Analyzing "Pirates"

I am preparing a workshop for the national conference in GULP about ten days. It's on using the three-act structure of screenwriting for writing novels. Part of what I'm doing is analyzing a popular movie for where the plot points fall and using that as a structure for building a novel.

I can't believe how tightly written "Pirates of the Caribbean" (the original) is. There is a plot turn, a twist, a secret revealed on almost every page. There is also conflict on every page. This has been a real learning experience for me, never mind the workshop!

In addition to that little exercise (which took several hours) I built a cover for one of Rob's books, I planted some more herbs, and I OF COURSE ate breakfast at Norma's. I also made an interesting wild rice salad for dinner with toasted nuts, bits of dried fruit, and a bit of orange juice. It turned out pretty tasty--something a little different for a warm summer night.

See you next week,
Kara