moving the plot forward - on paper and in real life

This past fall, I watched the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series for the first time ever. Much could be said about it, but the thing that's relevant today is that it helped me understand the concept of moving the plot forward.

So far I've only had screenwriting instruction in weekend intervals, but one basic principle is that the point of whatever you write is to move the plot forward. If dialog or an action sequence doesn't move the plot forward, it's not worth including in the script. And you have to introduce conflict to reveal who the characters are. While this is all easy to say conceptually, I saw illustrated in the tv show what it really means. Buffy didn't wait for the fight to come to her, she took it to the big bad - and gave impassioned speeches about it too. I understand more clearly now how that effects crafting a script.

The same thing is true in our lives. We have to advance the plot of our life story, granted in the context of our relationships and whatnot. I recently listened to a Donald Miller message where he argues that the same things that make a good movie make for an interesting, satisfying life. I highly recommend this podcast; it has some great insights. I plan to listen to it multiple times.

I am starting to learn what this means in my own life. Maybe it's taking daily baby steps towards my career dreams rather than waiting for the one opportunity to drop in my lap. Maybe it's enjoying the small things in life now and taking initiative to develop opportunities. My future isn't going to find me. I have to pursue it. We are the protagonists of our own stories, but are we acting like we believe that?

This is a somewhat condensed post, but I think it's a pretty major paradigm shift. And I don't mean to imply I've mastered it. It's a beginning. A step along the path.