Mariner Software Contour for Windows - Manual (Page 29)

Constructing the “A” (Orphan) Statement
Remember that all journeys begin with the Orphan Archetype, who is unique in some way, shape or form, either intentionally
or unintentionally. Letʼs compare the Contour “A” statement -- the Orphan Statement -- with the “A” statement for HOME
ALONE:
The “A” Statement: “When a type of person has/does/wants/gets A. . .”
The HOME ALONE Statement:
When an under-appreciated boy is accidentally left behind by his family when they leave for a European vacation. . .”
Notice the first thing they have in common: itʼs not “When a person” but rather “When a type of person.”
Therefore, the first task is to choose an adjective or a phrase for the personʼs “type” that connotes the unde-
served misfortune or character trait your hero needs to overcome, such as “an under-appreciated boy”, or a
“young woman, trapped in an arranged marriage, or a “money-loving German industrialist”. The adjective in-
dicates the arc the hero will travel; the lonely boy wonʼt be lonely anymore, the young woman will no longer be
trapped, and the German industrialist will learn that money isnʼt everything.
The second task is to complete the statement, which alludes to the Central Question -- and what is the Central
Question? Once more, the Central Question is the question that once it is answered definitively, the story is
over.
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