When Schitt’s Creek swept the Emmy Awards in 2020, my interest was piqued. I had heard of the show before, given its Canadian origins, but I never realized just how much it blew up during its six seasons. Jumping on the bandwagon and desperate for a laugh during the second pandemic lockdown, I binged the entire show in three weeks. And then I binged it again two months later during the third lockdown. How did I get so hooked and why was I re-watching a show so soon when there are multiple options out there? It all comes down to a familiar storyline bolstered by hilariously complex characters.

Writing the Schitt’s Creek Plot

In addition to winning Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series and hardware for all four main actors, Schitt’s Creek also won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.  While the comedy is on point and the scripts are brilliantly written, the actual plot of the series is comprised of a simple story spine. The concept of the story spine was created in 1991 by Kenn Adams and it is a tool that assists in the construction of a story (and in learning how to recognize a well-told story). The basic 8-line format includes filling in these starters: Once upon a time… Every day… But, one day… Because of that… Because of that… Because of that… Until finally… And, ever since then…

The Schitt’s Creek Story Spine

Applying Adams’ story spine concept to Schitt’s Creek, we get:

Once upon a time there was a wealthy family of four – Johnny and Moira Rose and their two adult children, David and Alexis.

Every day they lead a pampered life of luxury residing in a mansion and travelling all over the world

But, one day, the family learns that Johnny’s business manager had been embezzling money from the family business instead of paying taxes

Because of that the government repossessed all of their assets, except for the town of Schitt’s Creek, which was bought as a joke

Because of that the family had to move to Schitt’s Creek and reside in a motel together

Because of that they were forced to get jobs and socialize with the town’s quirky residents

Until finally they rebuilt their lives and found personal and professional success in new endeavours

And, ever since then they had a closer bond as a family and supported each other’s goals

This story may be a simple riches-to-rags plot line, but its “root for the underdog” features tug at the heartstrings of viewers, especially with such unique and likeable characters.

Writing the Schitt’s Creek Characters

When we think about what makes a viewer become invested in a character, it is useful to consider some of Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling.

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

While the Roses initially look for quick fixes to their predicament, they each eventually put in the hard work required to come out on top. Alexis went from a high-school dropout to a degree in Public Relations to creating a personal brand and business – impressive indeed!

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

Watching the Roses maneuver living in an outdated and cramped motel after a life spent living in luxury is comedic gold. Memorable moment: Johnny and Moira attempting to barricade the adjoining door so their children don’t walk in on their alone time again.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likeable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

When we first meet the Roses, they can be described as selfish, self-absorbed, oblivious, greedy, arrogant, and materialistic – traits that come out in their strong opinions about the town of Schitt’s Creek and its residents. While these are likeable for comedic reasons, the audience eventually comes to appreciate the characters for their kind-heartedness, confidence, ambition and boldness.

Conclusion: Will binge a third time.

And a fourth. And a fifth. And I’m not alone in my obsession as viewers have come up with all sorts of ways to keep themselves engaged in the world of Schitt’s Creek after the series finale. If you’re looking to keep the Schitt’s Creek glory alive in your life, try some of these fan ideas based on memorable moments from the series. For starters, you can learn how to “fold in the cheese” (a task hilariously attempted by Moira and David) or join in on a Schitt’s Creek TikTok trend that recreates the choreography to Alexis’ famous “A Little Bit Alexis” routine. Let me know how you’re celebrating the show in the comments. Best wishes and warmest regards!

The story I live tweeted was a trip to the local convenience store to get slushes with my daughter on our longboards. 

Some Background

My daughter taught me this summer how to longboard and it’s been a fun experience doing this with her around the neighbourhood. However, actually going to the store and leaving with a drink in hand and longboarding seemed like a challenge to me.

I suspect by friends on Twitter may have been expecting and perhaps even hoping I’d end up wearing the drink.

Story structure

Following the storytelling basics we’ve learned about using story spine and the eight-point story arc this week I told the story of there being a current state of learning to longboard, being faced with the challenge of going on this trip and attempting to return home.

There were some obstacles faced such as the sidewalks being bumpier than remembered and a detour to the school park before making it home. 

Building Suspense

I also tried to use some elements of building suspense discussed by Victoria Smith by not revealing some information. For example, walking across the street to the park before revealing if I could actually successfully do this.

Resolution

The resolution was that we did make it home safely and are in a stasis where we’re more confident in having more adventures such as these together.

I am a self proclaimed nerd, and I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, so of course, I decided to live tweet tonight’s session.

Due to poor timing, my live tweet happened to be Part 2 of a 3 part adventure, so I had to start my thread with a very brief re-cap of what happened last time.

Following the re-cap, my live tweets follow the party as they explore the remainder of the Brantifax Chalet. Along the way, the party finds an old journal, the ghost of a young girl, and the one remaining non-feral Wereraven.

After asking the Wereraven what exactly is happening and what is coming through, he offers to open a portal to the Shadowfell so that the Party can fight and destroy Ornathak before he can breach the Material Plane.

The party agrees and finds themselves in the eerie plane that is the Shadowfell. There some denizens of the realm begin to swarm them, including a swarm of living cobblestones, some giant bats and some leech-like creatures called Wretched’s.

At this point, the time between posts slows significantly, as I only posted the major points of the battle. In D&D, combat takes a lot of real time, (no need to get into the mechanics here, but a battle that lasts minutes in-game can last for hours in the real world), so while tweets become less frequent, they are still in real time because I had to wait for those major points.

After finishing off the first set of threats, the party continues on to find Ornathak. Unfortunately, it got too late in the real world to continue playing, so the session had to end, leaving the final boss until next time.

Within the first few seconds of thinking about the beautiful story of Black Beauty, my heart feels heavy with the heartbreak that happens, and at the same time it feels full of love for the happy ending. I think this speaks volumes about why this movie is my favorite of all time. It fueled my love for horses at an early age, and started the foundation for my compassion and caring for all living things.

I know not everyone will be impacted by this movie like I have been, but I do know that any horse lover out there will have seen it or would fall in love with the story once they’ve seen it. It speaks to a very specific audience and that has helped its popularity (it was remade in 2020 with a new spin on the storyline and characters).

For those who don’t know much about the movie, it is based off of the 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell: Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse. The storyline is a coming of age tale that follows Black Beauty as a young colt into an old retired companion horse, and the trials and tribulations it took for him to get where he is at the end of the story. Throughout his life, he is owned by many different people (some good, some bad), which ultimately teaches viewers the importance of animal welfare and builds an understanding in them that horses (and ultimately all animals) have feelings/emotions and that it is important to treat them with kindness and empathy.

I find the story of Black Beauty so enamouring because it is narrated in first person, so for the entire movie you know exactly what Black Beauty is thinking and feeling, which gives a unique perspective on what may go on inside a horses mind. There are also many different “Because of that…” story spine moments where Black Beauty needs to be sold and he experiences the benefits or consequence of his new owners, all the while learning important lessons along the way that are relatable to human life. I believe this is what makes the story so successful. The viewer is on the journey with Black Beauty and is rooting for him to find a happy, loving home. Even when he’s treated unfairly, he still keeps his integrity and works hard at whatever he is asked to do. The “Because of that…” moments really shine a light on his personality and make you fall in love with him.

The movie ends with Beauty ending up in the hands of a man that took care of him when he was a young colt, and you can’t help but feel relief and joy that he never has to worry again. The storyline does an amazing job of encouraging you to empathize with Beauty because it takes time to focus on the grace and elegance that make horses so beautiful and loved by people. There are many scenes of horses running in beautiful English meadows and fields. This is juxtaposed with scenes of work horse barns in busy cities with cold, hard cobblestone roads. All along you know where Beauty is meant to be and you can’t stop watching until the end to make sure he ends up safe.

Black Beauty is successful at incorporating Ashley Fell’s four I’s and this is what makes it a timeless classic:

• Interest – The viewer’s interest is maintained the entire movie as Black beauty changes owners and homes. He is involved in many different experience that were unique to horse use in the late 1800’s, which is fascinating to watch.
• Instruct – It teaches kindness, integrity, hope, friendship and so much more. No matter what happens to Beauty, he never gives up and always gives 100% for whatever job he is assigned. This is inspiring for viewers and encourages them to be their best versions of themselves, even when the odds are stacked against them. Redemption will come.
• Involve – The trials and tribulations that Beauty faces are all the same ones that any human may face in their life. The story teaches a valuable lesson on how to handle those difficult challenges and rise above.
• Inspire – It’s hard to forget a beautiful, tall black horse with a quirky and loving personality. Black Beauty and all the other horse characters (and human characters) have such unique personality and life stories that are very intriguing. Also being a period piece, the movie is fascinating to watch to see what life was like in the late 18oo’s in England. All of this make the story very memorable. I believe people will take action after watching this movie, and that is to treat horses, and ultimately all living things, with kindness and love. The story teaches that everyone has their unique life story and those we meet along the way can be there to help us or hurt us. The lesson is to be someone that will help others, no matter what.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I encourage you to watch it. If you have seen it, I’d love to know what you think!

Way back in 1986 my family joined the ‘digital’ age of the time – we got our first VCR. This was a big deal – and we got one of the fancy machines with a wireless remote (one of my friends had a VCR with a wired remote way before we did).

Along with the VCR came a year’s worth of movie rentals – one per week. We immediately dove into family friendly movies – including Disney’s original The Parent Trap.

The movie begins with a young girl from Boston arriving at summer camp and eventually meeting her doppelganger. The two girls immediately form an intense dislike for each other, with a variety of pranks played on the other until they are forced into the same cabin. Eventually they start to get along – and discover they are twins!

Sharon lives with their mother in Boston, and Susan with the father in California. Their parents divorced shortly after they were born and decided to each raise one of the twins so they’d never have to see each other again. Each girl misses the parent they’ve never known, so they decide to switch.

This means cutting hair for one twin, and learning a Boston accent for the other, plus much more! Their ultimate goal? To get their parents back together. There is an element of fish out of water for each girl as they spend time with their ‘new’ parent.

Turns out, the father is about to marry a younger woman that is fixing to be a terrible stepmother. More shenanigans ensue, but the end of the movie sees the parents reunited and the twins living as twins, finally.

There are many reasons this story shouldn’t work – what parent would separate twins? Would the courts even allow this – back in 1961 or today?

That said, I think the story works because we’ve all probably imagined what it would be like to find out you have a long lost twin. It’s also common for children from broken families also wish their parents will reunite. There are enough elements of truth in the story that I am drawn in to the story each time I see it. I’m not the only one – in 1998 Disney remade the classic with Lindsay Lohan starring as both twins (as Hayley Mills did in 1961).

Automatic reply: Out of Office

One of my all-time favourite movies is Mr. Bean’s Holiday. I think it is one of the few movies that truly has it all: comedy, obviously, but also romance, adventure, and mass-choreographed dance scenes. 

Mr. Bean: the man, the mystery

Mr. Bean is a great character, who manages to entertain, engage, and communicate while using very little spoken word. Rowan Atkinson, the actor, has said that he decided Mr. Bean would rarely speak so it could be accessible to everyone, no matter what language they speak. I think one of the reasons Rowan Atkinson’s sketches as Mr. Bean became so popular is because he is a very average man, someone everyone can relate to, who gets himself into incredibly absurd situations. In the movie, he wins a trip to Cannes and a video camera in a raffle. His goal through the entire film is to just get himself to Cannes and enjoy his vacation. It’s a simple desire, and a pretty universal dream. Who doesn’t want to go to the beach and enjoy a holiday? 

The universal travelling experience

Of course, just as in real life, his vacation goes off the rails. When he asks a man on the train to film him getting on to start off his vacation video, he inadvertently causes the man to miss the train, separating him from his son. While trying to reunite the father and son, he loses most of his luggage and his passport. The rest of the story follows along with their hijinks as they attempt to make it to Cannes and find the child’s father again. Along the way Mr. Bean meets an aspiring actress with an identical car to the one he has back in England, and is accused of kidnapping. 

I think that at the heart of the movie, the problems are so universal: the stress of losing a passport, the fear of losing a child in a strange city, or one of the many other obstacles that come with travelling. It resonates particularly strongly with me, since I have personal experience with losing passports on a train.

As much as Mr. Bean causes chaos and annoys almost everyone around him, you still want to root for him. He does his best to fix the problems he’s caused, while still making it to the beach. He’s not perfect, but he’s genuine, and that makes him likeable and engaging. The other characters around him are believable and likeable, pursuing their own missions in life. I think one of the reasons it’s such an enjoyable movie is that you genuinely care about whether the characters get to where they want to be: the beach, the movie premiere, or back to mom and dad. 

It’s about the journey, not the destination

All in all, Mr. Bean’s Holiday follows all the basic principles of a good story: a clear mission, a well-structured plot arch, authentic characters, and a relatable situation. It throws in a few musical numbers for good measure and some physical comedy, and it becomes pretty much the perfect movie. 

I will end by wishing that all of you experience the same joy when you finally reach the destination of your next vacation: Bean at the Beach. 

When I think back on memorable stories, I automatically think of a movie from my early teenage years: A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff and teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray.
A modernized retelling of a classic fairy tale, A Cinderella Story stole my heart in a way no other story had. I can vividly remember popping this movie into my pink DVD player every single night for months on end until I had it memorized line for line. To this day I can still quote the movie with ease. The story stuck with me because of how universal it is. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. It is your basic fairy tale love story. A Cinderella Story takes this one step further and elevates the story with its use of humor, fascinating characters, memorable quotes, and feel-good moments.

** Spoilers ahead **

The story follows your typical Story Spine.

I mean, the movie literally starts with
“Once Upon a time…”

• Once upon a time there was a girl named Samantha Montgomery. She lived happily with her widowed father in the San Fernando Valley. Sam and her dad were the best of friends.

• Until one day her father gets remarried to a greedy woman named Fiona who brings along her evil twin daughters.

• Then an earthquake hits and her father dies. Sam now has to grow up under the reigns of Fiona. When she isn’t at school, she’s forced to cook and clean for her step family and work at Fiona’s diner.

• Then Sam meets a boy who goes by the Alias “Nomad” in a Princeton University chatroom. They talk and talk until they finally decide to meet at the Homecoming Halloween dance. She finds out that he is Austin Ames, the most popular guy in high school. Sam however is wearing a mask and Austin does not recognize her. They dance the night away but by midnight, Sam has to return to the diner. Austin never finds out Sam’s true identity.

• Then Sam’s evil stepsisters find out about her online friend. They out her identity to the entire school and embarrass both Sam and Austin. Not much later, Fiona finds and opens Sam’s acceptance letter from Princeton University. Since she is evil and never wants Sam to leave the diner, she decides to forge a new letter advising Sam that she has not been accepted. Sam is obviously distraught.  

• Until finally Sam decides to take a stand for herself. She stands up to Fiona and quits her job. She moves out of the house and finally confronts Austin. When packing up her belongings she finds her dads hidden will tucked away inside a fairy-tale book. She is the true owner of the house, the diner, and everything else her dad left behind. Sam takes everything away from her stepfamily and is provided with her real University acceptance letter.

• And every day after that Sam and Austin, or Cinderella and Prince Charming, move away to Princeton and live happily ever after.

The story gives you someone to root for…

Sam Montgomery was best friends with her father. You see her lose everything she ever loved. She is forced to work at home and in the diner by her stepmother, she’s not popular in school, and she’s given the name “Diner Girl” by the cool kids. It’s truly a young girl’s nightmare. When you see she might have found true love; you want everything to work out for her. You want Sam to win and get the man of her dreams.

The story also gives you a character to hate. The hilarious Jennifer Coolidge stars as the evil step mom, Fiona, who in between her love of Botox and Salmon (flown in straight from “Norwegia”) makes it her mission to ruin her step daughter’s life. You can’t wait to see her get what’s coming to her. These amazing characters are part of what makes the movie so memorable!

The story has an underlying theme of not being afraid to go for your dreams.

A significant quote from the movie is:

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

This is clear when Sam finally isn’t ashamed to show her true identity. When she stops being manipulated by her stepmother and stands up for herself, her fairy-tale dreams come true. The story is empowering and teaches you to have courage even when you’re afraid.

In between writing, I was compelled to go back and watch the movie from beginning to end.

The movie really doesn’t skip a beat. It includes a killer early 2000’s soundtrack that has you feeling just the right emotions. As a young adult, I still get goosebumps when “Hear you Me” by Jimmy Eat World starts playing and a drop of rain falls from the sky, indicating the end of the movie-long drought. Sam and Austin finally kiss and suddenly everything is right in the world. The scene is pure magic.

Between the hilarious characters, and the heartfelt moments, the story is beyond engaging. If you haven’t watched it for yourself, I suggest you do! A Cinderella Story is a story for all.

This story begins in the same way most great stories do, in childhood.  Both for myself the viewer, and for the main character, young Simba.  That’s right, I’m talking about The Lion King.  

After the animated film’s initial release on VHS in 1994, it was played on repeat in my home as soon as the tape finished rewinding.  While that obviously contributed to its memorable factor (yes, I can still recite all the songs), it was the story itself that made the movie so engaging. 

How engaging you ask?  So much in fact that it has been remastered into a broadway show, had many sequels made and recently completely remastered.  With so many adaptations, it is clear the story and its characters resonate with a broader audience.

So, what set this story apart from the rest Disney released at the time?  While Disney and Pixar were still two separate entities at the time, we will take a look at this movie through the lens of the Pixar story spine. 

Beginning

Once upon a time… a lion cub was born to be the heir of the animal kingdom.

Everyday… he grew and explored the land with his best friend Nala.

Who hasn’t reenacted the “reveal” with poor unsuspecting pets?  The story begins with the epic scene of the animal kingdom coming together for the celebration of the birth of a new heir.  The importance of the cub is solidified as you watch them grow and explore, rooting for their success through their everyday (mis)adventures. 

The Event

But, one day… his jealous uncle Scar, killed his father Mufasa, and blamed young Simba (then attempted to have Simba killed as well)!

Ahhh the twist- greed and envy grabbed hold of his uncle.  This brings in all sorts of moral dilemmas and makes you question the moral compass of THAT uncle everyone has.  

This event went so far as becoming a way for young children to express sadness.  One clever three year old recently utilized the emotional impact this event has had on people… in hopes of not sharing her birthday cake. 

Middle

Because of that… He ran away and was raised by a meerkat and warthog.

Because of that… His uncle became king and decimated the land he was to rule over and protect.

Because of that…  His best friend searched for help after his lion pride (yes, it's the collective noun for lions) was starving and found him!

Now, time to overcome adversity. Simba built a new and happy life with his friends based on adventures and bug eating.   He never processed the event and was encouraged to just push the feelings down and move on.  While things weren’t so rosey back home, Simba was oblivious to the decay and destruction.  Yet, this all came to a head when Nala found him and forced the past and present to collide. 

The Climax

Until finally… Simba realized that he needed to return and take his rightful place on the throne...after fighting and killing his uncle!

Time to learn a lesson and fight for what you believe in and your family!  We now all love Simba, are proud of him for accepting forgiveness and want Scar out of the equation.  Especially since we are budding environmentalists who can see how quickly greed can take over and ruin the land we rely on.  So, they fight an epic fight and we flinch when coals get tossed into Simba’s eyes and we cheer for a young cub to kill his uncle (very confusing, but still we do). 

End

And, ever since then… The land regenerated, he married his best friend and they had themselves their own heir to the throne lion cub. 

Ahhh the circle of life!  You sang it a bit, didn’t you? We see the land restored and justice served.  Simba understands who he is and he takes his place in the whole animal kingdom.  It’s a pretty great role, but you can’t say he didn’t work hard to get there!

It ends with a similar scene to the one that started this whole journey in the first place; the reveal of the heir to the animal kingdom throne.   Now, all that’s left to do is hit rewind…

What is it?

Now, the thing about Zombies, Run! is that it’s not just a story. It’s actually a running app. The gist of the app is that you are a character in the midst of the Zombie Apocalypse. Everytime you run, you take on the persona of Runner 5 of Abel Township, one of the last bastions of civilization.

Runners using the app listen to audio clips as they run. Over the course of (currently) 9 seasons, Runners 5 of Abel dodge and distract zombies, run vital missions, and make friends (and enemies) of other characters, all while trying to discover the source and, hopefully, a cure to the Zombie Apocalypse.

The Medium

Zombies, Run! has a unique storytelling method. By using the medium of a running app, the creators, Six to Start and Naiomi Alderman, have to create compelling, motivating and strong stories and characters. They cannot rely on visual media – you can’t watch a video or scroll through pictures while you’re running.

It’s not even like a novel or audiobook where characters’ actions are described to you. Instead, it’s up to you to visualize what a character is doing based on a variety of sound cues, such as footfalls, gunshots, or radio static.

The medium is also unusual because you become a part of the story. While you can’t actually affect the storyline as Runner 5 or talk to other characters (at least in game – I’ve gotten some interesting looks when I accidentally yell at characters out loud), you are the main character and Runner 5 goes on some important missions.

By getting to play as Runner 5, you can immerse yourself in the world and the story.

Compelling Story

The story is compelling, and trust me, motivating, especially when zombies start chasing you. Before I started listening, I hated running. Now I consider myself a runner, and always want to find out what will happen next.

The story’s driving question, at least up to where I am in the story (about halfway through Season 3), is “what started the Zombie Apocalypse?”

Before I go on, beware, there are spoilers ahead.

From Mission 1, you are thrown into the midst of the Apocalypse, very literally when your helicopter crashes into a horde of zombies. As you make your way on foot towards Abel, you are warned that you may not be let in unless you detour through the now abandoned hospital to retrieve some CDC files that may help lead you to an answer to that driving question.

Each mission brings you a little closer to the answer, but many missions open a lot of new, secondary questions as well. If you ever want to find the answers, you have to keep running.

Strong Characters

Each character is well fleshed out, with strong characteristics that complement or foil each other perfectly. They are all dynamic, capable of change and they act like real people (a testament to the writers and actors).

Their diversity comes not only through characteristics and personality, but also through ethnicities, sexualities, genders, etc.. As the game is set in England, most of the characters are British, but there are also Canadians, Americans and African Americans, Australians, and mixed ethnicities, such as British-Chinese, among others.

There is also a good mix of genders and sexualities. The game does not make a big deal of its characters being male or female, straight or gay, bi or ace. They just are who they are.

Your character, Runner 5, can be exactly as you are. Other characters never use gendered language about you, referring to you most often as “5,” so whether you identify as male, female or any other gender, you can feel comfortable being the character.

By having such a diverse cast and being vague about Runner 5, Zombies, Run! makes itself very relatable. Runners can see parts of themselves in other characters, and Runner 5 can fit anyone’s identity.

Try it!

Zombies, Run! is an incredible story. The medium adds a new dimension to storytelling, and gets you active while you listen. The storyline itself is interesting and compelling. The characters are relatable and well developed.

If you decided to try it out, get ready for some highs and lows, be ready to laugh and cry (beware of Season 1 Mission 7 “A Voice in the Dark”) while you run. Be careful of responding to characters out loud, or get ready for some weird looks from passersby. And most importantly, run!

Stay safe out there!