STROKE OF GENIUS:
The effect of the magic factor of turning things around is incredibly fun.
The design of the protagonist' job is extremely important. As the magic factor must supercharge what the protagonist does.
CHARACTER DESIGN
UNDERDOG WRITER PROTAGONIST
LOVE INTEREST
HANDSOME ANTAGONIST
DRUNK FRIEND
SUICIDAL FRIEND
DISTILL
OPPORTUNITY: Being fired from the job and puts him in the desperate situation
NEW SITUATION: Coping with the lack of job and money.
CHANGE OF PLAN: The invention of lying.
PROGRESS: Having fun with the invention: getting sex, fooling others, getting money and writing screenplay. Also he tries to win the girl.
POINT OF NO RETURN: After Mark comforts his dying mom by lying to her about how beautiful the afterlife is, he is famous and the girl stays with him.
HIGHER STAKES: Mark shares his lies about the afterlife with the world. Mark gets closer to the girl by teaching her to see deeper into the world.
EVERYTHING IS LOST: The girl dates the handsome guy and people's lives are not improved by his lies because they are all waiting for the perfect afterlife.
FINAL PUSH: Mark objects the wedding and wins the girl over.
Page 0Introduction of the hypothetical world where nobody lies.
Page 2Introduction of the chubby Mark who goes to a date with a beautiful girl Anna.(WE START FROM THE DATE INSTEAD OF THE BEGINNING OF A DAY BECAUSE IT MAKES HIM MOST SYMPATHETIC AND IT SETS HIS GOAL RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING)
Page 4They go to a restaurant and while they are having dinner, girl's mother calls and she tells all the truth about Mark, which hurts him very much. Before bed, Mark watches TV where the Cola ad talks about how ordinary Coke is.
Page 9The next morning, Mark exchanges with a neighbor who talks about trying to commit suicide, which is very depressing.
Page 10Mark walks on the street, where everybody is unhappy about the truth of reality.
Page 11Mark goes to work at Lecture Films, where he is introduced as the least successful screenwriter who is about to be fired today. And he also receives the Email from Anna about not wanting to involve with him romantically.(OPPORTUNITY: MARK IS BEING FIRED AND HIS NEW SITUATION IS GETTING MORE AND MORE DESPERATE)
Page 16Introduction of a very handsome successful screenwriter who tells the truth about what a loser Mark is.
Page 18Introduction of Mark's mom at old people's home, who is content about not being homeless.
Page 20The next morning, the landlord comes to collect rent when he hears that he has been fired. Mark is evicted when he says that he doesn't have the rent.
Page 21Mark goes to the bank to withdraw his $300 left at the bank account so that he can move. But suddenly he realizes that he can lie and gets $800 although the teller sees only $300 on the system.
Page 22Mark is ecstatic about his discovery of lying. He tries to explain the idea to his friend with all kinds of ways, but they still don't get it.(CHANGE OF PLAN: Invention OF LYING)
Page 25Mark tries to get a girl by lying. But it is just too easy that he gives up.(HAVING FUN BY GETTING SEX)
Page 28On their way to get the money, his friend is pulled over by a police officer, who lets his drunken friend go after Mark lies.(HAVING FUN BY AVOIDING TICKET)
Page 31They go to a casino and they lie about where they place the chip and the fact that they have won a jackpot. They go home with a bunch of money.(HAVING FUN BY GETTING MONEY)
Page 32Mark tells the suicidal fat boy not to kill himself. He goes to the street and gets money for the homeless people. Mark goes everywhere to make everybody happy with lies.(HAVING FUN BY HELPING OTHERS)
Page 36Mark calls the girl again for a date because he thought his life has been completely changed. She barely says yes.
Page 38Mark watches TV again and when it says nobody can write a better screenplay than the handsome guy, Mark gets the idea of writing something.(HAVING FUN BY WRITING A STORY)
Page 39Mark goes back to the office and reads the head of the studio a story. He and everybody are stunned about the story.
Page 43Mark and Anna have dinner again. Although Anna is very impressed with his success, she still won't marry Mark because she doesn't think his genres would be good for the kids.
Page 47Mark goes to see his mom at the hospital, who is dying and very scared of death. Mark tells his mom how wonderful the afterlife is going to be, which not only comforts her, but also intrigues all the people who are at the hospital .(HELP MOM DIE WITH PEACE AND HAPPINESS)
Page 50Anna stays with Mark after his mom dies. She comforts him by holding his hand.(EMOTIONAL POINT OF NO RETURN)When he drives home, he finds that his apartment has been surrounded by people who are eager to know what he knows about what happens after we die. (PHYSICAL POINT OF NO RETURN)
Page 53Mark is reported on TV and Anna comes to see Mark again asking what happened. Anna insists Mark to tell people what he knows to share the happiness. While the whole world is waiting, Mark writes about what he knows.
Page 56Mark shares what he writes.
Page 64Mark turns in his script and shoots the picture with the studio head. On the set, Anna and the handsome guy meet. Mark buys a big mansion. The movie premiers.
Page 66Mark and Anna sit in the park. Mark helps Anna to see the world not so superficially, but to look deeper and from another perspective, which is more beautiful. Anna learns to see Mark from another perspective instead of just being ugly. But she still don't want Mark's genre. Mark could lie to Anna about the change of her genres, bud he resists.(MARK AND ANNA GET CLOSER EMOTIONALLY, STAKE RISES)
Page 71Anna goes to inform Mark that she is having a date with the handsome screenwriter tonight. After Mark convinces her that she can't have sex with anyone who is not married with, he finds out that Anna gives him a birthday coupon for sex. (RISE OF THE ANTAGONIST FROM THE HANDSOME WRITER)
Page 75Anna goes to have dinner with the handsome writer. They talk about what a perfect genetic match they are and what a loser Mark is.
Page 78Mark goes in the street and it seems that people's lives are not improved by the knowledge of the afterlife because people are just waiting for be dead and enjoy heaven. He talks to his drinking friend and suicidal friend, who are waiting for death as well .(EVERYTHING IS LOST)
Page 80Anna's mom doesn't approve Mark and wants her to marry the handsome writer. Meanwhile Mark just sleeps in his mansion and depresses until Anna comes to the door to invite him to the wedding.
Page 85Anna defends a fat boy in the park, teaching him to look at himself from another perspective.
Page 88Anna weds the handsome writer until Mark objects.
Page 95Mark, Anna and their chubby kids live happily ever after.
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