Linda Aronson: My Cheat Sheet for Deconstructing ‘Unorthodox’

Hi Everyone, 

Linda here.  I’m going to give you some really nifty prep in this post for my webinar on the the TV series Unorthodox next week (June 4, 10pm).  However, before I do, I need to share with you my latest writing motto. 

I think it applies to all of us, indeed, should be emblazoned on the LSF coat of arms (and if we don’t have one, Chris, what’s up with you?) 

Here it is. I dictated an email last week and ended by saying: ‘Looking forward to our call tomorrow.’  Autocorrect intervened. My email read: ‘Looking forward to alcohol tomorrow.’  

Don’t we all feel this on a regular basis?  Particularly after a plotting meeting…    

Talking of which, put down that bottle and get on your goggles and flippers because here’s your prep for my deep dive webinar into a typical Writers’ Room (and what a wonderful mixed metaphor that is. Although frankly, the grimy, basement writers’ rooms I’ve been in over the years were often so damp they might as well have been at the bottom of a swimming pool.)

Okay. Unorthodox is a really terrific piece of writing. In the webinar I’m going to be taking it apart to show you how well it uses the secret insider tricks of the Writers’ Room to manipulate flashback and multiplot storytelling – all so you can have a go at it yourself.  

To make the webinar as useful as possible, I’m going to use this post to describe and gloss these secret insider tips (which are TV-specific procedures for organizing complex script structures at speed, commonly known as ‘breaking the story’ or ‘close plotting’) and give you links to helpful videos and articles on double narrative flashback. That way you’ll be up to speed on the jargon and the techniques it describes.

Glossary

What is ‘Breaking a story’ (also known as ‘Close Plotting’)? 

‘Breaking a story’ means meticulously creating a detailed plan for multiple interwoven serial stories (‘brick by brick’ as Vince Gilligan, creator and Showrunner of Breaking Bad describes it). The idea is to minimize re-writes so as to save time and money . Planning each episode is usually done by a group of writers and time-wise it can take as much as ten days to two weeks. 

1. How you break a story in fact means how you break and interweave multiple interconnected stories

• TV series involve a main group story ‘adventure’ or problem, in which each member of the group plays a part, so has their own story, plus a host of stories about the relationships between the characters.  
• In group stories, you’ll find that each person in the group is a different version of the same protagonist, each having a different response to the adventure or problem.  For example, in Breaking Bad, each in the main group is a small town person involved in violent drug crime
• While one character might cause the problem for the group (e.g. Walter in Breaking Bad) in TV, when you are devising each separate story for each character in the group,  think of and write that character as the protagonist in that story. For example, if you were writing about Tyler on her own, think and plan the story so that she is the protagonist in it, write it from her point of view.  
• You have to create and interweave all of these stories. In the webinar I’ll be talking about the use of multiple protagonists and multiple stories in Unorthodox because it’s done very well.

2. The steps in the process of ‘Breaking a Story’:

• Explore each character.
• Devise each of the many stories to reflect the character change and action line progress you want.
• Create each story in very detailed beats (carefully choosing the right story content to transmit action and relationship material you want)
• Go to cards to develop and interweave.

3. What’s a ‘beat’?

• It’s the vital trick!  A beat is a step in a story.  For example, in Jack and the Beanstalk. Beat 1 Jack’s normal life. Beat 2 Mother orders Jack to go to market and sell their only asset, the cow. Beat 3 Jack sells the cow to a weird little guy for five beans… You get the idea.
• A beat can take several scenes and often a scene will incorporate beats from several of the stories. 
• A good rule of thumb: 36 beats across all your stories gives you 50 minutes screen time.  But sneak in more beats if you can – just make sure you can get them all into scenes.
  

4. What is ‘Going to Cards’?

• More magic. You write a short summary of each beat on an index card, numbering it and either pinning it to a notice board or laying it out on a table. 
• This makes it it easy to comprehend the whole episode, also easy to move beats around, combine, throw out etc.
  

5. Condense 

• First off, you will think of a story with lots of steps or beats.  Do you need all those steps? Condense to make the story go faster
• See how to do it in my book Linda Aronson The 21st Century Screenplay  ‘Close plotting: Beats, Interweaving  and Condensing‘ pp. 133-144

So there you have it.  At some point down the track after the LSF, for all the masochists among you, I shall organize some more Writers’ Table Workshops (this time online), where we practice breaking the story.  Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing you on June 4 10 pm (yes 10 pm, would you believe, so mainline that coffee). 

Which reminds me – ‘ looking forward to alcohol tomorrow’.  This is clearly a motto, but also possibly even the first line of a torch song. Featuring a lot of words that rhyme with ‘Ealing’  

Appealing, revealing, concealing, congealing… (Congealing? Obviously that part of the writing process where you sit at the table and wait for the drops of blood to form on your forehead.) 

Enough.  4th June 10pm.  Be there!   

Best wishes, Linda 

Useful Links

Multiple Protagonists

Here’s a video of mine on multiple protagonist story construction. How to write films about groups, ensembles, multiple protagonists. An introduction. 

Breaking the Story 

Here are useful videos with Vince Gilligan, creator and showrunner of Breaking Bad.  Inside the Writers’ Room with Breaking Bad and Vince Gilligan on Breaking a Story in a Writers’ Room. 

Flashback 

Go to my YouTube channel Linda Aronson Playlists:

• Quick Intro to nine sorts of flashback
• Flashback Films Analysed
• Gluttons for punishment can also check out my book The 21st Century Screenplay pp. 252-327. 
• Also check out my ebook on conventional TV series Television Writing: The Ground Rules of Series Serials and Sitcom. The book is an ebook (free versions are pirates, please don’t encourage them)

Go to www.lindaaronson.com  and check out all the stuff on flashbacks.