10.
9.
8.
7.
(TOGETHER) 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Ghostwriter, Beyond the Page.
Howdy.
We are back and ready for the next episode of Ghostwriter,
Beyond the Page.
Today we're going to dig in deeper
with one of my personal favorite books
because we are going to jump into the wild, wild west
of outer space with Trinity, written by yours truly, me.
That's me right there.
I really loved writing this book because it's
full of adventure, excitement, and twists and turns
as the two main characters, Hitch and Dale,
travel along a winding trail in search of the truth.
So I'm really excited to see what winding road Ghostwriter
is going to put Donna on to get her
closer to finishing her story.
Let's check it out.
Welcome to Donna's Video Diary.
So far we have who, Sapphire the Spider.
And now we have where.
For my setting, I decided what better place for Sapphire
and her friends than a place we all know
is filled with amazing adventures, surprises,
and information-- the bookstore.
I think writing about a place I can really picture
is going to help me feel more sure of my descriptions.
Plus, it's so cool to think about the bookstore
from Sapphire's tiny perspective.
The fashion section is where she, of course,
spends most of her time.
But she also goes to school in the textbook section
with her friends.
And her older brother Spelman plays
soccer in the sports section.
There's so many amazing places they can explore
right there in the store.
Now, let's see what might be up next.
Nothing?
I thought Ghostwriter would have shared something by now.
Why.
Ghostwriter is really sticking to a pattern with these hints.
Let's see.
Why?
Why, why, why?
Well, hello there, Miss Donna.
What is it you're trying to solve?
Dale!
I'm so glad you're here.
You always show up to save the day.
Well, I'm flattered.
Is there something you need help with, some kind of mission?
You could say that.
I really want to finish this mission,
but I keep getting stuck.
That is tricky.
For me, when it comes to fighting crime and chasing down
scoundrels, it's certainly much harder
to come up with a resolution if you don't
know what the real problem is.
When Hitch and I were after the Camarillo Kid,
we didn't know what he was after, or where he was headed.
But once we figured out he was after the Trinity,
we had a much better chance of catching him.
As we were trying to recover the Trinity,
we ran into conflicts and obstacles
every step of the way, from an army of knights in armor
to a double-crossing mayor.
Wow.
What a story.
It's like every moment builds on top of the one
before until everything finally gets fixed.
Wait.
Dale, that's perfect.
You have no idea how much you just helped.
You totally saved my day!
Very glad to hear it.
I'll be on my way.
Hitch is waiting at the station for me.
Best of luck, Miss Donna.
What Dale goes through in Trinity,
all of the ups and downs, the action moments,
and the resolution she finally comes to with Hitch,
those are all elements you need to create a plot of any story.
I've so got it.
This hint is all about plot.
It's the whole reason why I've put together
my character and setting to actually put them
into the story.
I bet there's a good chapter in Trinity
full of action-packed plot moments to help me out.
Let's try chapter 8.
At this point in the story, we already
know that the Rivins are a rebel colony living
on a planet called Tensor-4.
And they're causing a lot more trouble than anyone realized.
I can't wait to read how Dale uses her training as a sky
marshal to help her out.
"Come out, come out," the bald Rivin
called to Dale in a singsong voice.
"You don't want us to blow open the hatch, now, do you?"
Whoa.
Dale's mind raced.
She was scared.
Really scared.
"What do you want from me?" she called out.
"From you?
Nothing at all," the Rivin called back.
"You're free to go.
We want your ship."
No, they couldn't get the ship.
It would be better if it was destroyed.
And Dale knew how.
"OK!"
Dale called.
"I'm coming out."
She had to work fast.
If the Rivins suspected that something wasn't right,
they might blow up the ship.
"Just getting my gear together," Dale yelled.
All deputies were taught to be prepared
for situations like this one.
It was a drastic move, but Dale saw no other way.
She stood over the cockpit controls
and entered a series of special commands.
Her fingers flew over the control console,
inputting the commands in what she hoped was the exact right
order because she wouldn't be getting a second chance.
There were 20 commands in all.
When she reached the final one, she held her breath
and threw the last toggle switch.
Instantly, every light on the cockpit panel flashed red.
"Yes!"
Dale pumped her fist in victory.
She'd done it.
The ship was disabled.
Forever.
No command could make it ever fly again.
From that moment on, the ship was about as useful
as a garbage dumpster.
"Time's up!"
The Rivin was losing his patience.
"OK, I'm coming out!"
Dale ran to the far side of the ship,
where her flight cycle, LuluBelle sat.
She jumped into the saddle and powered up.
LuluBelle rose a few inches off the deck.
Dale punched a command into her wristband computer,
and the ship's hatch door began to rise.
She gunned LuluBelle's engine and sped forward.
She flew through the opening with barely an inch
overhead to spare.
Dale shot away from the ship, past the group of surprised
Rivins, and into the night.
That was amazing.
This chapter is basically a whole story by itself
as Dale overcomes the trouble with the Rivins.
It all makes so much sense now.
A story is made up of the setup, or exposition,
the conflict with all of its obstacles,
and finally, the resolution.
Let's dive right in.
Donna is in great shape.
She's been working really hard, and she has come up
with her characters.
She's come up with her setting.
And now she's working out all the interesting key plot
points for her story.
And I hope you are, too.
You're still working on your story, right?
And you're still writing those ideas down
in your bullet journal, because there's no better way
to brainstorm ideas than writing it down in your journal.
So I hope you're doing that.
And if you want to dive deeper into the Ghostwriter world,
be sure to pick up Trinity and read it.
It's my book.
And then go to the Wild, Wild Ghost
section of the activity guide.
And as always, check in with the entire Ghostwriter gang
on Apple TV+ for episodes of the show.
So until then, we'll see you.