Ask me about history, my move to Italy, or INSANE family stories/ coffeecake recipes.

Hello, there! *poses on elbow*

My name is Flannery Maney and I’ve been agonizing about how to write an ‘about me’ summary for days now. I’d promised myself that I’d start it, and if I wanted to scrap it at any second, I could. If you are in fact reading this, I have pushed through my fears. There was definitely red wine involved.

I write about personal things all the time from love, to my screenwriting career, to how I’m passing time in this soul sucking…

Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Network’ is chock full of amazing scenes. I want to break this break-up scene down, pointing out the importance of a scene having a POWER SHIFT, or a set-up, switch, and arrow. So, let’s stop and watch it now!

Firstly, whose scene is it?

Sometimes this can be tricky. A lot of times, multiple characters want something in a scene. However, only one character per scene goes through a set-up, switch, and arrow. It’s often the lead character, but most of all, it’s the person who gets FARTHER or CLOSER to a goal in the scene.

In this case, it’s Mark…

‘Save the Cat’, by Blake Snyder breaks down movie structure in a very basic, yet effective way. I wanted to break down ‘Legally Blonde’ because it has a structure that is near perfection.

There are other amazing structures you can use, and I’ve had friends (who are award-winning/big name screenwriters) swear by the ‘Mini-Movie Method’ by Chris Soth and ‘The Nutshell Technique’ by Jill Chamberlain.

However, they’re all kind of the same thing: they take you along the dramatic tension, on a journey through a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Here’s a general summary of the script’s TENT-POLE…

When I entered my 20s, I thought I knew everything. I had just moved to Los Angeles, and damn it, if I was new, I was just going to fake it till I made it. This mentality created a monster.

She was a highly insecure, delusional, lonely and sad monster that dined on the approval of others. A monster, drenched in anxiety, who was trying to prove she was okay. The monster had taken a big swing, and she needed to prove she was here to stay…

Now I’m 27 and my life couldn’t be more different — best part…

Panettone

A week before Christmas, my boyfriend came home with a big bag and a mischievous smile on his face. He then revealed a wrapped GIANT, FLUFFY CAKE. It was shaped like a tall wheel of cheese and had a distinct crust.

This…is the Panettone, a Natale tradition. The taste isn’t so sweet, it’s more fluffy, with TONS of butter. We prefer the traditional panettone that has various fruits inside, but you can peruse the brands at Eataly to learn more!

We were driving around the busy Torino streets running errands. The city was built on a Roman grid, making the driving vastly confusing, as one must jump between the streets and the small side streets in order to turn.

Just then someone LAID ON THEIR HORN right behind us. What the hell, man? I yelled as boyfriend exploded into a string of Italian expletives.

There was a distinct moment of stressful silence after we turned safely onto the next street. Boyfriend stewed. Then I heard it on the radio…

Sail away, sail away, sail away. …

We were taking our daily mid-day fast walk in our new favorite park; it’s void of crowds, beside a glistening stream, and full of rolling green hills. On a 54 degree day in January in Torino, there was a lot to be grateful for.

I asked boyfriend if he had any relationship goals. He smiled at me and said:

I have one request.

My heart sank. Does he want me to start wearing normal clothes during the day instead of my pajamas?! Does he want me to adjust to staying up later?

Instead, he said: We’re going to be back…