Writing with the sequential approach can change your life as a writer.

Paul Gulino has a book

about it as does Blake Snyder (Save the Cat, highly recommended).

The point is that this is a way to track the arc (and location and knowledge) of each character.
Each sequence has ten pages in it. Sequences 1 through 3 is the first act. Sequences 4
through 6 is the first half of the second act. Sequences 7 through 9 is the second half of the
second act. Sequences 10 through 12 is the third act.

Notice that sequence 3, 6 and 9 are the most important sequences. Because these are the plot
point one, midpoint and plot point two, respectively. The biggies.

When you write using the sequential method you will never have a dull page. Ever. Because
each sequence will have a beginning, middle and end. Or – conflict, complication, resolution.
And the resolution of one conflict in a given sequence will naturally push a conflict to happen
at the beginning of the next sequence. It’s all causal; like dominos crashing into one another.

Something I like to do is give each sequence a name, sort of like a dvd chapter:

SEQ 1: What a Mess

Roberta’s parents fight, then her father moves out; all on the last day of summer. Tomorrow
school starts and Roberta is confused and hurt. (Idea: She’s a freshman not a sophomore and
is new to parochial school? As a way of upping the ante on her?)

**the above doesn’t sound like 10 whole minutes of movie to me. Maybe Chuck gets beat up
here, or something. Look at each sequence and ask – is this ten minutes of movie?

SEQ 2: New Friends

Roberta meets her new teacher, old, cranky Sister Elizabeth and is sure this school year is
going to be awful until she meets a new friend who introduces her to the music and culture of
something new and exciting to her; Black Power. (Idea: and so is it here that Roberta combs
out her braids, like at her friend’s house, and comes home with a huge afro?)

SEQ 3: A Little Knowledge…

Roberta’s newfound identity is something she has to cling to in a primarily white school but it
irritates her mother, alienates friends in the neighborhood and culminates with talking back to
Sister Elizabeth and getting suspended – and grounded. (Idea: Does Dora make Roberta
apologize to Sister Elizabeth even though Sister E said that terrible racist thing? It’s so NOT
FAIR)

SEQ 4: Humiliated but not Defeated

Roberta’s simmering anger against Sister E makes her refuse an invitation to enter a writing
competition; she will not take any handouts from Sister E (I just made all that up; who
knows) Roberta defiantly visits with her father against Dora’s wishes; daddy is proud of his
rebellious little girl.

SEQ 5: TBA

SEQ 6: The Truth Hurts

Thanksgiving comes and Roberta celebrates with her grandmother when she finds out the
truth about her father. The hurt carries over into bitterness and Roberta betrays her friend Cee
Cee

Try something like this:

Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq Seq
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Main
Character
Antagonist
Character
Character
Character
Audience
Knowledge

So you are going to fill in each square in pencil with the location and action of that character.
If they don’t appear, leave it blank. The purpose of this is that you can plot, plan for or just
chart the arc of each character dramatically and emotionally. Sequence 3 is going to be a big
turning point for your main character, for instance. So sequence 2 certainly will be causally
leading him there, won’t it?