This week on Buffy and the Art of Story: What's My Line Part 1 (Season 2 Episode 9 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer):

This podcast episode covers (1) how to keep exposition interesting; (2) heightening the threat by changing key characters’ behavior; (3) body language that shows emotion; and (4) Marti Noxon's Harold and the Purple Crayon moment.

As always, the discussion is spoiler-free, except at the end (with plenty of warning).

Next Up: What's My Line Part 2

Last Week:  The Dark Age

Work On Your Story

Download the 5-Point Story Structure Template, available free to all on Lisa M. Lilly's Patreon page.

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Writing a novel? The One-Year Novelist: A Week-By-Week Guide To Writing Your Novel In One Year can help. Available in ebook or workbook form.

More Episode Links

Flashlight Books (the children's bookstore where I got Harold and the Purple Crayon).

Open Books Ltd.

Book 1 in The Awakening Supernatural Thriller Series is free for Kindle, Kobo, Nook, GooglePlay, and AppleBooks.

Or download and listen from Audible.

Where You Can Find The DVDs

Season 2 Buffy DVDs

Buffy DVD Complete Box Set

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About Lisa M. Lilly

In addition to hosting the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story, Lisa M. Lilly is the author of the bestselling four-book Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries, as well as numerous short stories. She also writes non-fiction, including books on writing craft, under L.M. Lilly. She is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com.

Episode Transcript for What's My Line Part 1

Hello and welcome to Buffy and the Art of Story Season Two. If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you love creating stories – or just taking them apart to see how they work – you’re in the right place.

I am Lisa M Lilly, author of the Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries and founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com

Today we're talking about What’s My Line Part One, Season Two Episode Nine.

What’s Included

Because it is the first half of two-part episode, we’ll cover  cover the major plot turns only up to the Midpoint. I'll also talk about :

more ways to keep exposition interesting (something that Buffy does so very well);

showing how high the threat level is through a change in our core characters’ behavior;

and using body language to show emotion and vulnerability.

As always, there will be no Spoilers except at the end to talk about foreshadowing, but I'll give you plenty of warning.

Okay, let's dive into the Hellmouth.

What’s My Line Part One was written by Howard Gordon and Marti Noxon and directed by David Solomon.

Opening Conflict In What’s My Line Part One

We start with some Opening Conflict over the Career Fair. And we know that's what's going on because we see the school and a giant Career Fair banner.

Xander and Buffy sit at a table. Xander says, “Are you a people person or do you prefer keeping your own company? Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?”

Buffy tells him to choose None Of The Above. But there's no box for that on the quiz or test that they are filling out with their number two pencils. Willow joins them. Not surprisingly, she is curious and excited to find out what she might do for a career.

School Spaces And Career Questions

In the DVD commentary,