#Moment by moment musical synopsis how to
#Moment by moment musical synopsis plus

There is no going back to the previous normal world. After this step, the future is inevitable. It’s a choice to leave the old life behind and is marked by excitement, high hopes, and a conscious choice to move forward. Your protagonist is pumped! With a clear goal and the drive to achieve it, this is the point where the protagonist crosses the threshold and takes the reigns for his/her life. What opportunities for conflict does this new goal create?.How does this change or establish his/her goal?.What happens to your protagonist to interrupt his normal world?.The inciting incident is the original spark that lights his fire! It often also ushers in a myriad of opportunities for conflict that the protagonist must face to achieve the goal. In all likelihood, the inciting incident will give him both a new goal as well as the drive to achieve it. In most cases, this moment will powerfully alter the protagonist’s perspective. It may be a heightened version of his original want (in #1) or a completely new goal.

This moment will give him a clearly defined goal. This event forces the protagonist down a new road in some sort of life-altering way, either by an external or internal force. The world of the protagonist is rocking along, but there must be a catalyst that brings this normalcy to a halt. I think of defining the parameters of the normal world as creating the story’s ‘sandbox.’ Once you establish where the outer edges of the sandbox are located, you have free rein to play within those boundaries pretty much as you wish.

Who is the story about? How does he/she operate in this world? What is his/her goal? What is his/her flaw?.

This “normal” world isn’t necessarily “normal” by our standards, but it is the everyday in which your protagonist lives. This is also where the main players in your story are typically introduced. Whether it is a fantastical journey or a glimpse into real life, the rules of the world must be established early on-and you must not break them later. Wherever your story starts, your opening has to define the world in which we will live for the next two hours.

#Moment by moment musical synopsis how to

The following is inspired by my friend Steve Cuden’s book, Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals That Get Standing Ovations.

#Moment by moment musical synopsis plus

Your libretto (script plus lyrics) may not follow this form exactly, but it is a good exercise to go through to define important moments in your story. These 7 Plot Points are often used in creating narrative structure for novels, films and musicals.

While there are no set rules for creating musicals, having a road map to follow can be very beneficial to create a story that is meaningful, entertaining and satisfying to audiences.