Blockbuster Blueprint: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Best-selling Story by Welker M. L

Author:Welker, M. L. [Welker, M. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M. L. Welker
Published: 2017-01-22T16:00:00+00:00

Beat #10: Breaking and Entering

Wahoo! Finally! Onto the adventure! This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Our Protagonist, at long last, has decided to accept the Mysterious Invitation.

This beat is called Breaking and Entering because it’s an act break and because the Protagonist is usually trespassing into enemy territory. Your Protagonist is making a bold and daring entry into the world of Act II, which is the home turf for the Antagonist’s forces, who aren’t going to be happy about the Protagonist’s transgression.

Breaking and Entering is about the Protagonist making a bold relocation from the safe (but imbalanced) world she has always known in Act I, to the new and unfamiliar world of Act II. This relocation usually means your Protagonist physically travels to a new location, but not necessarily.

In movies, the Breaking and Entering beat is almost always accompanied by a sweeping musical score and movement to a new place, which is a good way to spot this beat. This rule of thumb doesn’t always work, but if you’re around 25% into a story and the Protagonist is on the move, engaged in some form of travel or relocation, and there’s a swelling of music, you’ve almost certainly found the Breaking and Entering beat.

This relocation doesn’t have to be to other side of the planet or across the galaxy. It can be across the street. And it doesn’t even have to be to a physical place either. It just needs to be into unfamiliar territory for the Protagonist. Territory where the Protagonist’s mere presence endangers the Antagonist’s plans. As far as the bad guys are concerned, the Protagonist shouldn’t be here at all. Hence breaking and entering.

This act break can be subtle. Many other story how-to books seem to demand a strong and very obvious act break, but I have found that’s not always the case. In some stories the transition from Act I to II is so smooth, it’s hard to notice where it happened.

Examples :

The Dark Knight . Bruce absconds with the entire Russian ballet as a cover for his illegal international mission to capture Lao. He sneaks off to China, dons his bat suit, descends onto Lao’s business tower, and kidnaps Lao. Bruce has trespassed onto the bad guys turf (literally breaking and entering Lao’s tower) and begun Act II.

Gladiator . 40 minutes in, the Emperor is slain and Maximus is betrayed by his guards. Maximus is taken into the woods to be executed, but he breaks free, kills his captors, and escapes. He then rides home, trying desperately to get there before Commodus’s troops do.

Pride & Prejudice . About 30 minutes in, Elizabeth and her sisters head into town to go ribbon shopping for the upcoming ball at Mr. Bingley’s. In town they meet Mr. Wickham, a charming young militia officer. The story transitions into Act II as the Bennet girls move forward with their intentions to capitalize on Mr. Bingley’s ball and hopefully catch the eye of respectable suitors.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back .

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