to network with other writers, publishers, and agents.

4. Find an agent – publishing via a traditional publishing house means you need to find a literary agent. These professionals are the gatekeepers of the publishing world.

5. Build a relationship with an editor – Editors are a hugely important part of your publishing process.1

My recovery wouldn’t have been a success if I’d done it my way. The rewards I gained came from working together with countless therapists, nurses, and doctors. As I look back now on who I used to be and what I could do pre-accident, I am amazed at how much I learned and what more I can do now than before. Recovery, like writing, is a process—and that process changes our perspective on what matters.

Perspective?

When I was younger I thought I was indestructible and life was at my fingertips. This thinking caused me to take everything for granted. My disability humbles me and keeps me on my toes.

I can vividly remember in college wanting to be a writer, but having nothing unique to write about. I can even remember praying for inspiration to write a screenplay that would touch the world.

Since my accident, I have worked with other disabled persons and shared my story. I am also inspired to write encouraging movies about people with disabilities. My accident changed my perspective on writing and life alike.

Too many people, especially writers look at success as the goal and miss the journey. Success may never be riches and fame for most writers. Success looks different to each of us.

  • Writing full-time.
  • Traveling the world.
  • Huge book sales.
  • Or a simple byline.

In one of my favorite books on writing Jerry B. Jenkins concludes with this, “I’m living my dream as a full-time freelance novelist, writing about things I believe in and care about. And you can too. The path is crowded and the passage long, but the reward is worth it. You can write for the benefit of your soul. And you can write to reach the soul of another. Welcome to the journey.”2

For some, the journey may be the only reward they receive from a writing career, for others it may be a New York Times best-selling book. Personally, each baby step I take both in writing and in my physical recovery, I know I am reaping the rewards.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-become-a-published-author

2  Jenkins, J, B 2006 (Writing For the Soul) Writers Digest Books, Page 214.

Categories
Screenwriting

What’s the Plot?

Recently, I finished the first draft of my latest screenplay. The crazy part is I didn’t think I had the training to write it. I wanted to use television techniques to bring this action film to the big screen.

However, due to the pandemic and my freed-up schedule, I had the time to do the research and prewriting prep work needed to write this narrative, including:

  • Set locations.
  • Character sketches.
  • Action script notes.
  • Gaming research.
  • Military command research.
  • I.T. research.

With these pieces of the puzzle, I was eager to put them together to reveal the big picture I wanted my audience to see. I had written a storyboard outline on my screenwriting software and was ready to connect the dots in a visual story.

With my story’s theme, I was cautiously ready to dive in. Then I remembered screenwriting teacher and legend Scott Myers’ advice for screenwriting, “It doesn’t have to be perfect in the first draft, just get the story out!”

With my outline as a blueprint, I began to plot the course of the narrative. But, I soon realized that my characters wanted to tell their own story and it wasn’t long before the plot changed.

By the time I got to the words “fade out,” the plot, genre, and subplots had changed. I still had the take-away I intended, just through an improvised plot.

Plot?

Most of the time when I ask people about movies they’ve seen, I ask them about the plot, but the response is always about the message or take-away. The average person doesn’t understand that a story’s plot isn’t what a movie is about—it’s how the writer gets the characters through the story.

Simply put the plot is how we get from point A (the beginning) to point B (the end.) Master storyteller and screenwriting genius Robert McKee explains, “Plot is an accurate term that names the internally consistent, interrelated pattern of events that move through time to shape and design a story.1”

Our jobs as screenwriters is to plot the events leading from point A to point B and hopefully craft an entertaining story along the way; these events are more than just information, like dominoes they have a cause and effect on each other to move our narrative forward. Take for example the plots of movies like The Sixth Sense or Split.

The plot is the road map for your story. In my limited experience in writing fiction, I’ve had to learn to listen to my characters as they share the parts of their stories that influence my narratives’ plot. Keep in mind the following seven elements of the plot as you write:

  1. Inciting action – this is the first domino that gets the story moving.
  2. Rising action – A sequence of events that causes the protagonist to struggle with some sort of conflict.
  3. Climax – the highest point of conflict when change occurs for the protagonist.
  4. Falling action – the bridge between the climax and the denouement.
  5. Denouement – Where the loose ends of your story are wrapped up.
  6. Resolution – this wraps up the story.

The more time I spend with my characters and in their world, the more I understand their journey; how each of the previous elements will fit together in my narrative puzzle.

In sticking with Scott Myers’ teaching on first drafts, it’s okay to have loose ends and unclear motives in the first draft, because at this point we’re just setting up the dominoes where they’ll connect with the others as the momentum moves the story forward.

  Don’t expect to hit a home run with your first draft. The average screenplay goes through at least 30 rewrites before it’s sold or optioned. You’ll have plenty of time to tie up those loose ends, tighten the dialogue, and clarify the scene descriptions along the way. Stories tend to change with each rewrite and that’s okay.

Change It up!

In case you haven’t heard, editing is writing. Editing is about more than just catching typos, misspelled words, and bad punctuation. Editing is an opportunity to tell a better story.

The most successful screenwriters know they can’t love their script to the point that they won’t allow any changes, because with each change the story is improved. Studios, directors, and producers only make changes that will make a stronger story, so be prepared to let go of your favorite scene or welcome a few other common changes, such as:

  • Character names and personalities.
  • Scene locations may need to be moved for budget purposes.
  • Subplots can be built up or cut out completely, especially if they take away from the main plot.

The production team wants to be sure that all the pieces fit together perfectly so that the audience knows what’s the plot!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 43.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Trust the Process

Over the past four months, we’ve had to follow a set of guidelines set by medical experts and our government to flatten the curve, which resulted in an economic shutdown of our country.

When the covid-19 virus made its way to America, nobody knew what to do or how it spread. Because it was a new threat to the entire world, each country endured the same learning curve:

  • Seven billion people all around the globe had to make some sort of adjustments to their daily lifestyle.
  • Everyone had to learn on the fly, which usually means learning from our mistakes.
  • Entire economies suffered financial crises.
  • As I write this nearly a half million people have died from the virus.

Sometimes the learning process of life involves loss and pain—welcome to life in the year 2020. Get over it, there is only one alternative and none of us are prepared for it.

If that sounds harsh, it’s reality; it’s something I learned growing up as an Army brat. My father was quick to discipline me as a child, not to hurt me but to help by giving me a set of rules to follow. For example: if you’re on time—you’re late, if you’re early—you’re on time if you’re late—you’re in trouble.

I didn’t understand it at the time, but his “guidelines” were part of the process of making me a mature man. Now I’ve learned to to trust the process.

Trust the Process!

No one likes rules or guidelines, but we all know we need them and they are a benefit to everyone. After I had my accident, my doctors and therapists let me know the guidelines for my recovery: never try to walk on my own, quickly report any changes in how my body felt, slow down and learn to listen.

During those early days, I had to learn to trust my doctors, therapists, and nurses as they followed the procedures for people with my specific injuries. It was hard and humbling, it wasn’t quick and painless like I wanted. But with each small victory, I learned to trust the process more.

Trusting the process applies to a writer’s journey, no matter how great an idea or story you have to share:

  1. Learn the craft.
  2. Build a platform.
  3. Write your project.
  4. Find an editor (a professional one with a good reputation.)
  5. Seek representation (they are your partner on the journey.)

Publication isn’t an easy path, nor is it a fast track or pleasant trip. But every writer needs to learn to trust the process. Recently, I asked my writing mentor, Christian author DiAnn Mills, for advice to aspiring writers who haven’t learned to trust the process.

She replied with sage advice for us all.

“Writers are given the gift of communicating through the written word to teach, entertain, inspire, and encourage others. The ability to create is a process; we must learn to crawl before we walk. If we had the gift of art, music, dance, math, or science, we would spend hours perfecting our skills and abilities. To stay current with our gift, we continue to learn even if viewed as an expert. Such is the way of writing. We gather our tools, sharpen them, and continue to explore our craft.”

Crafts, like trades, are learned over time, not instantly. The wise writer understands the benefits of being patient in trusting the process.

Benefits?

When we slow down and allow the process to work we can reap the benefits. I am not a legalist, but because of my upbringing, I like boundaries and guidelines, mainly because they help keep us focused on our goals.

  • They help fix our attention and efforts.
  • They save valuable time.
  • They help reduce risk to ourselves and others.
  • They can be trusted.

Regardless of our career path, the process can be trusted because it has been tested by others who have gone before us and have achieved their desired goals. Ultimately that is why we need to trust the process.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Hooked?

I’m excited to say that I am almost finished with the first draft of my new screenplay. Getting the story down, developing the characters, planning plot twists, doing the research has all been relatively easy because I developed my hook before starting.

If you’ve been in the writing profession for a time, you know the importance of a good hook. A hook isn’t exclusive to screenwriting, but its critical to getting your screenplay greenlighted for production. Be sure to keep a few things in mind as you work on your hook.

  • Be sure to get your audiences’ attention.
  • Be sure it will keep them invested in your story for the duration of the film.
  • Be sure it happens as soon as possible to set up the premise of your story.

It is safe to say that we don’t hook our audience as soon as possible, we can’t sell them on our story. What’s the point of writing or telling our story if it isn’t interesting—what’s the hook?

Hooked!

In literature the hook is a literary technique used in the opening of a piece that “hooks” the audiences’ attention. It’s been said that the hook is the most important part of any writing.

The hook has to be strong enough to not just interest the audience, but to convince them them to invest time and money into our stories. Below are a few types of hooks used in literature.

  1. Story or example hooks (antecedents).
  2. Facts/statistics.
  3. Strong statements/declarations.
  4. Metaphors/similes.
  5. Description hooks (visual writing).
  6. Famous quotes hooks.
  7. Interesting question hooks.

In screenwriting there is an additional approach to pitching a screenplay called the “what if” technique. This technique presents an interesting question by using familiar films to give someone a familiar idea to get a studio or producer interested.

Interest?

The age-old adage is true: always make a great first impression. Just like in dating, the first impression is what gets us interested. This is even more so in screenwriting. How many times have you begun watching a movie but failed to get interested in the first few minutes? Did you want to go on the journey with the characters or give up?

Screenwriting legend David Trotter explains it this way:

“the first thing your script should be concerned with is engaging the reader and setting forth the rules or parameters of your story.”1

David Trotter

When I first started writing screenplays almost 20 years ago, the emphasis was placed on the first 10 pages or 10 minutes of screen time to hook an audience.

Nowadays, screenwriters don’t have that luxury. Technology has affected the audiences’ attention span. It is more realistic to plan your hook around 5 to 7 pages in, the sooner the better, but keep in mind the sooner it is, the more interesting it needs to be to keep your audience hooked for the remainder of the script.

 Still unsure? Check out these movies below and see how the hook is interesting enough to keep you following along with your characters through the story’s plot.

  • Independence Day What if aliens invaded the earth and civilization fought for their freedom?
  • Jurassic Park What if scientists used the DNA of dinosaurs to bring them back and then placed them in a park?
  • Back to the Future What if a young teen used a time machine to go back to the past and then got stuck there?

Movies with great hooks take us on an adventure and make us want to follow the heroes’ journey from beginning to end. While working on my latest WIP, I’ve had to do a good bit of research, and the more I’ve researched, the more I wanted to write this inspiring story of adventure. For me, the writing process has gotten me hooked!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  Trotter, D, The Screenwriter’s Bible. Silman-James Press, Los Angeles. (2019) , p11.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Navigating the Nos

Covid-19 has had the world on lockdown since March and we’ve all made adjustments to our lives—life as we knew it has changed.

As the country begins to open up, it seems there are more nos than yesses. And no one is happy about it. Many are staging protests in defiance of laws and common sense. Even though these stipulations are put in place to protect us, people don’t want to listen.

In Georgia, where I live, the state was one of the first to begin reopening, much to the concern of many residents. The powers that be and impatient citizens wanted to reopen, regardless of the numbers. I believe we shouldn’t disregard our lawmakers precautions just to suit our selfish desires and needs.

Being older I’ve learned the wisdom of rolling with the punches of life.

  • We can’t always have what we want.
  • We need to learn to be flexible or else life will break us.
  • Patience is more than a virtue; it’s a necessity for life.

During my first days after my accident I didn’t understand these truths, but over time I learned my life had changed and being disabled was my new normal.

I heard more “nos” than “yesses”, and it depressed me. But on this side of my recovery, I understand sometimes in life the answer is just no and we need to hear it.

Navigating the Nos?

Those early days in the hospital inspired me to push myself, but there were a lot of tough times, like falling off the commode when I refused to listen to the nurses about my inability to walk.

The nurses and my friends weren’t trying to hold me back, they were trying to help me and I was too prideful to listen. When the doctors, nurses and countless specialists were telling me no, it wasn’t to discourage me, it was to protect me from hurting myself and possibly others.

After I transferred to rehab, I was walking with the therapist down a hall, and just before I entered a doorway, my neuropsychologist called out my name. In that brief moment I turned my attention towards her and accidentally walked into the doorjamb and hit my head. As I stumbled backward I hit my therapist causing her to lose her balance and almost fall. So when it came time for my review for release, my neuropsychologist refused to sign off and I was forced to remain in rehab.

Those doctors and therapists saw what I couldn’t about myself. They knew where I needed to improve even when I couldn’t see it. In my youth I resented their rules and regulations. Some two decades later, I am grateful for them.

The trained medical specialists knew what I needed more than I did. Their training and experience gave them the tools and insight to help me in many ways.

The same concept applies to the writing life. Often we writers are sure of our talents, knowledge, and stories. We want to skip the necessary steps to succeed. We want the easy route that doesn’t challenge us or help us grow in the craft.

This is part of the reason why we face rejections rather than a coveted acceptance letter. We haven’t honed our skills or heeded the advice of others who are trying to help us. Rejection letters from agents and publishers aren’t meant to discourage us, but rather to encourage us to continue to learn the craft and improve our stories.

It’s been three years since I attended my last writer’s conference. Although I didn’t get an acceptance letter, I made connections in the industry and learned more about the craft and since then I’ve tried to use what I learned. I’ve tried to be wise in how I handled the nos in my writing life.

Wisdom?

At that last conference, I made a new writer friend and we kept in contact for a few weeks. Then suddenly, when they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear, their attitude changed and bitterness set in.

As far as I know the writer no longer writes. They have dropped from social media and closed the door. It’s sad because, they had a great audience and market to write for.

What a lot of writers don’t realize is that after rejections many agents continue to follow would-be authors to see what they are doing. The wise use the rejection as motivation to get better. Others allow the rejection to make them bitter.

You have a choice, Below are a few steps you can take if you choose to become a better writer after rejection.

  • Continue to learn the craft.
  • Polish your writing.
  • Build your platform.
  • Nurture those relationships you make.

Before I was released from the rehabilitation as an outpatient, I had to spend some time in a T.L.C. (transitional living center) where I could be watched during daily activities. There I met other people with brain injuries who were struggling to deal with their nos. I spent a month there and saw many others taste victory before me. Each setback and failure only made me more determined to navigate the nos.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Elevator Pitch

If you think the Coronapocalypse has the US economy down, imagine the effect it is having on Hollywood. Most of the major literary agencies have had major layoffs or reductions in salaries for the agents.  Studios have shut down production on some movies and delayed the release of others. For example:

The last time Hollywood shutdown for non-strike related reasons was 100 years ago due to the Great Depression. Since then Hollywood has operated at warp speed with everyone and their uncle trying to get their pitch to the right people.

The Coronavirus has seriously impeded the process of getting new scripts pitched to studios. And yet, recently I was messaging back and forth with one of my screenwriting mentors and briefly shared with him the concept of my WIP. He requested a copy of the completed draft, all because I quickly pitched my story concept and theme briefly.

The Elevator Pitch?

Although elevator pitch isn’t exclusively used in Hollywood, its function is imperative to the film-making process. If you’re not familiar with the term, an elevator pitch is a short informative sales pitch for whatever product, service, or idea trying to be sold or produced. The key factor is getting the basics in the quickest amount of time.

In show business, it provides a screenwriter with an explosive burst of creative information about the story which can be understood in a short amount of time, idealistically in a brief elevator ride with a studio executive or producer.

You never know when the stars may align and allow you to share your story. For screenwriters is a great time to include your log line for your script. There are many urban legends about how the term elevator pitch came about.

The most accepted one is from the golden days of Hollywood, where dreams came true. Every writer, both good and bad flocked to Hollywood to share their stories with directors and producers to make their writing dreams come true. If you were screenwriter in Hollywood and saw a producer or director getting into an elevator, you could follow them and try to explain your story before arriving at the next floor.

              Obviously, the pitch had to be spot on, entertaining and informative, concise. How else would a producer remember it from countless other ideas he had heard already? But, if you do it right, you’re one step closer to your dreams coming true. The concept of the elevator pitch is so popular that it has shown up in several movies and TV shows, below are just a few:

  1. Iron Man
  2. The Pursuit of Happiness
  3. The Dilemma
  4. Mad Men

Screenwriters need to know their stories well enough to pitch them like a pro at a moment’s notice. This could be a chance to make your dreams come true. Be sure to keep it brief but interesting. Script Magazine has a few more suggestions:

  1. Never tell your whole story.
  2. Focus on revealing the essential elements of your story.
  3. Begin by revealing how you came up with the idea.
  4. Leave the buyer in suspense.
  5. Finished your description with the title and your log line.
  6. Follow the log line with a question.
  7. Answer the buyer’s questions succinctly.[i]

Remember the main goal is to always keep whoever you’re pitching to and your audience interested in your story.

Interested?

Everything in the entertainment industry hinges around interest: is the story interesting enough to be written? Is there enough interest to invest millions of dollars into telling it? Is it interesting enough to make people want to spend their hard-earned money to go see it at the theaters?

There is no quick or simple equation to check off each answer. But there are a few high points we should aspire to infuse into our stories; I call it the R.A.R.E formula:

  • Relevant: What makes the story need to be told now and why?
  • Anticipation: Is there a desire to go on a journey with the character or characters?
  • Relatable: Will an audience relate to their characters or their journey?
  • Excitement: is there enough excitement to keep the eventual audience interested for 90 minutes to two hours?

If you check these high points off, you’ll be able to hook the right people with your elevator pitch.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

[i] https://scriptmag.com/career/7-keys-to-a-great-pitch

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

You Can Do It!

I have shared before how difficult those first days after my accident were. This month I want to give more detail. Not all of my struggles were in the form of physical struggles. There are things in life that are more crippling than physical trauma.

Sure the loss of feeling on the left side of the body, loss of motor skills and inability to walk were tough to deal with. The toughest parts were more mental and cognitive. This is why most brain injury survivors must be counseled by neuropsychologists.  Life is hard enough without a disability and some days I would wonder if it was even worth it.

Being so young and so helpless was almost unbearable for me. To make matters worse, I was constantly being told by friends and family about how serious my injuries were. Even the nurses and doctors, including one of the best surgeons in the world at the time, would cautiously remind me that I was one stroke away from dying instantly.

Regardless, it was a given I would never walk again. Being young or just hardheaded, I was determined to prove everyone wrong—only to find myself falling off the toilet and eventually a bicycle. But each time I failed, my heart told me I could do it!

You Can Do It!

While I was going through rehabilitation the movie Waterboy came out and I went to see it with some friends from college. It featured a main character, Bobby Boucher, who was mentally challenged.

The premise of the movie was Bobby’s challenges kept him from doing things in life, like playing football or even getting married. However, by the end of the movie his rallying cry was, “You can do it!”

After seeing the movie, I unintentionally adopted this statement as my mantra.  As I faced each setback or trial on my road to recovery, I would remind myself that, “I could do it!”

The writing life is challenging; at times we will have to encourage ourselves just to keep going when things don’t work out how we hope or plan. When it does, we must learn to adapt and press on. Here are some other thoughts to help you remember, “You can do it.”

  1. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.
  2. If you fall, you don’t have to stay down.
  3. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
  4. Learn from what you’re going through or it’ll be wasted time.

Resistance!

Despite all the resistance we will face on our writing journeys, we must remember that resistance isn’t meant to stop us, only to make us stronger and better writers. During my rehabilitation, I learned that muscles I hadn’t used during my hospital stay had become weak and the only way to make them stronger was to put pressure on them. 

The same principle applies going to the gym and working out. Our muscles don’t grow unless we test them by increasing the weight to give us more resistance. While the gymnasiums are closed during this pandemic, I decided to purchase a high-end resistance band set.

I don’t want to spend these weeks and months being sedentary and letting my muscles get soft because I have become comfortable. While the economy has slowed down to a record standstill, we writers need to be flexing our writing muscles to keep the creative juices flowing. Below are a few advantages of resistance.

  • Keeps us motivated.
  • Keeps us moving.
  • Tests our strength.
  • Keeps us productive.

Writing is a mental and physical workout that requires discipline to keep growing in our creative processes. Don’t avoid the resistance because you don’t feel like doing the work.

This is why I use the hashtag #Youcandoit on social media when I post about writing. Once you learn to process the struggles of writing, it can fuel your creative process in the long run. You can do it!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Log lines

In the business of screenwriting, everyone dreams of getting a big sale with their passion project, projects they worked on for years. Unfortunately, most aspiring screenwriters spend time writing their screenplays without taking the other necessary steps to get the deal done.

The screenwriting business isn’t as simple as a great story idea. If it were anybody and their uncle could do it. Most people believe they have come up with the best story idea Hollywood has ever seen.

But show business doesn’t just hinge on great stories. While concept may be king there, there are other players in the king’s court and I’m not just talking about story structure. I am referring to the other industry specific tools screenwriters must master.

  • Options
  •  Treatments
  • Log lines

Since I’ve already discussed the first two, this month I want to look at the log line and how it works together with the other tools in the screenwriter’s tool belt.

Log Lines?

Log lines are often overlooked and overdone. Basically, log lines are a 1 to 2 sentence description of what your screenplay is about. The hard part about writing log lines is not giving too much information, but teasing the high points of your narrative.

Your log line should introduce the world of the story, the conflict and the hook, all without wasting any words. Trim the fat—just the meat of the story.

Once you develop your log line, not only will you use it as a guide for writing your screenplay, you also want to use it as your opening line of your treatment that you send out to potential agents, studios or producers.

This will be everyone’s first look at the story you’re trying to pitch. Screenwriting coach and legend Scott Myers advises, “Concise, concise, concise. One sentence that generally describes the script. General is the key word. Don’t worry about every detail of the story in the log line.”

If it is so simple, why do so many screenwriters skip this step in the screenwriting process? Killer log lines often help get movies green-lighted. Below are a few.

  1. Matrix A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
  2. Silence of the Lambs A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
  3. Star Wars An orphan farm boy on planet in the galaxy far far away must unite with robots and rebels to fight against an evil controlling empire to save the galaxy.
  4. The Hangover A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.
  5. A Very Long Engagement A French woman sets out to find the truth about her missing fiancé after he is sent off to serve in World War I.
  6. Good Will Hunting A young janitor at M.I.T. has a gift for mathematics but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

Log lines should tease your story not tell it, as shown in examples above. Give the hook, concept and introduce a few characters, then get out of the way. Ideally, that should be enough to give anyone the premise of your story.

Creatives may feel their work deserves a more thorough explanation in order to entice the right people, but the hard truth of the business is that studio execs, producers and even literary agents don’t have the time to read all of the countless scripts, treatments or queries they receive.

Hence, the power of the almighty log line. It’s great for explaining the concept of your story in the shortest amount of time, with the most impact. And in Hollywood, timing is everything!

Don’t Waste Time!

It can take years and possibly decades to get a movie made after a screenplay is written. The production process is time-consuming and scripts often become dated quickly.

Hollywood is not some get quick rich business, by the time screenwriters “make it,” they have paid their dues by writing dozens of screenplays either on assignment or spec. It takes time to learn the craft of screenwriting, just as with any other profession.

Once a script is completed there are still quite a few stages it goes through before a movie arrives in theaters.

  • Being optioned or sold.
  • Pre-production.
  • Production.
  • Post-production.
  • Marketing.

None of which will happen without an interesting and concise log line that will tease and sell your story. It’s important to remember log lines don’t need to be complex or long, just clear and to the point.

As a rule of thumb, it should be one to two sentences. The goal is for people to understand your story from your log line.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Setbacks

As I write this month’s post from my home office, the world around me is shut down as caution to the coronavirus. The writing conference season has come to a screeching halt before it ever got started. Because most conferences have either been postponed or canceled.

As social-distancing has become the norm, I have had more time to think about a lot of things. I know a lot of writers, both established and aspiring are disappointed by lost opportunities to pursue their passions or missed chances to reunite with other writing friends.

But, I can’t help but shake the memories and feelings I had over two decades ago when my life literally came to a screeching halt. It seemed like everything had been taken away from me: dreams, finances, relationships and even some physical abilities.

You could say, my life was over with as I knew it. But, it wasn’t over—it was just a turning point in my life that would put me on a new course. I’ve shared how difficult it can be to live with a brain injury.

But since, this month is brain injury awareness month I want to share with you some insights I have learned from navigating the hurdles life has thrown at me. Because as the world is learning now, you don’t have to have a disability to experience the trials in life.

Below are a few truths about life we can bet on.

  • Everyone struggles at times in life.
  • Just because you get knocked down in life, doesn’t mean it’s over with.
  • Slow down and learn to listen when life pauses.

Setbacks in life prepare us for what may lie ahead on our journey. By now we all know that writing isn’t an easy career. There are hurdles to jump. How we handle the setbacks will determine how our careers go.

Setbacks?

I googled the definition for setback and found a couple of interesting definitions: “1) A checking of progress 2) A space between buildings. 3) Automatic scheduled adjustment to a lower temperature setting of a thermostat.”

It’s interesting because these characteristics of setbacks apply to all facets of life, especially the writing life. Setbacks help us gauge the progress of our writing, they give us space and time to think, and they help us make adjustments to our writing.

Setbacks should help us focus, not make us fearful. I think our country and world have been humbled by the coronavirus. Hopefully we can learn from this setback.

About eight months after I had my accident, I suffered my first seizure and was scared to death. It took me two days after going to the emergency room to regain the movement in my left arm. For two days I cried because I thought all the progress I’d made over the previous eight months was lost. I was sure I would never walk again or be able to use my left arm. It wasn’t until eight years later when I had my second seizure that I began to connect the dots.

My seizures were triggered by becoming dehydrated. Once I made the correct adjustments to my life to avoid those situations, I have become seizure-free for over a decade, without any medication or doctor visits. Setbacks can teach us something if we pay attention.

I recently reached out to one of my writing mentors for some advice about navigating the hurdles of a writing career. She agreed that there are many. She was the one who first who noticed and helped me hone my writing voice. The following list is a compilation of hurdles that I have experienced along with some from my closest writing friends.

  1. Finding your “writing” voice.
  2. Finding your target market.
  3. Building your platform.
  4. Finding an editor that fits.
  5. Landing representation for your writing projects.
  6. Securing a publishing contract.
  7. Book marketing.

These are only a few hurdles I’ve heard about within the writing community. There will always be unplanned hiccups in the writing life, in life and definitely living with a disability.

These are times when patience and persistence are vital to a writer. After I had that first seizure I wanted to just give up completely, but then I learned to use it as a tool on my road to recovery. Write on!

Hang On?

Whether I’m at a writer’s conference or listening to online teleseminar, I always hear the same thing.

  • Don’t give up.
  • Keep learning.
  • Listen.
  • It’s okay to ask for help/advice.

Although I had therapists twenty years ago, there was no one I could turn to who could explain to me what my life would be like after losing 30% of my brain.

Now I have the opportunity to encourage other brain injury/stroke survivors about what to expect. I am also fortunate enough to have established writers in my life to help me navigate the writing hurdles.

As the world pauses to deal with the coronavirus, it is a great time to ask for help, listen and continue to learn our craft. That is the best way to make the most out of this setback.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

High Concept

Recently, I was motivated to start work on a new screenplay, one that has been a passion project of mine for some time. It involved taking a cult classic from my childhood and updating the storyline for the present day.

Before I could begin plotting out the story events, I wanted to do some brainstorming to see what modern-day twists I could add to a dated story. My first step was to go back to the writing basics:

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • When
  • Why

We’ve already discussed the what (takeaway,) but this month I want to look at the “why.” Why does this story need to be told?  Why is it relevant now? Why will people want to invest time and money into watching it?

In the screenwriting business, this is called a concept and if the stakes are high enough, it becomes a high concept. I cannot emphasize the importance of screenplays being high concept. Producers, studios, and investors want projects that are high concept.

High Concept?

Let’s face it; Hollywood is a business town as much as New York City is. It doesn’t matter what kind of story you’re telling or what your takeaway is, if it isn’t going to make money, studios won’t produce it—high concept typically means a high return on the investment.

In my opinion, this is why the Christian film industry sells itself short; they want to change or save the world, but they only target Christian audiences. Even though their messages about salvation, hope and love should be a very high concept.

If you’re still not sure how to tell if your screenplay is high concept, I found a few pointers in Script magazine:

  1. High level of entertainment value
  2. High degree of originality
  3. High level of uniqueness (different than original)
  4. Highly visual
  5. Possesses a clear emotional focus (root emotion)
  6. Targets a broad, general audience, or a large niche market
  7. Sparks a “what if” question[i]

A way to test if your screenplay is high concept is to ask, what if this or that doesn’t happen? The answer to your what-if should be high risk. This doesn’t necessarily mean complicated. Just that the possibilities are high.

Overly complicated narratives can lose the entertainment factor by overwhelming the audience. A high concept film should be easy to understand: light versus dark, good versus evil, pride versus humility. Keep the stakes high, but keep the story easy enough to follow.

Keep It Simple?

Screenwriting coach and legend Scott Myers suggests “the six-word rule.” “So, if you’ve got a story which has you confused, do this: Try your hand at a logline or short summary. Then zero in on the six words in your description which do the best job communicating the essence of your story.”[ii] I don’t think the descriptions need to be that brief, but no more than two sentences. Below are a few of my favorite high concept movies.

  • Home Alone What if a young boy is left home alone while the family is on vacation and burglars tried to break in?
  • Jurassic Park What if scientists cloned dinosaurs and put them in a park for people to visit?
  • Transformers  What if alien robots invaded earth and hid in plain sight?
  • Groundhog Day What if I a weatherman relived Groundhog Day over and over?

High concept movies have box office appeal, but not necessarily blockbuster budgets. Stories don’t need to be showy or flashy to appeal to a broad audience. Sometimes it’s as simple as touching the heart of an audience or a universal curiosity that makes a movie high concept.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

[i] https://scriptmag.com/features/story-talk-high-concept-yes-it-actually-means-something

[ii] https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/dumb-little-writing-tricks-that-work-the-six-word-test-f1bc38a8122d

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Just Do IT

Recently, I started writing a passion project. It is a twist on a favorite film of my childhood. I’ve wanted to do this project for three years, but for some reason, I’ve kept putting it off.

Although I was excited about it, I always seemed to find an excuse not to write it. It wasn’t until I had to force myself to go outside and exercise in the miserable wet winter weather that I found inspiration to start writing it.

Maybe it was because most of this project takes place in snowy settings. Maybe it is just that I wasn’t as passionate about the projects I had been working on at the time. Perhaps, it was the fog lifting from the state of S.A.D. I experience.

I remember the days after my accident when I didn’t feel like doing anything. The simple things in life (walking, changing clothes) were just too difficult. It wasn’t until I got tired of doctors telling me what I couldn’t do, that I became determined to prove them wrong. I found my motivation in the challenge of relearning everything. I learned a lesson that I apply to my life now.

If I can force myself to do things when I don’t “feel” like it, it’s easier when I do feel like it. 

Staying motivated can be difficult for people living with a disability.

  • It’s hard to focus sometimes.
  • We don’t have the physical strength or ability.
  • Depression is stronger than motivation.

All we can do in times like these is just press on and do our best. Because trying and failing gets us further than never trying at all.

I believe we need to apply this thinking to our writing lives as well. If left to our own devices we would never get any writing done because we don’t feel like writing. That’s why we have to just do it!

Just Do (Write) It!

Once I sit down behind a computer and start writing, I get an adrenaline rush and the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes all it takes is that first step to get us motivated and we wonder why we procrastinated in the first place.

Before beginning my new project, I decided to rewatch my childhood favorite for the first time in over thirty years. I had my notebook and pencil on the coffee table but got lost in the childhood nostalgia of the moment.

I’ll probably watch it again just for note-taking. It wasn’t long before I was online and doing research. I was so excited I went to church and talked to some friends about it; surprisingly they offered to help me with the technicalities of the subject matter.

My enthusiasm spilled over into an email to a screenwriting friend who is a thirty-year Hollywood veteran. In a few hours, he emailed me to send him a draft once I felt it was ready for a readover! I am still stoked about the project now as I am writing this article while there is a cold rain outside my office window. 

In high school, I heard a professional athlete from my area share with the local news, the difference between athletes and spectators.

 “The only difference between athletes and fans is athletes make up their minds to do the work needed to excel in their sport. They don’t just sit on the sidelines dreaming and talking about it.”

The same principles apply to writing. The difference between successful writers and those who never achieve publication is successful writers do the work it takes to be successful.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, writers write, and dreamer’s dream. This means a few things need to take place:

  1. Get serious about making it a career and not a hobby.
  2. Get the education and training you need to write correctly and be professional. This could be a formal degree or it can be taking a professional writing program. The best writers are always honing their craft; whether through conferences or online seminars and classes—you only know how much you have learned.
  3. Be willing to make the sacrifices needed to get your writing where it needs to be.
  4. Learn the importance of time management. Just because you’re getting training doesn’t mean you can’t be writing.

It took months after my accident before I learned what I was able to do physically, I learned through trial and error, not lying in a hospital bed feeling sorry for myself. All of these years later I am still learning the limitations of my abilities. I keep learning and growing. When the going gets tough, dig in and learn.

The struggle is real, but it is good!

I don’t like working out all the time. If I only worked out when I felt like it, I’d never work out. So I force myself to go and struggle through it. I’m not there to have fun or socialize. I don’t want it to be easy anyway, because I like a workout that challenges me.

Our muscles only grow when they are tested. I would’ve never relearned how to walk, dress, talk or even smile if I never made myself use those muscles. Writers need to use their writing muscles (brains, hearts and extremities.) Below are a few benefits of flexing your writing muscles.

  • Improves memory.
  • Builds a writer’s voice.
  •  Refines communication skills.

These can benefit people even if they’re not aspiring to be a writer.

But only if they “just do it.”

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

What’s the Point?

Recently my best friend and I met up for our first guys’ night out of the year, after eating dinner we decided to go see the latest Star Wars film, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER .

For us it was more than just an appropriate “guy movie,” it was a trip back through our childhood on a cinematic journey. How could we resist the nostalgia of spaceships, droids, the age-old battle of good versus evil and of course seeing Princess Leia one last time?

The real caveat has been the real message of hope, against all the odds. For over forty years this series has inspired viewers with the idea of hope, starting with Star Wars: A New Hope.

Two generations of fans have left theaters with the idea that hope is the answer. When I first began my training as a writer in 2011, the first term I learned about was takeaway. If we always think reader (audience) first, they will take something with them from our writing.

I learned that the takeaway is inspired by numerous factors:

  • Plot – the course of events that make up our story.
  • Theme – the underlying idea behind the events that take place.
  • Message – how the theme is acted out or upon.

Through these three fundamentals of a story, the takeaway inspires us to take action in life. And I believe deep inside of all writers we have a desire to change lives, and we attempt to change perspectives through our art. This is why takeaway is important to stories.

Takeaway?

Granted there are many forms of writing and each one has a different function: to entertain, to inform, persuade and my favorite, to enlighten.

Regardless of the function, a writer’s ultimate goal is to bring some form of change. We want to encourage our audiences to take action and that is why our prose needs takeaway value.

Even in fictional writing takeaway value is critical. It may be an inciting or motivating incident that gets our audience moving.

When I attended my first screenwriting conference in 2011, it included a speed pitch session. Similar to speed dating, writers were allowed to travel from one industry insider’s table to another for a short amount of time.

During that time we were to pitch our project to each prospective studio or producer. Regardless of the professional I pitched to, they all wanted to know what my screenplay’s takeaway was.

A studio or producer and even networks aren’t willing to invest their resources into a project unless there is a unique and marketable takeaway value in the project.

When writing has takeaway value, an audience or reader gains an understanding or perspective that can be incorporated into day-to-day life. As I learned in one of my classes through the former Christian writers Guild, “Editors look out for their readers—and they want to work with writers… who do the same. They publish articles that provide strong takeaway value.”[i]

They do this to meet a need in their readers’ lives. Once you decide on what you want to encourage your audience or readers to do or think, be sure to take steps to encourage them to take action. Below are a few steps you can take in your writing.

  1. Create an eye-catching title.
  2. Open with a real-life story.
  3. Anticipate the opposition.
  4. Evoke emotion.
  5. Keep readers interested.
  6. Write in the active voice.
  7. Invite readers to take action.[ii]

While these are intended for article or nonfiction writing, they easily apply to screenwriting:

  • Titles can imply a lot about a movie.
  • Most audiences can relate more to real-life stories.
  • Most moviegoers are movie critics and want an enjoyable experience.
  • Emotional stories touch audiences at a deeper level.
  • Be creative and keep the audience interested.
  • The age-old truth for screenwriting is to always write in the active voice as the story is unfolding before our eyes now.
  • Give your story a conclusion that will motivate your audience.

By the time the credits start to roll at the end of a movie, the audience should have followed the plot, understood the theme and have a clear message from your narrative. No one likes leaving a movie unsatisfied and wondering why they invested the time and money into it—what was the point?

What’s The Point?

Every writer has a story, message or point they want to share. If you’re human you have a perspective, personality, and a voice. Screenplays are a visual way of expressing each.

  • You can entertain.
  • You can educate.
  • You can inspire.

The best movies change us or something in us. Below are a few of my favorite, can you relate to their takeaway?

Shawshank Redemption: Redemption/change.

A Very Long Engagement : Real love never dies.

The Grace Card: We all need grace.

I’m sure you can think of many of your favorites that have impacted your life, character, and beliefs. Because if a story has no takeaway, then what’s the point?

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

[i] Jenkins (2010) Apprentice Course CWG publishing Colorado Springs, CO p 87.

[ii] Jenkins (2010) Apprentice Course CWG publishing Colorado Springs, CO p 93.