STORY SHAPE: MORE SAG IN THE MIDDLE?

Story shape and physical fitness have that in common, the middle.

From the beginning of ‘good fortune,’ the main character has a few moments until things dip downward.

Think of the fanatical diet and exercise demon losing their edge in a Las Vegas buffet and taking off from the high dive into the Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, Seafood, Pizza, Deli, and Dessert pavilions.

It could happen in a world of ‘shucked oysters, steamed clams, dim sum, prime rib, pastas, stir-fry and more, with an amazing dessert selection. And the optional beverage package includes unlimited mimosas, screwdrivers, margaritas, bloody Marys and a dozen different domestic, imported and craft beers.’

That beverage option ought to pack on the ill fortune.

In this story shape something happens to knock them off the high horse of good fortune, the common club being drugs, drink, gambling, sex, or any combination of them all.

If it’s drug and drink related we’re talking about meth, crack, coke, whites, cross-tops, benzos, opiates, fentanyl, alcohol, weed, whatever it takes to dull the razor sharp reality of life from chopping every addict into pieces when they fail, fall off the wagon, start using and abusing like there’s no tomorrow.

Something happens on the way down, something else when they hit the bottom, and yes, something happens on their way back up.

I know you astute story people are reading this and thinking, ‘Beginning, Middle, and End, and it’s the middle part while there’s still a beginning and ending to carry the story weight.’

So let’s start over and clear things up.

 

In The Beginning

Nothing could be finer, everything is on an even keel and sailing along. Life is good, couldn’t get better, so keep doing what you’re doing.

If this isn’t nice then you don’t know what nice is.

It’s day after day of growth and learning and planning until a guy in the bar comes out of the backroom where the gambling machines are and hands Big Mike a receipt and buys the house a round of drinks. That’s what people do when they have an unexpected bonanza, they pay if forward and buy the next round.

The bar erupts in cheers for the jackpot and you like it, the sound of feeling like a winner.

Even though you’ve always been a winner you haven’t felt like that, and now you want it, so you do the most reasonable thing.

You download FanDuel and DraftKings, BetMGM and Fanatics, and start chasing big wins on sports betting.

And you win. At first. After your first big loss you make bigger bets to win it back, and you do.

You’re on a roll of a lifetime betting on the Seahawks, the former Sonics, and the Dodgers.

The more you win, the longer odds you bet for bigger payouts. What gamblers don’t enjoy is are questions like, “How much have you lost before winning so big?”

As the losses pile up you start looking for other markets to bet on, staying up later, eating more, and spiraling after each new set-back.

The free fall includes passing everyone you’ve known on the way down, and rejecting their advice and observations.

Why the rejection? Because you’re fine and they’re just jealous of you getting the cheers and huzzahs.

So long, suckers.

 

The Middle

Even after you hit bottom you’re still dreaming of that better life, the places you’ll see, the castles you’ll call home.

You think you’re climbing the mountain to get to the top, but once you get there you’re stranded, watching waves of life take away your dreams like the incoming tide.

The water keeps rising until you fear you might drown and you can’t find a way out, a way to keep your head up.

What are the odds of your survival? Who would make a bet on you?

The answer comes in the middle of despairing on the bottom: You bet on yourself.

Can you rise to the center between good and ill fortune? You’re not asking for too much.

While you’re trolling the depths you make a shocking discovery: Many of the people you passed on the way down were headed the same way, just at a slower pace.

They are a lost tribe waiting for a message, any message, something to pull them out of their spin.

You explain how to bet on yourself, how to get stronger, how to overcome multiple adversities.

They give you the same rejection you gave them on the way down.

“We’re fine right where we are. Save it for someone else.”

 

The End

This was the end of the story in WWII. The writer is Douglas MacArthur.

After atomic bombs, fire bombs, island after island of Japanese strongholds defeated, after Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Britain, after broken non-aggression pacts, it came down to signing papers on a battle ship anchored in the former enemies’ harbor with airplanes of all types flying overhead.

It came down to American power based on fair and even treatment, war crimes punished, and nations rebuilt.

In the eighty years since, the world has depended on American power and reach to address areas beyond the help of others.

The world policeman? The world grocery store? American power has proven effective in feeding the hungry and protecting the helpless.

American leaders have explained to the people, we the people, what needs doing.

When American power is misused it leaves Americans hungry and helpless.

At the end of the story shape the main character finishes better than they started.

Here in America, the land of action, the land of make a buck and run with it, we judge happy endings based on the money in our pockets and each election year we vote that pocketbook with hope that a new guy in charge will aim that money hose our way.

 

PS:

What’s the best move forward when an elected official aims spending on their projects instead of the people who elected them, when they show little regard for their needy constituents in terms of nourishment and healthcare?

PSS:

American values are based on the rights of the people to make their own decisions. Who out there decided that one man with the power of executive orders is greater than five hundred and thirty five congress-people representing a population of nearly three hundred and fifty million?