When a character has a goal we can plot her progress toward that goal on a graph. When things are going well for the character, we place a dot high on the graph, representing a positive value. When things are going badly, we place it low on the graph, representing a negative value.
For example, in the clip we watched from "Thank You For Smoking" Nick started low on the graph. Everyone in the television studio hated him. Thus, his goal was to get the audience on his side. By the end of the scene, through some fast talking by Nick, everyone in the studio is applauding him. He has achieved his goal, putting him high on the graph.
This is the basic building block of a story: A character starts either high on the graph or low on the graph. But in either case, she will be on the opposite side of the graph by the time the scene ends. If we start high, we end low. If we start low, we end high.
Up and down.
Thus, when you are writing a story, look at what your character's values are. What does she want? Then look at where she is on the graph. Is she high or is she low? If she's high, use the things she values to bring her down. If she's down, help her use her values to bring herself up.
