Onboard this Post:
- Creativity in 3 acts
- The Rule of 3 (best ignore that one)
- Is your middle boring?
That idiot is me
I forget. I do try. But I forget. Opening any creative piece, a play, a video, a marketing campaign is quite easy. Closing is not hard. It’s easy too. What naturally happens next? Well, use that. Not satisfied. Use the opposite.
There you go, you’re two parts on the way of three acts. The classic format for a play, well, for anything really.
Being Creative in 3 Acts
You’ve seen it. You keep seeing it online, on Netflix, in books and here it is again:
- Setup
- Complication
- Resolution
Three Acts Example:
- Boy meets girl
- Boy falls down a massive hole
- Girl gets a ladder, a cup of really nice tea and fishes the boy out.
That bit in the Middle that’s the creative part. This is where a true creative wants to roll up their sleeves and delve, that’s right delve deep into the guts of a piece to make it the best it possibly can be…
The Rule of Three
It’s in fairy tales, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, it’s in film ‘Lord of the Rings’ and in classic jokes.
“Can I get you anything? Cup of coffee. Doughnut? Toupee?
Use threes in a different way “…tartan picnic blanket, thermos flask, Ordnance Survey map…sorry I was rambling…”
Now, more interesting, more enjoyable, and more memorable, isn’t it?
Comedy / Jokes Breakdown
Establish, Reinforce, Subvert.
Is Your Middle Boring?
Now you have some choices with the middle of everything you do. A different way of applying creative thought.
One, make a complication or
Two, Reinforce the opening
Three, well, three is down to you isn’t it.
I’m not giving everything away, because I don’t know everything. I just like tinkering with how my thinking works, how can I make that funny or delight, certainly, at the very least surprise.
Why Approach A Project Thinking in Threes?
Memory.
How memory works:
You are very likely to remember the first slide in a slide show. That’s primacy. You’re also likely to remember the last slide, that’s recency. What about the middle?
You fell down the hole didn’t you? You expected someone to bring you a nice cup of tea and provide a ladder? “SIGH!”
What Else Can You Do With The Middle?
Well, if you’re dull, you’ll go for the reinforcement. Nothing wrong with that as it adds the opportunity to create a touch for your brand. That’s marketing, that’s money making.
If you are the sort of person, like me, who wants you online orders delivered by flying monkeys (highly paid of course, this isn’t an Amazon or Uber service) you’ll be looking at the subversion.
I know you. Yes. You like to subvert too
This subversion is about overthrowing the state and returning the country back to some non-existent Narnia, nope this is more about surprise, it’s ‘Undermining Expectation’.
Undermine Expectation
How do you do that? You answer that one, it’s your work we’re talking about. Can’t tell you ‘bub’. But I can give you a few pointers and we’ll go back to that bit about memory.
Memory Checklist
Things that people remember.
Well, something sexual will work for most of us. What if you don’t want to go down that route? Then how about good old vulgarity and some swearing, think Brian Blessed shouting “F@*£$!” You’d remember that. OK. So, you want something above the line?
- Vibrant Colours
- Exaggeration
- Someone falling over (we love people falling over)
- Cue child, cute kitten, cute lamb
- Speed
- Sorrow, in fact any of the Big 3 Emotions ‘Glad, Sad or Mad’ will work.
- What others do you want to use, creativity is limitless
Click here for a List of 9 Ways to Start tackling the middle of your piece.
What a Visitor / Reader / listener / Viewer Wants
They ask. They ask exclusively. Although subconsciously, ‘What’s in it for me?’
This makes another way to approach the middle, ask ‘What is in it for them?’ Now you have no reason ever, ever, ever to make anything boring.
How are you going to approach your middle?
Drop me a line if I can help batter your thinking chops into an interesting action.
“Blaze them!”
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