Writing With Subtext

[MWollaeger]

I feel like you are contradicting me by saying exactly what I said.

[Lakis]

More specific to my point, it's not the effect of any cause, nor is it the world trying to rebalance. It just kind of happens, unrelated to anything else.

I see. So to restate: this circles back to @mlucas point that Drivers usually coincide with/are connected to the previous and/or next Signpost/PSR beat.

So to use your example, maybe this...

this leads to a bunch of actions (like interrupting classes to promote me and hanging big signs on buildings to embarrass me).

...gets so extreme and controversial that the university makes national news, which brings it to the attention of Obama's campaign manager, who then Decides to come and help. If one were using the PSR, this decision could be connected to/inspired by those variations (I can't think of any good examples now...) in addition to whatever everyone is Doing in the second signpost.

Is that kind of what you meant?

[MWollaeger]

Yes, that is what I meant. Ultimately, stories feel cohesive, and your extension of my example is a great way to make one thing flow to the next.

[Khodu]

A key thing here. Noticed this in my tearing down of Casablanca. It's weird but Rick's throughline (SP1) doesn't kick in till the second act (by conventional standards of time; a good third of the entire film). What's was even more intriguing is the mixing of the PSR variations in a non-sequential order: I'm guessing this might be an exposition- storytelling choice or something?
Quite interesting.

[Hunter]

So, I'm gonna bump the thread to say I really liked episode seven.

And, holy cow, @jhull, thank you for "People need to kill [the tiger] in order to stay alive unless every life is precious." I have to admit, the whole time I was thinking something along those lines, the entire time.

Mine was, "...unless they believe it is more important to respect nature". But, that's probably because I happen to be more on the influence character side there... (Not completely, but more. A synthesis of sorts.)

Actually, real story time: When I was a child, my dad and I were on a hike one day and came across a bear. We were standing near the path her cubs took, and she was looking our way trying to decide if she should go straight across the path, or come down to where we were. It was scary, but it's always stayed with me as a way of showing how having respect for nature can be a very important thing.

That's a fun exercise, though. I need to do it for my own story...