Thought Changer

The Beat Goes On - So What Comes Next?

By Cindy Yantis

I was lost in the abyss.  At least the abyss also known as the Second Act.  I’m in the midst of drafting a screenplay that I was commissioned to write and my deadline is quickly approaching.  Before starting the script I wrote a loose outline so that I know the major plot points and how the movie ends, but filling it in with interesting scenes that drive a compelling story is where I was stuck.  I had all of these fragments floating around in my head as to what came next but they became so convoluted that it was causing inertia, which is exactly the opposite of what needed to happen with a looming deadline and a very patient producer waiting for a delivered, that being, an exceptionally delivered, finished script. I needed a more detailed guideline than the loose outline, something to help me sort out what comes next, kind of like a GPS to get me back to where I want to go. I needed a beat sheet.

According to Screenwriting Consultant Extraordinaire Pilar Alessandra of On The Page, “a beat sheet helps you organize seemingly random scenes into one 'beat' of story.  Group those beats together and a bigger 'movie' emerges.”  She says when the “beats line up, actually making some kind of sense, they tell one story.”   Pilar shared with me her smart “Eight Beat Feature Structure” and I plugged my seemingly mess of a project into it and… Voila, I’m back on track!

It got me thinking about how often the same thing can happen in life.  We can be floating along with maybe a loose idea of where we’re heading on a project, or a career path, or a health plan.  And, then we hit a roadblock or are faced with a myriad of options for our next step, or maybe we’re just in a rut of daily routine that starts to suffocate our thoughts and actions.  What do we do next? How do we get moving in the right direction or get out of the rut?  Sound familiar?

Next time you’re faced with this kind of stalemate, stale moment or abyss of the mind, perhaps take some time and create your own beat sheet, or GPS, for the project, a career move, or yearend goal.

• Write down your End Goal – what’s the end result you’re after
• Break that down further into Time Beats – give yourself mini-goals to hit on the way to your end goal
• Give each time beat a Theme or a Name – if it’s a 6-month goal, give each time frame beat its own identity, such as First Steps, Action, Mid-point Success, Renewed Strategy, Overcoming Final Obstacles, Final Push & Accomplishment.
• Build in anticipated conflict/obstacles – being prepared for what can come up is not only smart, but can be fun too.  Then, when you see it coming you can head it off at the pass.

Pilar also says that “sometimes we group the events in our lives this way. We refer to 'the wedding' or 'the move' or 'the accident.' String these together and you’ll see the timeline of your life.”

The same can be said for the mini-beats you actively create in your life.  When you’re in the abyss and not sure what to do next, get with the beat!

 

 

Cindy Yantis is the Thought Changer Blog owner & curator.  She is a writer living in Los Angeles.  For more info: CindyYantis.com

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Life Lessons From an Albatross

By Cindy Yantis

The albatross gets a bad rap. The oft-used reference to the bird is as a metaphor for carrying a heavy burden, "this (fill in the blank) is an albatross around my neck."  Until ancient poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined this notion in his 1798 poem, the albatross was considered good luck by sailors when it followed their ship.  In the poem, a mariner shoots the albatross and as punishment his companions make him wear the dead bird around his neck until his death.  

But, after recently watching the Discovery Channel's incredible series "Frozen Planet" I'm thinking differently about the albatross.  

It's the Good Stuff That Matters

By Cindy Yantis

It was a shiny new menu sign.  All the yummy drink choices with the prices lined up perfectly next to them.  Dollar signs aligned vertically in almost lyrical fashion.  And, then… an oops.  The third item from the bottom, the Ice Blended Mocha, was missing the dollar sign.  The $ was “v”.  v3.80?  Clearly it was a typo on a freshly printed menu board, one that had likely been proofed by several sets of eyes.  And, it wasn’t just a local job.  This was a board that had been special ordered and hung by professionals. 

I’ve ordered lunch in this café numerous times and have never noticed this little flaw.  So, what do you think happened as I sat there waiting for my lunch order?  I was unable focus on anything except for that measly v3.80.  The typo.  The one imperfect note amidst the otherwise perfect symphony of $$$$$$$$$$$$.

What is that?  It got me thinking about how easily this same mindset pervades so many areas of our lives. 

Ready to Leap? Create Your Best Leap Life

By Cindy Yantis

“We have an inner thermostat that determines the amount of love and success we allow ourselves. When we exceed our setting, we tend to sabotage ourselves so that we can return to the old, familiar zone where we feel secure. The thermostat was set before you could think for yourself, usually in early childhood.” ~ Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap

Since Leap Day is an extra day this year, think of it as a gift, the perfect day to take a moment, take a breath and decide where in your life you want to leave the status quo, where you want to take giant leaps! 

How "Island Time" Can Be All The Time

Gilligan: Hiya, Professor. What are you doing?
The Professor: I'm making notes for a book. It's to be a chronicle of our adventures on the island. I think people will buy it, don't you?                                                                
Gilligan: Sure, I'll buy one. I'm dying to find out what happens to us. ~ Gilligan's Island 1964

It always seemed to me that the stranded castaways on Gilligan's Island had it made; and even though their mission was to find a way to get off or to be rescued, every week they found contentment on their uncharted desert isle.  They became increasingly laid back and adapted to life on the island.  They were livin' on Island Time.  

Loves That Make Up a Life

By Cindy Yantis

"For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her." Some people do spend their whole lives together. ~ From the film NOTTING HILL

Last week my grandmother's house was put on the market, the house she'd lived in for most of her 98 years.  My mom sent me a photo of the house and it was so odd seeing it as an empty shell when it had always represented such life for me.   My grandmother passed last September.  It got me thinking, particularly during this week of Love, about how lifelong love surged through that home.  

What's in Your Realm of Possibility?

By Cindy Yantis

During a recent cocktail discussion with a friend we got on the topic of travelling and living abroad; I mentioned that at some point in my life I'd like to live in a small town in France. "It's definitely in the realm of possibility," I said.

Later I got to thinking about the Realm of Possibility and what a powerful place that is.  I picture a place of vibrant color, of swirling thoughts and images, of forward moving energy that is at once knowing and brave as it forges toward the unknown, of leaping without fear and without a net.  A place where yes rules and no is not part of the vernacular, where ideas spawn action.  A place where a sense of quiet and calm lives amidst the questions and on the precipice of possible becoming probable becoming actual.

Let's Make it a Happy NOW Year

By Cindy Yantis

A spider dangling from the ceiling.  That's what I woke up to on the first day of 2012.  My first instinct was to grab a magazine nearby and eliminate the unsuspecting offender, which is what I would have unconsciously done in the past.  But, based on the title of this article, I decided to take said magazine and guide the daddy-longlegs outside, releasing it to the wonders beyond. But, this cousin of Charlotte was having no part of it.  I lost track of it and found it scrambling back up its invisible web strand toward the ceiling.  There was something frantic about the way it ran for its life so I let it go as its spindly legs carried it off into the concaves of my house.  We made a silent agreement to live and let live. 

Relish the Stolen Moments of the Season

By Cindy Yantis

I don't know about you but I went through another holiday season completely overbooked. 

And, if history repeats itself, by the time the day of celebration actually arrives, I'm exhausted and have thoughts that I'm sure echo those of many others: too many shoppers, too many commitments, too much commercialization, not enough time.  And, then the holidays whiz by and you're in the middle of January before you realize it.  Maybe you can relate.

Well, it hit me yesterday that this didn't happen this year.  Sure, I was still overbooked with all of the above and then some, but somehow time felt slower this year, more joyful.  It got me thinking about why that might be.  To my summation, here's the difference...

I took control of my time this year, rather than the other way around. 

The Power of the Seed

By Cindy Yantis

It was announced in Variety last week that the Tony Award winning play, The Normal Heart, is finally being made into a film, and with no less than the brilliant Ryan Murphy directing.  I found this news particularly exciting because I witnessed firsthand the very beginning of the fast moving surge that's culminating with the film.  

My friend, actor and producer David Youse, had the spark of an idea to bring Larry Kramer's 1985 masterpiece back to life for its 25th Anniversary.  He had Mr. Kramer's blessing, then hired Oscar & Tony winner Joel Grey (that's David and Joel to the right) to direct a star studded reading at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles which has raised over $175,000 benefiting several AIDS organizations.

A New York reading starring Glenn Close followed which really created a buzz.  Broadway producer Daryl Roth took the play to Broadway and The Normal Heart won three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play!

Now the film, which is being produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment. 

It got me thinking about the power of the seed.