#84: The 6 Scenes Every Status Story Needs

In today’s episode, I’m covering the key scenes that every status story needs. I’ve also included examples of how they show up in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[01:40] Status stories center around the protagonist’s inner need for respect that manifests as a specific desire to achieve or accomplish something in the external world.

[02:40] Readers of status stories want to feel hopeful that the protagonist will succeed. They want to read about someone who works hard to improve their situation–and they want to feel a sense of triumph when that person succeeds.

[04:20] 1- The protagonist becomes aware of an opportunity to rise in position.

[05:07] 2- The protagonist commits to pursuing this new opportunity, leaving their comfort zone or current circumstances to go after it.

[05:55] 3- The protagonist sees the true nature of the antagonist and/or learns what the antagonist wants and why.

[07:00] 4- The protagonist reaches an all-is-lost moment where the antagonist or rival takes the lead and/or destroys the protagonist’s chance at getting what they want. 

[08:00] 5- The protagonist faces the antagonist, and either gets what they want or redefines their definition of success to get what they need.

[09:05] 6- The protagonist is rewarded externally, internally, or both.

[09:50] Key points and episode recap

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Links mentioned in this episode:

• Episode Freebie: Status Genre Conventions PDF Cheat Sheet
• Click here to take the Fiction Writing Made Easier quiz to get your personalized podcast playlist!

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