[ Genre: Lorem Ipsum ]

LOGLINE: Nisl suscipit adipiscing bibendum est ultricies, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

OPENING IMAGE: Pellentesque diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla.

THEME STATED: Maecenas volutpat blandit aliquam etiam erat velit. Etiam tempor orci eu lobortis.

SETUP: Id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi in. Lectus proin nibh nisl condimentum id venenatis. Suspendisse in est ante in nibh mauris cursus.

CATALYST: Posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Sed turpis tincidunt id aliquet risus feugiat in.

DEBATE: Venenatis urna cursus eget nunc scelerisque viverra mauris in.

BREAK INTO 2: Ridiculus mus mauris vitae ultricies leo integer malesuada nunc vel. Quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit.

B STORY: Fames ac turpis egestas integer eget aliquet nibh praesent.

FUN AND GAMES: Fermentum dui faucibus in ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu.

MIDPOINT: Sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes nascetur.

BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Blandit massa enim nec dui. Imperdiet sed euismod nisi porta lorem mollis aliquam ut.

ALL IS LOST: Turpis egestas integer eget aliquet nibh praesent tristique.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Laoreet id donec ultrices tincidunt arcu non.

BREAK INTO 3: Nunc vel risus commodo viverra maecenas accumsan lacus.

FINALE: Id donec ultrices tincidunt arcu non.

FINAL IMAGE: Ante metus dictum at tempor commodo ullamcorper a.

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[ Genre: Science Fiction, Video Games ]

LOGLINE: On the verge of succumbing to a life of poverty, a lonely gamer is the first player to find a clue to the whereabouts of the most valuable video game "Easter egg" in history and kicks off a worldwide treasure hunt; but when an evil corporation tries to kill him, he must team up with his fellow competitors to stop the corporation from finding the treasure before it's "game over" for good.

OPENING IMAGE: Wade introduces us to the world of 2045 and the ultimate quest: the hunt for a billion-dollar "Easter egg" inside a virtual reality video game called the Oasis.

THEME STATED: "You both obviously need to get a life." I-r0k, Wade's nemesis, states the theme of "reality versus virtual reality." Reality is where true happiness is found.

SETUP: Wade (aka "Parzival") lives a crummy life in the stacks. He spends almost all his time in the Oasis with his BFF, Aech. His only purpose in life for the past five years has been searching for the Easter egg so he can win $40 billion and control of the Oasis.

CATALYST: Wade stumbles upon a clue that he believes will lead him to the first key in the hunt.

DEBATE: How will he get there? Wade quickly solves this problem by using his gift of ingenuity.

BREAK INTO 2: Wade enters the Tomb of Horrors and wins the Copper Key by playing Joust (an '80s video game).

B STORY: After winning, Wade meets Art3mis, his longtime crush, who is also close to finding the Copper Key. Art3mis will eventually teach Wade it's better to live in the real world than the virtual one he's been hiding in.

FUN AND GAMES: Wade becomes famous as the first player to find the Copper Key, but soon others catch up on the scoreboard, and I0I (the evil corporation that wants control of the Oasis) blows up Wade's trailer park.

MIDPOINT: (False defeat) During a Midpoint party, Wade confesses his love to Art3mis, who freaks out and breaks up with him. Then, shortly afterward, I0I crashes the party and a virtual war breaks out.

BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Wade throws himself into the Easter egg hunt, but Art3mis and Aech find the second key first.

ALL IS LOST: Sorrento (the head of I0I) clears the Second Gate, putting him at the top of the scoreboard, and then finds the third key. It looks like I0I will win control of the Oasis.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Wade wallows and plans a virtual (and real-life) suicide. But then he figures out where the Second Gate is, clears it, finds the third key, and discovers the location of the Third Gate. But I0I has built an impenetrable stronghold around it.

BREAK INTO 3: Wade formulates a plan, which he hides from the reader.

FINALE: Wade enacts his plan, which includes hacking into the I0I system, bringing down the stronghold, and joining forces with his team to clear the final gate and find the Easter egg.

FINAL IMAGE: Wade meets Art3mis (aka Samantha) in real life, claiming he has no interest in going back into the Oasis. Real life is good.

⁂

[ Genre: Mystery, Thriller ]

LOGLINE: On the verge of losing her home, an out-of-work alcoholic who frequently blacks out, becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation; but when the man she's convinced is guilty is released, she must confront her inner demons once and for all before the key suspect turns his sights on her.

OPENING IMAGE: Rachel rides the train, fantasizing about other people's lives.

THEME STATED: "My mother used to tell me that I had an overactive imagination; Tom said that, too" (page 1). Rachel, Megan, and Anna all need to learn how to face reality.

SETUP: Rachel has a drinking problem and often blacks out, making her an unreliable narrator. Megan's marriage is not as perfect as Rachel has dreamed it is.

CATALYST: Rachel blacks out and wakes up with bruises, unable to remember what happened the night before.

DEBATE: What happened on Saturday night and what will Rachel do about it? Rachel finds out that Megan Hipwell is missing.

BREAK INTO 2: Rachel inserts herself into the case, trying to help solve the mystery of the missing Megan Hipwell.

B STORY: Rachel meets Scott Hipwell, Megan's husband, and Anna's side of the story is introduced (twin B stories).

FUN AND GAMES: Rachel quits drinking and seems to make strides with the case (upward path).

MIDPOINT: The main suspect, Kamal Abdic, is arrested (false victory), but stakes are raised when he's released and Megan's body is found, upgrading this case to a murder investigation.

BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Rachel takes up drinking again, sees Megan's therapist (Kamal), sleeps with Megan's husband (Scott), and starts to remember things from Saturday night. Anna suspects Tom of having an affair.

ALL IS LOST: Scott finds out Rachel has been lying to him and locks her up, threatening to kill her (whiff of death). Rachel discovers Megan was pregnant when she died—and the baby wasn't Scott's or Kamal's.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Rachel drinks herself into a stupor, is turned away by the police, and finally confronts the red-haired man who gives her a key piece of information about Saturday night (epiphany).

BREAK INTO 3: Rachel realizes Tom has been lying to her and manipulating her for a long time. She gets on the train.

FINALE: Together with Anna, Rachel brings down Tom for the murder of Megan Hipwell and when he tries to kill her, stabs him to death with a corkscrew.

FINAL IMAGE: Sober, Rachel rides the train toward her new life.

⁂

[ Genre: Fantasy, Magic ]

LOGLINE: On the verge of wasting away with a horrible foster family, an awkward orphaned boy discovers he's a wizard and sets off to attend a magic school; but when an attempt is made on his life, he must finally prove his worth before the most evil wizard of all time gets his hands on a powerful totem that could bring about the end of the magic world.

OPENING IMAGE: Voldemort has been defeated (for now), and the baby who somehow managed to survive the attack ("the boy who lived") is dropped off at the Dursleys' house by Dumbledore.

THEME STATED: "Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" The lesson Harry will have to learn in this novel (and the rest of the series) is how to deal with his status as "the chosen one."

SETUP: Harry has a horrible life with the Dursleys, who bully him and make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. He is shy, overlooked, and lonely.

CATALYST: Mysterious letters arrive that Harry is not allowed to open; finally a giant named Hagrid knocks on the door, informing Harry that he's a wizard and has been accepted to Hogwarts.

DEBATE: Harry goes to Diagon Alley with Hagrid in preparation for attending Hogwarts and learns that he is famous.

BREAK INTO 2: Harry boards the train for Hogwarts, officially leaving the Muggle world (Act 1) behind and entering the wizarding world (Act 2).

B STORY: On the train, Harry meets his new best friends, Ron and Hermione (twin B stories).

FUN AND GAMES: Harry enjoys life at Hogwarts, where he takes magical classes, learns to fly, and is recruited to play quidditch.

MIDPOINT: Harry wins his first quidditch match (false victory), but soon after learns that Professor Snape was (seemingly) trying to kill him during the game (stakes are raised).

BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn about the Sorcerer's Stone (which gives eternal life) and discover that Voldemort is after it.

ALL IS LOST: Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out that Voldemort (via Snape) is about to get his hands on the Sorcerer's Stone, which is being kept in the Hogwarts castle.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: The kids try to go to Dumbledore for help, but he's gone, and Professor McGonagall doesn't seem to take their concerns seriously.

BREAK INTO 3: Harry and his friends decide to go after the stone themselves (to protect it from Voldemort).

FINALE: After passing multiple wizarding challenges, Harry discovers that Professor Quirrell (not Snape) is the one working with Voldemort. Harry defeats Voldemort (for now) by finding power within himself and touching Voldemort's face and saves the stone.

FINAL IMAGE: At the end of the school year, Harry arrives back home a changed person. He is now more confident and less lonely and has found where he belongs.

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