Write the Big Moment Big
[In honor of The Godfather’s 50th anniversary, here’s one of my favorite Top Ten posts of the past.]
I have a friend who runs a very successful literary agency in Los Angeles. She represents screenwriters. I asked her once, “Is there any single mistake your writers make, not in business or marketing, but in the writing itself?”
She replied without hesitation,
“When they come to the Big Scene, they chicken out.”
I asked her to elaborate.
“Think about the ‘She’s my sister, she’s my daughter’ scene in Chinatown. Or the moment in The Godfather when Michael says, ‘If Clemenza can figure a way to have a weapon planted for me … then I’ll kill them both.” Those are Big Moments. Both are central to their dramas. And in each one, the writers and directors held nothing back. They didn’t under-write. They didn’t underplay. And both those moments are immortal.”
My friend said that her writers (and by extension, of course, all of us) tend to be risk-averse in their stories’ Big Moments.
“Partly I think it’s because they’ve been told that subtext is more powerful than text. Or they’re afraid that if they go balls-out for emotion and the moment doesn’t work, they’ll look foolish. So they deliberately under-write. They back off from having Carmela scream at Tony, ‘I was in love with Furio!’ Or from Tony slamming his fist through the wall two inches from Carmela’s face.”
My friend said she routinely has to force her writers to revisit their Big Moments and be brave enough to take the risk of really going for it.
I confess when I heard that, my blood ran a little cold.
I thought, “Am I doing that?”
And of course I am. And for the same reasons my friend cited.
Memo to self: Don’t chicken out next time. Write the Big Moment big.
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
In our work or our life, we have only a moment. Make it big all. I’m in the wilds of West Virginia preparing to hike in the mountains of the Dolly Sods. Big, big mountains. No chickening out. Wish you all a day this week where you take the chance to go all in.
Good luck Jackie. I went down the John Muir Trail a few years ago and the experience significantly changed me for the better. I just read about the Dolly Sods – impressive and beautiful.
I’m in WV now too, a few miles from Dolly Sods. This is a great weekend to explore Davis & Thomas too!!
Oh, also, great post Steve! As usual 🙂
Hi Steven, I can’t stand it anymore. The rejections, the indifference, the silence… 12 years of that, I’m at an absolute excruciating rock bottom right now and no amount of self motivation seems to be helping. I’ve always been pro active and positive, but now the pain is just unbearable. Sorry it’s not much and quite negative, but that’s all I can say right now. Thank you Steve.
I think the trick to this is letting the character take over. Let them do what they want and say what they want. Which I’ve often found surprises me. They are willing to go all out when thinking instead of how this scene fits into that or echoes/calls back/foreshadows another. My mind is on the writing whereas the character’s is on the task at hand. As a bonus, if a character does something they would do, but you say, No, I need you to do this instead, then the problem is in you, not the character.
In my debut novel, A Killer Story (told in first person), my hardest decision was to have my daughter kidnapped and put in danger. I wrestled with doing it and asked her about it. I asked her if it was creepy for her dad to write that she was kidnapped and to use her in that way in my book. I thought she might say to leave her out of it. But she said, “Dad, it’s only a book.” So I put her in and had her kidnapped. Went big when it mattered for the story. She survived, of course!
I write songs. I cue i. On the best line(s) for the chorus. That’s where the high point is.
“I cue in on”
Be more foolish, Kate. Be brave. Be authentic. My thoughts today! Thank you, Steve!
Great repost, Steve.
And Stephen Power– I like your line: “I think the trick to this is letting the character take over… They are willing to go all out.”
I’m knee-deep into a re-read of Shaun’s “The Story Grid,” as I plot my fourth novel. Highly-recommended tool, BTW: https://blackirishbooks.com/product/the-story-grid/
I think Shaun would nod at Stephen’s comment above. If we are disciplined enough to use “The Story Grid” methods– the “complications” in our stories have to increase… The “payoff” has to be big, meaningful. If we properly plan our work–still leaving room to “wing it” and be creative– we have little choice but to write the Big Scene at the end.. and as Stephen said, “Let the characters… go all out.”
Brilliant and correct observation.
We fear what has to happen just at the moment it MUST happen.
I’m in the middle of revisiting a couple of key moments in my musical.
They need to be bigger.
Re-write!
Thanks again for helping us to move ever forward.
That’s really interesting. I was thinking about Tarantino’s work earlier today – and how he LOVES the big scene!
Thank you dear Steve, Kate, and all friends here.
You just can’t read fundamentals often enough.
There is a scene in my book where the “flesh&bones” of a God attack the immense existence of another. As a concept it is So Big, but my conscience just can’t accept it, for a long time now. Maybe it tells me that I can’t downsize the levels of Gods as concepts, giving them human traits. On the other hand, nothing stopped Homer i.e. from turning the energies of Gods into simple, strong human beings. And it was perfect somehow. Filtering through your post, I would assume that there is a deeper level of the concept of Big, that one must find when reaching those peak moments. A Big that is big because it’s so different, so unique, and not so extravagant. Still wondering.
Or maybe I just chicken out even subconsciously, stopping the very “attack” by giving lower-than-hell effects on the causes. Gosh!
Looking for one night stands instead of happily ever afters https://www.wealthydatingsites.com/
The internet has got hundreds of options, but most ‘hookup sites’ lack enough real members to deliver any real late night excitement.
So for this post, we did our research and found the 20 best hookup dating platforms with the MOST members. These sites are perfect for skipping the games and getting lucky in as few swipes as possible.
I think you should also write an article about magnesium manufacturer.
Great article! All the articles you have, they enjoy reading and learning a lot. Your article is very helpful for me. I hope you will continue to write such good articles as well. Really enjoyed reading your blog.It is highly informative and builds great interest for the readers. For the people like us your blogs helps to get ideal information and knowledge. Thanks for providing such blogs. NYJacket
https://www.nyjacket.com/
fashion is made by USA JACKET
https://www.usajacket.com/
DOTA 2, which means “Defense of the Ancients,” is a http://dota2-bets.net/dota-2-coinflip high-intensity fun game created by Valve Corporation. Since its launch in 2013, the game has found favor in players’ eyes because of some unique qualities and features. For one, it caters to all groups of players and is easy for beginners to learn with its in-game tutorials and guides. It is also free to play, with loads of tournaments and international competitions for players to enjoy. It is no wonder why there is a large active community of DOTA 2 players and enthusiasts.
I really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. I assure you this would be beneficial for most people
https://www.revounts.com.au/the-man-shake-promo-code
The World Health Organization has called for state run relationship to stop tobacco lifting to get youngsters far from taking up smoking.Kat valdez light green wool trench coat
While I’m not saying that it’s impossible to https://thaiwomen.org/ have a happy and fulfilling relationship with a Thai bar girl, it’s just extremely rare. Sure, maybe you meet a girl who really just started working in the bar a few days ago and you are her first customer, or maybe even a lady who has seen hundreds of white penises over the years and who is actually really nice, sincere and caring. But well, the odds are simply against you.
I am really glad that I have read your article. It was awesome to see this nice post. I appreciate your effort in sharing this blog.
I really like your blog post very much.
I truly enjoy the post that you made on your blog a lot.
The big moment is the time in your story when it all comes together and the reader knows something important has happened nerdle. It’s when a character makes a decision that changes their life, or when they make an emotional connection with another character. octordle
SimbowBlog is a Q&A platform that empowers people to share and grow the world’s knowledge. People use SimbowBlog to ask questions on any subject.
I think this is an informative post and it is very beneficial and knowledgeable. Therefore, I would like to thank you for the endeavors that you have made in writing this article. All the content is absolutely well-researched. Read more news: 1) https://satyamanthan.in/ , 2) https://satyamanthan.in/gujarat-news/
I really like your blog post very much.
https://salamcool.ir/music/
Word Hurdle has a very simple rule of the game and is suitable for all ages. You don’t have to practice first, you can start right into the game.
What a great article! Thanks for sharing a wonderful information. This is exciting and fun to read, I have gain more knowledge because of this. Good work!
I think the slogan of not being cowardly is not the main thing in life at all, especially when you see or read the stories of people who have taken the step and accomplished a lot. The turning point for me was probably reading Letter from Birmingham Jail. I even wrote an essay about the story, and if anyone is interested, it’s on https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/ethos-logos-and-pathos-in-letter-from-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/, anyone can read it. It shows how human relationships can help all people, you just have to not be afraid and not need violence.
Steve, I don’t think you’ll ever get around to responding to this comment, but I’ll ask anyway: Is there a particular scene you wrote in the past where you feel you chickened out? I’d love to re-read that scene and see if I as a reader can spot it or not.
It’s really tough when you’re faced with a big moment and you don’t know what to do. You may be scared that it will go wrong and you’ll not be able to do what you want to do. But it’s better to mess up than not do at all. zachwilliamsstlouis.store
Zach Williams is a great musician with a great voice. He’s brought a lot of fun and energy to St. Louis shows in a long while. Thanks, Zach!
Yellowstone Jackets care for your fashion requirements. We uphold the premium quality John Dutton Quilted Jacket that bring you a new style.
Excellent and decent post. It is brilliant blog. I like the way you express information to us. Thanks for such post and please keep it up.Kevin Costner Parka Jacket Season 5
This is excellent article, thank you for the share! This is what I am looking for, hope in future you will continue sharing such an superb work.
Men’s Red Corduroy Jacket
Get Low Cost Website Design in India @ Just ₹3800 with Free Domain, Hosting & Business Email Ids from India's No 1 Website Designing Company We are providing low cost affordable website design for startups, small & medium business who wants to have their online presence or sell products online using our ecommerce solution. We have our website design company in mumbai, delhi, kolkata, bangalore, hyderabad, chennai, ahmedabad, pune, surat, vizag, jaipur, lucknow, nagpur, indore, patna, coimbatore and across the globe. visit our website for more info
A very good and decent post. This blog is excellent. I appreciate how you convey facts to us.
The Best Web Developers Agency is a team of experienced web developers that specialize in creating and optimizing websites for clients. Their work is always professional and of the highest quality. They are experienced in all the latest technologies, from WordPress and Drupal to HTML and JavaScript. They provide custom solutions for clients, whether it’s a simple website or a complex e-commerce site. They have the experience and knowledge to create websites that are attractive, user-friendly, and secure. With the Best Web Developers Agency, you can be sure that you are getting the best web development services available.
Stay warm and show off your team spirit with the latest 49ers Starter jackets! With free shipping, it’s the perfect time to upgrade your game day wardrobe. These jackets feature the iconic 49ers logo and are made with high-quality materials to keep you warm and comfortable. Plus, their stylish design will have you looking your best no matter the occasion. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay cozy and fashionable while supporting your favorite team. Shop now and add a new 49ers starter jacket to your collection!
I simply wanted to express how much I like your blog’s uniqueness. Your capacity to discover and investigate unusual things is extremely outstanding. Your writing is interesting and educational, and I always leave your postings with new thoughts. Goku Drip Puffer Jacket Thanks
Blog with a lot of information. Visiting your blog helped me get what I was looking for. If you have more time, please visit: scribble io
Source giftinger is your one-stop-shop for finding the perfect gift for any occasion. Whether you’re shopping for a birthday, anniversary, or just because, we have a wide selection of unique and thoughtful gifts to choose from. From personalized gifts to home decor and gadgets, we have something for everyone. Shop now and make your loved ones feel special with a gift from Source.Giftinger.com
Fortune Jackets is a one-stop solution for everyone who loves jackets. A dedicated platform design, manufacture and deliver quality jackets to everyone out there. We believe in making fashion available for everyone and this is an integral reason we are so focused on our designs. Following the yellowstone jackets and coats designs to customized jackets we deals in everything.
Suhagan Is Indain Tv Drama By Colors tv Suhagan is Hindi Serial Tv
Suhagan
Shop The Latest And Stylish pelle pelle coats. Available In Verity Of Sizes. All Jackets Are Made With Premium Quality Of Leather.
hqd vapes australia Unlike traditional cigarettes this product is a cost-effective alternative to smoking. Accessing the ability to use whenever and safely store away for later use. This gives you the power to monitor consumption and involves less trips to the tobacconist; whilst being the perfect solution for those in the process of quitting cigarettes.
We want our consumers to enjoy the luxury of a high-quality jacket at a reasonable price. Our low rates allow us to reach out to audiences all around the country. Customers should be able to purchase the kelly mcgillis top gun jacket of their desire.
Looking For A Variety Of Premium Jackets In Various Styles. Panther Jackets Is Where You Should Go, Then. We Deal With Jackets Of Every Description. We Like To Offer The Premium Quality Jackets To Our Consumers. So That Our Clients May Experience The Comfort For Which They Have Paid, We Only Use Pure Australian Sheepskin To Create Our Jackets. global identity leather jacket
It’s an amazing blog post, and it is really helpful as well.
Iconic Jacket is your gateway to timeless and trendy jacket styles for both men and women. Our curated collection boasts an array of options, from classic leather jackets to cozy woolen choices and even celebrity-inspired designs. Explore our website to elevate your style and discover the perfect jacket that reflects your personality.
thanks for taking time to create a unique blog
Elevate your style to new heights with the Noble House Stuka Mocca Flight Jacket. 🛩️🌟 Inspired by aviation history, this timeless piece blends sophistication with rugged charm. The rich mocca hue exudes luxury, while the iconic design makes a statement.
John Dutton’s brown quilted jacket is a masterpiece of understated style.
john dutton jacke
This is a great article and great read for me. It’s my first visit to your blog, and I have found it so useful and informative especially this gledek 88
A great content material as well as great layout. Your website deserves all of the positive feedback it’s been getting. I will be back soon for further quality contents. gledek 88
This post is very informative, I like black faux leather jacket I am interested in reading this post.