Now that I have my two main characters and a conflict, lets make a plot. To start off, I just want to create some simple story beats. From there, I can then go into depth on each, research ways to pull them off, and eventually make a script.
Rather than starting at the beginning, let’s start from the end. My story ends with Kylie finally feeling comfortable in her own skin, finally feeling human. This conflict is solved due to the influence of Charlotte, who is the first real close connection Kylie has made in a long while. I don’t want Kylie to already have Charlotte as a friends though. I want her to meet Charlotte during the run time of my major project, so I’ll have to make up a scenario to make them meet up.
Kylie is quite the people pleaser and that’s an aspect I really want to show off in her, since its directly linked to her conflict. She’ll do anything to mask and go along with what her somewhat friends want because she wants connection, so how about I put her in an uncomfortable scenario. Maybe she gets some very sudden plans from her friends, and feels like she has no choice but to go because of her trying to seem more “normal” and connected with them. It could also showcase the very real struggle of routine changes and sudden plans that many people with ASD have trouble handling. Sure, it can be an inconvenience for anyone, but people with ASD have a much harder time just brushing it off and dealing with it. I know for me personally, I have to be told things way in advance, or else I feel like the world just got completely ruined for a solid bit. Kylie would then find comfort in her cat, thinking to herself about how she feels more similar to her change hating kitty rather than her friends, which will in turn only drive her into feeling like she has to attend even more.
This event is where I want Kylie to meet Charlotte. The idea in my mind currently is that the place the friends room Kylie too is some loud public setting. Maybe an arcade or something similar. Kylie used music to cope, so with the loud setting and the nature of the event being a sudden plan, Kylie already isn’t feeling too good, so she reaches for her earbuds. That’s when she realizes she doesn’t have them.
She’d try to handle it, but this outing was doomed from the start. I also think that Kylie’s friends would innocently make jokes about Kylie’s nature being more like a cat’s, which could both show a way this internal conflict may have festered, as well as just rubbing salt in the wound. Eventually getting overwhelmed like crazy, Kylie would rush off to a more secluded area in a panic. That’s where she will meet Charlotte, also escaping the commotion. Charlotte, recognizing what Kylie is going through based on her own experiences, would help her not drift off into a full meltdown, and the two become friends from there, getting closer and closer until Kylie learns not to mask as much in front of her. That’s when they’ll have their talk about not feeling human.
In summery, these are main story beats.
Sudden outing plans
Psyching herself up and cat comfort
Outing and initial panic
Failed coping and rushing off
Meeting Charlotte and gaining support
Friendship
Conflict resolving conversation
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