SAW Yearlong Program Alumn, Carly Shooster's book Segments showed up on my porch earlier this week.

I'm in Annie Mok's storytelling class, so I'm thinking about story structure, for what feels like the first time. Last night at Draw Jam we were talking about the Robert McKee book Annie is teaching from. Susan Marks suggested another book, James Scott Bell's Write From the Middle. Bell says that in the exact middle of most book there is a look-in-the-mirror moment for the protagonist. Carly's looks like this:

You start with that. There is a lead-up before the look-in-the-mirror moment and a transformation after. That's all the structure you need (but of course he has more suggestions for structure than that).

Here is Carly's Inciting Incident (Robert McKee's term)

The protagonist betrays her best friend by sleeping with a man her best friend was longing for. This incites the story, but also begins the series of insights that lead to the transformation.

And here is the Transformation (I think ....), where the protagonist realizes she can't be present for even the most heart wrenching moments of family struggle. Why? Because she chose romance and excitement over love (the lover of her friends and family) and she knows it.

She also knows she can't go back, and is forced to learn and grow from the experience.

It is very skillfully done, brave storytelling.

Sorry for the bad photos. If you want a copy of the book, contact Carly on Instagram.