This was first piece written by Chris Huntley for Dramatica Software
CHARACTER GROWTH AND RESOLVE
Character change is a major element of most story paradigms.
Syd Field says there are four major qualities that make a good character:
•Dramatica Need—What does the Main Character want to gain, get or achieve?
•Strong Point of View—The way the Main Character views the world
•Attitude—The Main Character's manner or opinion
•CHANGE—Does your Main Character change during the course of the story?
Robert McKee sees change as an essential part of a protagonist [Main Character]: “Character Arc—The
finest writing not only reveals true character, but arcs or changes that inner nature, for better or worse,
over the course of the telling.” [Story, p 104]
Christopher Vogler sees change as an essential part of the hero's journey: “CHANGE—Heroes don't just
visit death and come home. They return changed, transformed. No one can go through an experience at
the edge of death without being changed in some way.” [The Writer's Journey, p 160]
Michael Hauge describes the hero [Main Character] change as an inner journey of fulfillment, a character
arc from fear to courage. This is a journey from the hero's identity—the character's protective mask; his
sense of self—to the hero's essence; the truth of the character after all of a character's identity is
removed.
Linda Seger describes character development in terms of a Character Spine and a Transformational Arc.
John Truby describes how the hero must undergo a change (self-revelation) during the Battle step in the
Classic Structure. According to Truby, self-revelation strips away the hero's facade and is the most heroic
thing a hero does.
Dramatica treats character change a bit differently. For one thing, Dramatica makes a distinction between
a Main Character's personal growth and his resolve. Here's the distinction between growth and resolve:
•Character Growth: In order for a character to change or remain steadfast, a character needs to
be able to distinguish between the source of conflict and its symptomatic effects. The character
is “blinded” from seeing both by either being too close or too far from the problem. The
character growth brings the character to the point where all options are visible to the character.
Character growth is akin to a “character arc.”
1. • Character Resolve: Once a character has grown, it can stay the course (remain steadfast) or
radically alter its perspective (change). Character Resolve is not a value judgment, nor is it a
description of what could or should have happened. Identifying a character's resolve is simply
determining whether the character's perspective is fundamentally the same or different.
Syd Field's paradigm only allows for Change Main Characters and does not do much to describe different
types of growth necessary to change the character, only that growth must occur for the character to
change. He suggests there is an event in the main character's life that emotionally parallels and impacts
the story. He calls this, “The Circle of Being.” This traumatic event happens to the main character when he
is twelve to eighteen years old. Change, then, is the emotional resolution of the emotional scar. His
paradigm does not leave much room for steadfast main characters.
Robert McKee's paradigm equally emphasizes main character growth (i.e. Character Arc) and a main
character resolve. Though McKee's descriptions of the forces that drive a character's growth seem more
sophisticated than Field's, he ends up in the same place: a Change Main Character. There is either no
room for steadfast main characters in his paradigm or they exist outside its boundaries. Either way, I
could not find references to steadfast main characters in Robert McKee's “Story.”
Both Christopher Vogler and Michael Hauge describe the main character's growth as the Hero's Inner
Journey. Like the others, they inexorably tie the main character's resolve (Change) to the journey
(growth). In their DVD, “The Hero's 2 Journeys,” Vogler acknowledges that some heroes remain steadfast
but does not describe how this might fit or alter the hero's journey.
Not surprisingly, John Truby's paradigm follows Joseph Campbell's “Hero's Journey” and sees change as a
component of a “good hero.” Accordingly, Truby says true character change involves the challenging and
changing of the hero's basic beliefs, which lead to new moral actions. Character's growth is made part of
the story structure, but leaves no room for deviation from an ultimate, self-revelatory change. Steadfast
heroes are not an option.
Seger’s character spine “is determined by the relationship of motivation and action to the goal” [Making a
Good Script Great, p 110]. This may describe character growth depending on other factors. My
interpretation of Seger’s intent is that the character spine is part character growth and partially a
description of the efforts of a protagonist trying to achieve the Story Goal. Seger’s transformational arc
describes when a character “comes to the story with certain attitudes, actions, and emotions, and leaves
the story having made changes on each of these levels. These changes create the beats which make up
the transformational arc” [Making a Good Script Great, p 147]. This probably describes more of the
character growth, but definitely describes a change character. I was happy to see that Seger
acknowledged steadfast main characters.
Many great stories involve characters that remain steadfast against all efforts to change them. Moreover,
the fact that they “stay the course” is an essential component of each story's message. Imagine Job in the
Old Testament of the Bible telling God he's had too much and is throwing in the towel, or Dr. Richard
Kimble in "The Fugitive" giving up his search for the one-armed man and heading off to Bermuda. Both
might work as stories but their meaning would be changed considerably. To tell the stories successfully,
each would be constructed differently from the originals so that the character growth naturally led to the
new character resolve.
How is a main character's growth affected by the character's resolve?
The answer is simple and significant:
•Change Main Character Growth: A change main character comes to the story with pre-existing
“baggage” in the form of justifications (inner walls) that blind the character to his personal
problem. Whether you call the baggage the
character's problem(Dramatica), wound (Hauge), inner problem (Vogler), unconscious
desire (McKee), Circle of Being (Field), motivation (Seger), or Need (Truby), the main character
comes to the story “fully loaded” and ripe for change. Each act describes the tearing down of
the justifications that hide the main character's personal problem from his direct awareness.
Once the character has grown enough to see beyond the justifications and recognize the true
nature of his personal problems can he then fundamentally alter his world view (change).
•Steadfast Main Character Growth: A steadfast main character generally starts off at the
beginning of the story with everything in balance. An external force disrupts this balance and
the main character responds by committing to a method of restoring balance. Each act
describes the main character's efforts to reinforce his commitment as external forces grow and
change. Once the character has reached the edge of his breaking point—when the limit of his
efforts to reinforce his motivations match that of the maximum external pressure to alter
course—he makes one last commitment and forms a justification that blinds him from his initial
choice of action. In this way he remains steadfast in his resolve.
By allowing for Main Characters who change and Main Characters who remain steadfast, Dramatica opens
up the story world to the other half not adequately explained by other paradigms. These include steadfast
main characters such as Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet,” Jim Starke in “Rebel Without A Cause,” Jake
Barnes in “The Sun Also Rises,” Clarice Starling in “Silence of the Lambs,” and Jake Gittes in “Chinatown.”
By separating character growth from character resolve, Dramatica lets you determine both where your
character goes and how he gets there. This gives authors flexibility in forming their stories. It also better
represents the choices we have in real life and therefore brings greater verisimilitude to an audience's
story experience.
Unlike the other non-Dramatica paradigms, Seger allows for character growth and character resolve. Her
film examples are excellent and varied. However, their value in story construction is limited because her
descriptions of how to implement them are too generalized. This is further complicated by Seger’s
interlocking of the functions of the protagonist with the perspective of the main character.
PLOT STRUCTURE
Plot structure is the temporal backbone of a story. Stories need plot structure to hold them together.
Story paradigms need plot structure to explain how to create plots for stories and how to recognize and fix
plot problems. A simple plot structure supports a simple plot. A complex plot structure supports complex
plots. An ideal plot structure supports both simple and complex plot structures.
Comparing different plot structure paradigms is both easier and more difficult than I expected. There are a
lot of similarities between the various plotting systems, as well as areas of difference. I chose not to do an
exhaustive comparison. Instead, I chose to focus on the one area each story paradigm manages to
integrate (one way or another)—Act Structure.
Here is my plan of attack:
•Begin with a word about author and audience.
•Give a general overview of my findings about Plot.
•Show each system with some brief descriptions.
•Share some initial observations and comparisons.
•Evaluate Dramatica's comparative strengths and weaknesses.
A Word About Author and Audience
Human minds are natural problem-solvers and pattern matchers. When something is missing, we natur lly
fill in the bl nks. (See what I mean? You filled in the blanks with letters, didn't you? But, you didn't fill in
the spaces between the words.) We feel compelled to complete patterns when we notice they're
incomplete. If we cannot adequately fill in the missing pieces, we hide the incomplete pattern from our
considerations. Literally, out of sight, out of mind. Hiding things from us blinds us to them. These blind
spots, however, can show up in our work and create difficulties for us in our writing. That's where external
story paradigms can help our writing. They remind us of how stories work—how they are put together.
Every writer wears several hats. Two important hats are that of author and audience. These are very
different roles and every writer plays both of them over the development life of a story. The author is the
story's “creator.” He has god-like knowledge and power to shape the story. The audience is the story's
interpreter. It experiences the story as it is delivered even though the story is colored by the audience's
biases and interpretive abilities.
The tools, skills, and motivations of an author are different than those of an audience. As “god” in the
story universe, an author creates and arranges the various story elements including characters, theme,
genre, and plot. How the story is put together communicates the author's intent. Rarely a passive
receiver, the audience decodes the bits of story in an effort to uncover the author's intent. The audience
also searches for meaning in the patterns found in and created by the story.
Sometimes a complete and sensible plot from the author's perspective is incomplete and confusing from
the audience's perspective. When the audience finds holes in the story, it fills them from its own
experience. When the holes are too big to fill or the story pieces don't fit together, the bond between
author and audience is broken. That's when the writer, as author, needs help fixing the story problems.
Which brings us to the plot paradigms under consideration.
Overview
The seven plot paradigms explored are Syd Field’s Paradigm, Robert McKee’s Central Plot andThe Quest,
John Truby’s Twenty-Two Building Blocks, Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey, Michael Hauge’s Six Stage
Plot Structure, Linda Seger’s Story Spine, & and Dramatica’s Act Structure.
I’d like to acknowledge that the plot paradigm examples I use here are simplifications of the originals. The
illustrations I use are designed to emphasize the similarities, not the differences. I’ve chosen to give each
paradigm the maximum comprehensiveness while remaining true to the creator’s intent and maintaining
simplicity.
After building illustrations for each of the plot paradigms I was surprised to see how structurally similar
they are to each other. While each is unique, it is quite easy to make broad comparisons and point out
Dramatica’s obvious differences.
Most of the paradigms conform to the four-act structure—four more-or-less equal segments. Some
systems define “acts” differently, but the pattern appears in most, even if the segments are subdivided or
labeled differently (e.g. Act I; Act II-Part 1; Act II-Part 2; Act III). The exceptions to the four-act
structure are McKee, Seger, and Truby. McKee and Seger use the more traditional three-act structure,
while Truby a heavily modified three-act form.
Looking at the various plot paradigms, it’s easy to see how most of the paradigms only explore two
throughlines: an inner journey and an outer journey.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the plot paradigms.
Plot Paradigm Illustrations
Example 1: The Syd Field Paradigm.
Click illustration to enlarge
Field's Paradigm is a four-act structure masquerading as a three-act structure. It starts with a setup and
inciting incident, has regular turning points in the plot called “plot points” and “pinches” in the middles,
and ends with a climax and resolution. Though not apparent in the illustration, the Paradigm describes
both the external journey involving the attempt to achieve the story goal and the internal journey of the
Main Character.
Example 2: Robert McKee's Central Plot and The Quest
McKee uses two different graphic examples to illustrate plot. The first is a simple linear timeline called the
Central Plot.
Click illustration to enlarge
McKee's Central Plot is a modified three-act structure. It begins with an inciting incident, proceeds with
progressive complications, and ends with a crisis, climax, and resolution. What is not shown is McKee's
system of using beats to build scenes, scenes to build sequences, and sequences to build acts. His third
act is slightly shorter than the last act in the four-act structure examples. The McKee second act picks up
the extra time and is slightly longer than the combined middle acts of a four-act structure.
The second graphic McKee uses is called The Quest.
Click illustration to enlarge
The Quest describes the flow of conflict in a story. The + and - represent the positive and negative tug-ofwar of conflict in the backstory before the inciting incident. The “spine” represents the “through-line” /
timeline in the story. The conscious and unconscious desires describe the drive behind the external and
internal journeys. The inner, personal, and extra-personal conflicts represent the types of pressure put to
bear on the protagonist/main character as the story progresses. The conscious and unconscious objects of
desire represent the journeys' goals.
Example 3: The Linda Seger Paradigm.
Click illustration to enlarge
Seger’s Story Spine (or “A Story”) is a straightforward three-act structure. It has a setup, which starts
with an image, establishes the story catalyst (inciting incident), and raises the central question (goal). It
has two major turning points in the plot that separate Act One from Act Two and Act Two from Act Three,
and ends with a climax and resolution. Seger’s story spine allows for subplots that can accommodate a
relationship “B Story” and more.
Example 4: John Truby's Twenty-Two Building Blocks
Click illustration to enlarge
A combination of Joseph Campbell's mythic structure and original work, Truby's Twenty-Two Building
Blocks plot structure loosely conforms to a three-act structure. Truby is a proponent of the idea that Plot
is what Character does, and Character is defined by actions. As such, his plotline is a combination of a
Hero's actions motivated by his internal Need and an external Desire (goal). The actions of various
Opponents and Allies counterpoint the Hero's efforts. The plot has an inciting incident, ends with a new
equilibrium, and has several revelations and reversals along the way.
Example 5: Christopher Vogler's Hero's Journey
Click illustration to enlarge
Christopher Vogler's description of the Hero's Journey plot is usually presented as a circle. I have taken
the liberty of converting his timeline to a horizontal plot line—an alternate form he uses to describe the
progression of the Character Arc (The Writer's Journey, 2nd Edition, p 213). I've also combined his Hero's
Journey timeline with his Character Arc timeline to get the full effect of his plot paradigm.
Like Syd Field's Paradigm, Vogler's Hero's Journey is a four-act structure camouflaged as a three-act
structure. That's where the similarity ends. Based on Joseph Campbell's work on mythic story structure,
Vogler has relabeled the plot points to describe the external journey of the Hero, and the internal journey
of the main character (The Character Arc). Vogler's setup and inciting event take the form of Ordinary
World and Call to Adventure. Like Field and other paradigms to come, major events function as turning
points for the acts, such as Crossing the Threshold into the Special World, Ordeal, and The Road Back to
the Ordinary World. Crisis and climax show up as Resurrection and Final Attempt. Return with the Elixir
and Mastery approximate the story's resolution.
Example 6: Michael Hauge's Six Stage Plot Structure
Click illustration to enlarge
Despite its name, Hauge's Six Stage Plot Structure has its roots in a four-act structure as you can tell by
the illustration. It starts with a setup followed by an inciting incident called Turning Point #1: Opportunity.
It has regular turning points in the plot to indicate act breaks (Turning Points #2, #3, & #4), and ends
with a climax (Turning Point #5) and resolution (Aftermath). As shown, Hauge's paradigm describes the
Outer Journey as the attempt to achieve the story goal. The Inner Journey describes how the Hero (Main
Character) goes from living fully within his Identity (a mask that hides his inner trauma and desires) to a
life free of the Identity and fulfilling his Destiny.
Example 7: Dramatica's “Act Structure”
Click illustration to enlarge
Dramatica clearly uses a four-act structure. It starts with a setup of plot points and story dynamics and an
inciting incident. It has regular turning points in the plot to indicate act breaks driven by the Story Driver,
and ends with a crisis, climax, and resolution of plot points and story dynamics. It also explores four
throughlines; two more than the other story paradigms. The Overall Story throughline is the rough
equivalent of the outer journey found in other paradigms. The Main Character throughline is the
counterpart to the inner journey. Dramatica counterpoints the Main Character throughline with the Impact
Character throughline. Exploring the relationship between the Main and Impact Characters is done in the
MC/IC Relationship throughline.
Initial Comparisons
Wow. My initial reaction after comparing these six plot paradigms was that Dramatica looked dry and
complicated while the others seemed easier to digest. Vogler's Hero's Journey seems the “friendliest” and
most approachable of the bunch. As you might imagine, this was a little off-putting for me. I didn't expect
the comparisons to show such a stark difference between Dramatica and everything else.
This got me thinking. Why do the other paradigms seem so much more “writable” than the Dramatica act
structure? Why does Dramatica “feel” so different from the others? Is less plot structure better? I found
some interesting answers to these questions.
Why do other paradigms seem so much more “writable” than the Dramatica act structure?
There are three obvious reasons why the other systems suggest easier writing approaches than
Dramatica. The first is that they are much simpler and therefore easier to follow. Even McKee's somewhat
confusing illustration of The Quest (Story, p 197) seems less enigmatic than the Dramatica Act Structure
illustration.
The second reason other systems seem more “writable” is that the labels used to describe their various
plot points are more story-like than Dramatica's labels. Syd Field uses straightforward terms like setup,
confrontation, and resolution. Hauge uses simple phrases like Change of Plans, Point of No Return, and
Major Setback. Vogler's Hero's Journey speaks in mythic language using words such as ordeal, reward,
and resurrection. By comparison, Dramatica's Signposts, Journeys, and Story Driver sound less writer
friendly.
The third reason Dramatica seems more difficult to write from is its complexity. Dramatica has four
throughlines to worry about instead of one or two. It has sixteen Signposts—four for each throughline. The
nature of each Signpost is determined by a “storyform.” Just knowing how Dramatica's structure is put
together is not enough. In fact, it's unlikely a writer could create a story just by looking at Dramatica's act
structure as shown in the illustration. More information seems necessary even to begin writing.
Why does Dramatica “feel” so different from the others paradigms?
Dramatica's plot structure feels like a bunch of puzzle pieces placed in a grid. It looks more like a
timetable than a description of a story's timeline. It seems purely functional. On the other hand, Vogler's
Hero's Journey reads like a ready-made story outline and practically oozes Meaning: The Hero is in the
Ordinary World and has Limited Awareness; There is a Call to Adventure which gives the Hero Increased
Awareness; The Hero's Refusal of the call comes from his Reluctance to Change; The Hero's Meeting with
the Mentor signals the Overcoming of his reluctance; and so on. The same can be said (to lesser degrees)
of Field's Paradigm, McKee's Central Plot, Seger's Story Spine, Truby's Twenty-Two Building Blocks, and
Hauge's Six Stage Plot Structure.
Is less plot structure better?
Not when you're trying to solve plot problems. Sure, it may be easier to use less elements of plot
structure than more. It might take less time to determine if a story meets ten criteria versus twenty-five
or one hundred. Easier, however, is not necessarily better.
Plot structure problems generally come in two areas: the plot pieces don't fit together properly or there
are plot “holes”—pieces missing from the plot. When it comes to identifying and fixing plot problems,
“less” usually is not better. In fact, persistent plot problems are often more closely tied to plot elements
an author has NOT considered than plot elements the author has reworked. Having more tools with which
to evaluate and construct a story is more valuable in those instances. In this regard, each plot paradigm
has varying degrees of depth and breadth, but Dramatica surpasses them all.
Dramatica's Comparative Strengths & Weaknesses
From the comparisons so far, Dramatica's plot paradigm seems to have the following weaknesses:
•It is complicated.
•It uses non-intuitive terminology.
•It feels dry and functional instead of warm and digestible.
“Guilty” on all three counts. HOWEVER, those are mere misdemeanors and easily overshadowed by
Dramatica's real benefits.
Dramatica's approach to story is from the author's perspective. That means it looks at plot in terms of
how the story is really put together, not how it seems to be as seen from the audience perspective. The
other paradigms developers analyzed existing stories and found common plot patterns. With Dramatica we
discovered a pattern maker. That's why it is so complex. Dramatica is flexible enough to create most any
story pattern there is. It's “dry and functional” because that's what plot looks like from a “god's eye” point
of view. It uses non-intuitive terminology, partly because Melanie and I weren't more creative in our
labeling but more so because we went for accuracy over accessibility.
The Dramatica act structure's single greatest strength is its comprehensiveness. It covers everything
necessary to make your plot work well. It has over one hundred unique story points (not including
recurring plot points or character interactions) with at least forty-four specifically plot-related. Dramatica's
plot explores four separate but interconnected throughlines instead of the one or two described in the
other story paradigms.
Just as important, Dramatica ties each plot point to the storyform. Storyforms describe the story's
underlying structure and dynamics and the interconnections between Character, Theme, Genre, and Plot—
in essence, the author's intent. The storyform serves to keep the plot coherent with everything else in the
story. It also indicates the general nature of each plot point. This is a tremendous advantage because it
gives an author an idea of how to explore his subject matter as it progresses act to act.
The non-Dramatica plot paradigms evaluated in this article only explore one or two of the four
throughlines necessary for a complete act structure. Writers recognize the patterns found in those plot
structures and use them. Unfortunately, they also sense the “missing pieces.” Hours of writer's block may
be associated with writers struggling to figure out the structural gaps left by the other plot paradigms.
Dramatica's unique author's perspective on story gives it another advantage over the other plot
paradigms. Dramatica makes a distinction between Plot, the order in which events happen, and
Storyweaving, the order plot events are presented to an audience. (This partially explains the table-like
format of the Dramatica Act Structure illustration.)
Storyweaving often masks problems in the plot. Separating plot from Storyweaving lets an author know
what is really happening in the story as well as what seems to be happening. The other paradigms don't
make this distinction and suffer for it. In The Hero's Journey, for example, Vogler says the plot structure
should not be followed too precisely. “The order of the stages given here is only one of many possible
variations. The stages can be deleted, added to, and drastically shuffled without losing any of their power”
(The Hero's Journey, 2nd Edition, p 26). With that much latitude how can a writer possibly determine what
should or should not be in the plot? A writer pretty much has to figure that out on his own if he wishes to
stray from the paths specified by a particular plot paradigm. On the other hand, Dramatica shows the
writer how everything fits together and lets the writer determine how he wants to assemble the plot
timeline.
The examined plot paradigms have varying degrees of complexity. Some seem simple and straightforward
whereas Dramatica is the most complex of the bunch. Some are more readily understandable than others.
Dramatica's terminology is less descriptive than others (and has a whole lot more of it too!). Most of the
plot paradigm illustrations look like story timelines. Dramatica's plot structure looks like a complicated
timeline with four different throughlines going on at the same time. If ease of understanding and learning
were the criteria for determining which plot paradigm is the best, then Syd Field would be the big winner
and Dramatica the big loser. However, I think it best if these paradigms are evaluated based on their
capabilities to help writers build strong plot structures and fix plot problems.
NOTE: In “Advanced Screenwriting,” Linda Seger identifies what she calls storytelling structures. By
storytelling structures she means the way in which a story is laid out for an audience. The idea
incorporates several concepts found in Dramatica’s Storytelling, Storyweaving, and Story Reception. I
mention it here because the one thing Seger’s storytelling structure does not contain is story structure. It
describes how the storytelling is constructed, not how the story is constructed. This is an extremely useful
distinction to make when you have problems with your plot. Is it a structural problem or a storytelling
problem? The answer to that question tells you where you have to do your work. Seger (like McKee, and
Truby, etc.) has a lot to say about storytelling structures. Dramatica has a lot to say about story
structure.
The qualities that make non-Dramatica plot paradigms simple to understand make them difficult to use for
writing. Dramatica is more comprehensive than the other paradigms. It is better suited to building
stronger plots since it approaches story from the author's perspective. By separating plot and
Storyweaving, Dramatica makes identifying plot problems easier. The Dramatica storyform connects the
plot to character, theme, and genre better than any other system. Plus, the storyform indicates the nature
of plot events without limiting subject matter. For these reasons I think Dramatica's Act Structure plot
paradigm is the most capable system examined.
Summary And Conclusions
Exploring the story paradigms of Syd Field, Michel Hauge, Robert McKee, Linda Seger, John Truby, and
Christopher Vogler has been educational and eye opening. I've only scratched the surface but I feel I've
learned a lot. When looking at them in broad terms, the non-Dramatica paradigms are more similar than
not even though their specifics differ. Dramatica shares some common ground with them but is different
in approach and perspective.
Dramatica looks at story from an objective author's standpoint. It gives authors an objective view into the
inner workings of stories but is less effective at forecasting a story's meaning for an audience. The other
paradigms look at story from the audience's standpoint. They give authors insight into how audiences
might interpret a story but are less effective at predicting how to manipulate the story to create specific
story results.
Dramatica sees stories as grand arguments made up of four essential throughlines. The Overall Story
Throughline describes the “Big Picture” perspective and shows the objective, “They” world view. The Main
Character Throughline describes the personal, “You are there,” perspective and reveals the first person,
“I,” world view. The Impact Character Throughline describes the influential, alternative, “You,” perspective
to that of the Main Character. The Main Character vs. Impact Character Throughline describes the
passionate, “We,” perspective of the key relationship in the story. By contrast, the other paradigms see
stories made up of one or two essential throughlines that correspond to Dramatica's Overall Story and
Main Character throughlines.
Dramatica separates the function of the protagonist as prime driver of the effort to achieve the story goal
from the subjective, personal perspective of the Main Character. The separation allows for alternative
combinations that allow the Main Character to be someone other than the protagonist in the story. The
other paradigms combine functions of the protagonist and Main Character in to a single character called
the Protagonist, the Main Character, or the Hero.
Dramatica allows for Main Characters to change or remain steadfast and describes how the characters
grow into or out of their resolve. The other paradigms mostly describe how the Main Character's growth
leads to change. Vogler acknowledges the existence of steadfast Main Characters but does not adequately
describe how they fit into “The Hero's Inner Journey.” Seger alone identifies the viability of steadfast
characters though is vague on specifics.
Dramatica uses a four-act plot structure with the nature of each act tied to a “storyform.” The graphic of
Dramatica's plot structure is complicated and uses academic sounding terminology. The other paradigms
are split between using a four-act structure and the more traditional, post-Aristotelian three-act structure.
Their plot terminology generally is more descriptive and writer-friendly.
As tools to understand and develop stories, each of these paradigms has its own relative strengths and
weaknesses. Dramatica seems to cover more story territory and provide a clearer insight into a story's
inner workings; it also appears complex and filled with specialized vocabulary. The non-Dramatica
paradigms range in complexity and depth. They use more conversational terminology and feel more
accessible. I believe that no single story paradigm holds all the answers. Each paradigm has its story
development treasures to offer. I've dug up a few and explored them to a limited degree. I look forward to
continuing my search by delving deeper into these story paradigms and investigating others.
Questions, comments, corrections, and anything else you can think of (except spam!) should be sent to
Chris Huntley care of [email protected]. Please include "Dramatica Question" in the subject line.
Snail mail may be sent to Chris Huntley, Write Brothers Inc., 138 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 201, Glendale, CA
USA 91203.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet
Opening image (p. 1): Sets the tone for the story and suggests the protagonist’s
primary problem.
Theme is stated (p. 5): A question or statement, usually made to the protagonist,
indicating the story’s main thematic idea.
Set-up (p. 1-10): An introduction to the main characters and setting—the background.
Catalyst (p. 12): A major event that changes the protagonist’s world and sets the story
in motion.
Debate (p. 12-25): A question is raised about the choice now before the protagonist.
Often this section lays out the stakes for the journey ahead.
Break into Act II (p. 25-30): The hero definitively leaves his old world or situation
and enters a strange new one.
B-story (p. 30): A secondary plotline that often fleshes out side characters—frequently
a mentor or a love interest—who assist the hero on his journey.
Fun and games (p. 30-55): Snyder says this section offers “the promise of the
premise.” It’s an exploration of the story’s core concept that gives the story its “trailerfriendly moments.” It’s usually lighter in tone, and it typically builds to a big victory at
the midpoint.
Midpoint (p. 55): The A and B stories cross. The story builds to either a false victory or
(less often) false defeat. New information is revealed that raises the stakes.
Bad guys close in (p. 55-75): After the victory at the midpoint, things grow steadily
worse as the villains regroup and push forward.
All is lost (p. 75): Mirroring the midpoint, it’s usually a false defeat. The hero’s life is in
shambles. Often there’s a major death or at least the sense of death—a reference to
dying or mortality somehow.
Dark night of the soul (p. 75-85): A moment of contemplation in which the hero
considers how far he’s come and all he’s learned. It’s the moment in which the hero asks,
“Why is all this happening?”
Break into Act III (p. 85) A “Eureka!” moment that gives the hero the strength to
keep going—and provides the key to success in Act III.
Finale (p. 85-110) Relying on all he has learned throughout the story, the hero solves
his problems, defeats the villains, and changes the world for the better.
Final image (p. 110). A mirror of the opening image that underlines
the lessons learned and illustrates how the world has changed.
Keep the story simple with complex characters that personally have something at stake.
Making a Good Script Great - Linda Seger
Act I
Set-Up Who’s in it? What’s it about? When, Where located? Genre? Mood?
A. Start with image - (Witness-Amish farm)
B. Catalyst - Gets story moving - main push (Witness-murder, Jaws-swimmer killed)
1. Action - explosion, murder, letter arrives
2. Dialog-gives piece of info
3. Situation/situations
C. Raises Central Question - (Witness-Will John Book catch the murderer? Jaws-catch shark?)
1. Situation
2. Problem
Everything relates to the central question and the question is answered in the climax
Beats create a scene - Scenes create an act - Acts create a Story
Turning Point #1 - accomplishes:
A. Turns action around in new direction
B. Raises central question again and makes us wonder if it will come true
C. Main character has moment of decision/commitment
D. Raises the stakes
E. Pushes story into Act II
F. Takes us into new arena and gives sense of a different focus for action
(Witness-Chief asks Book “Who else knows?” Chief says he’ll take care of everything-action stops-Book
can move on, but McFee tries to kill Book, Book must escape, Book is shot, tries to leave farm, passes
out) A through F are accomplished
Will Book catch murderer? Question in doubt now - stakes higher - Act II revolves around him hiding
on farm - new arena
ACT II
Turning Point #2 - accomplishes A through F and:
Speeds up action - sense of urgency - ticking clock - 2 hours to live
G. Beat 1 - darkest moment for goal/central question - falls off the cliff - farthest from top of the
mountain
H. Beat 2 - New idea or stimulus
(Witness-1. Book hears partner is killed-tells Paul he’s coming after him
2. Punk picks fight-Book punches him while wearing Amish clothing
3. Policeman sees it-tells Paul, Book is staying at farm-hiding spot revealed)
ACT III
The Big Finish - the climax - happens a few pages from the end-followed by a short resolution to tie up loose
ends
A. Central Question is answered
B. Tension lets up
C. Everything is all right
Plot carries the action (Witness-will Book solve murder?)
Sub-plot carries the theme (Witness-will Book and Rachel get together?) shows true identity of character, goals,
dreams, transformation of character beat by beat, develops relationship
Both have set-up, turning pts., climax and resolution and both occur directly after/prior to each other.
Witness
A. Plot
B. Sub-plot
Set-up
The murder
Book meets Rachel-love
Climax
A. Paul is caught
B. Book saves Rachel/throws gun down
1st Turn Pt.
Book shot in garage
Rachel cares for Book
2nd Turn Pt.
Book hits punk
Book & Rachel kiss
Resolution
Book returns home
Book says goodbye
ACT II
Action Points - Drives story fwd - causes reactioncauses emotioncauses reaction - these action points
demand a response which demands an action, which demands another response and on and on - Dramatic &
visual (not dialog)
Turning Points - see above
Barriers - stops their plan/action-forces them to make new decision/new plan-must go around, above,
below, over barrier
C. Complications - rarely used
D. Reversals - reverses direction 180 - moves story from positive to negative or neg to pos - stronger
than turning point because complete reversal - reverse action or emotions - best used for Turning
Pts. 1 & 2
(JAWS-celebrating capture turns to fear-wrong shark captured)
(Horror Films-celebration & safety turns to horror seeing killer/finding body)
A.
B.
Momentum - Don’t stray off the spine of the plot or sub-plot - you will lose momentum
Plot & Sub-plot - Turning Pts., & climaxes should happen almost together - Ba-da-bing ba-da-boom!
A. Plot must begin before Sub-plot
B. Sub-plot must intersect with Plot and have some bearing on the story
C. Sub-plot should be played out for full story - not begin or end too soon
D. Movement and Action is plot
E. Theme and emotion are sub-plot - what am I trying to say? Which lines help me say it?
F. Can have several sub-plots, but all should add to, intersect and dimensionalize the story
Foreshadowing & Payoff
Recurring Motifs - image, rhythm, sound
(Witness-grain, Jaws-sound, Ghostbusters-lions)
Repetition & Contrast - repeat & contrast scenes, characters, actions, images to give dramatic texture and
punch
(Witness - non-violence Vs violence - repetition/contrast)
(Witness - city energy Vs slower farm life - contrast)
(Jaws - summer beach fun Vs death - contrast)
Myths - Hero myth, healing myth, variations of the two.
A. Hero is introduced in his mundane everyday existence, which we can all relate to.
B. Catalyst kicks the hero into an extraordinary adventure - something arises which raises the stakes
and must be solved.
C. The hero doesn’t want to leave the comfortable surroundings - afraid of the unknown, isn’t sure if
can handle the challenge.
D. Mentor helps the hero out - gives good advice - mentor has special skills, knowledge, and expertise.
E. Hero is now ready to move into the special world from his ordinary one - 1st Turning Pt. adventure begins.
F. Now the tests & obstacles (enemy) begin which must be overcome to get to the goal.
G. Hero must hit rock bottom (often near-death experience) - 2nd Turning Pt.
H. Hero seizes the sword & takes possession of the treasure - he’s in charge, but he hasn’t completed
the journey - starts Act III.
I. Hero must escape the enemy - overcome last obstacles - by using what he has learned and applies it
into the everyday life upon his return to the ordinary world.
J. Hero is changed for the better - returns to society.
The Healer Myth deals with a person who is broken (physically, psychologically & emotionally). This person
must leave their world because someone has broken them or something (catalyst) - must redeem themselves or
never return.
Making it Commercial
A. Make it personal - Descriptive - How it is - realistically portrays characters - Stand By Me
Prescriptive - How we would like it to be - Hero Films - hero with no fear, confident Clint Eastwood
Many movie characters go from being descriptive to prescriptive - Rocky
B. What’s at Stake - Jeopardy - raise the stakes
1. Survival - Life & Death Situations - Deliverance
2. Safety & Security - Need to be safe & secure
3. Love & Belonging - Family - Belonging to someone or a group
4. Esteem & Self Respect - Earned by skills & Contributions - Star Wars Jedi (Luke), James Bond
5. Need to Know & Understand - Time travel , Scientist & Detective Movies
6. Aesthetic (Least Used) - A sense of order - Spiritual, Religious, Artistic
7. Self Actualization - Artists, Athletes, Doctors - All come alive when they are doing what they have
to do even if they don’t get recognition.
Try and use as many of the stakes as possible and keep the goal out of reach
CHARACTERS - Hero must not be able to simply walk away with no consequences.
They must have motivation, action and goal - motivation to go after their goal - what is motivating them?
Goal: 1. Something must be at stake - otherwise who cares if they get their goal or not. Money is
lowest motivating force. Cop, lawyer must have a client that means something personally.
2. Must be the same goal of the antagonist - generates conflict.
3. Must be difficult to achieve - the hero/healer must change along the way which aids him in
achieving the goal.
Action - Character must take action - walk the talk - take action - we don’t like passive characters - we want
them to act not be acted upon - the character must cause the climax to happen - must be an active participant in
the storyline not a victim.
Characters shouldn’t be explaining themselves, especially their backstory - have character perform action
instead .
Replace talk with images & actions, breakup long dialog with simpler dialog throughout script.
CONFLICT - The key ingredient
Types:A. Inner - Hard to show - mostly in novels - unsure of oneself, conflict must be projected outward w/
dialog or an action cries, kicks the dog, etc.
B. Relational - Between 2 people who have same goal or 2 people together who have different goals
and must get along.
C. Societal - Between person(s) and a group, government, army, corporation, country - justice,
corruption, oppression.
D. Situational - Disaster films, usually includes relational to carry it.
E. Cosmic - Character Vs God, devil, supernatural force
Creating Dimensional Characters - Audience wants dimensional, non-stereotypical characters.
Philosophy/Thoughts/Attitudes - Believe in God, apple pie, communism, etc.
cynical, positive, aggressive, happy-go-lucky, insecure, etc.
B. Decisions/Actions - The decision to act and then the action - search, investigate, outwit, uncover,
plan strategy, transform
others, manipulate, revenge, etc.
C. Emotions - Use all the variety of emotions not just tears & anger
A.
The Dimensional Chain - A character’s philosophy creates certain attitudes toward life - These attitudes create
decisions that create actions - These actions come out of the character’s emotional life, which helps predispose
the character to do certain things and not do others - As a result of the actions of other characters, the character
responds emotionally in a certain way.
Transformational Arc - usually the hero is transformed into a different person - the transformation can be
moderate or extreme
John Book went from a frenetic, insensitive, unfeeling person to a feeling, caring, calmer, more sensitive, but
still strong and heroic. The extreme transformation would have had him stay on the Amish farm with Rachel.
Rachel learns passion and risk.
Characters need help from others to change. They need influence. It takes time to transform, slowly, beat by
beat, through moments. The characters decisions and emotional responses change throughout the story due to
their transformation. They learn to take new actions due to their transformation and influence by others.
Types of characters:
A. Main - Do the action - provide main conflict - hero, antagonist, love interest
Supporting - Stand with & against, a confidant, partner, catalyst (causes an event) provide info or
push hero into action
C. Comic Relief - lighten up the story, audience opportunity to release tension
D. Contrasting - especially used for love interest - she’s with this guy, but she has more fun with hero
who contrasts w/ him
E. Thematic/Balance - Shows that not all the people in the group are bad or evil; some are nice, goodhearted, not violent or greedy, etc.
B.
Questions to be answered:
Structure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Have I begun with an image?
Does the image give a sense of style and feeling of the story?
Do I have a clear catalyst to begin the story? And is it strong, dramatic and expressed through
action?
Does our central question set up the climax of our story? Is it clear?
Does each Turning Point bring up the central question again?
Do I have a clear 1st Turning Point that leads into the action of Act II?
Do I have a clear 2nd Turning Point that sets up the climax?
Is my climax a big finish?
Is my resolution quick?
Subplots:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Do I need each subplot?
Does each subplot add to my story and intersect the story?
Does each subplot dimensionalize the story?
How many subplots do I have?
Can I cut any of them to give more focus to my plot line and one or two subplots?
Do I have a clear structure for each subplot with a clear subplot, Turning Pts., and climax?
Does my subplot resolution occur close to the climax of my plot line?
Act II:
How are action points used?
Is my story gaining momentum through action points or am I using dialog to push the story forward?
What kinds of action pts. Are within my script? Barriers, complications, reversals?
Where do my action points occur and how often?
Are there any scene sequences in the script? Where do they occur and do they give energy to the
story?
6. Does my script go off on tangents or does it stay focused on plot and subplot development?
7. Can I construct action points or scene sequences from the dramatic elements I’m already using?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Creating a Cohesive Script:
1. Is everything I’ve paid off foreshadowed in the script?
2. Is everything I’ve foreshadowed paid off in the script?
3. Have I found original ways to foreshadow and pay off information?
4. Have I changed functions or disguised foreshadowing information or used to humor to set up and
pay off info?
5. Have I created or implied motifs that the director could use to integrate the script visually?
6. Have I thought through my script visually, repeating images that will give it a sense of
cohesiveness?
Have I contrasted scenes, characters, actions, even images to give my script more dramatic texture
and punch?
8. Have I done at least one rewrite during which I tried to see the script as a whole, rather than focus on
the individual parts?
7.
Making it Commercial:
1. Can I say my theme in one line?
2. Does my story serve my theme and does my theme serve my story?
3. Is my theme expressed through character and through action, rather than dialog?
4. Do my images help expand my theme?
5. Have I stayed away from having a character “give a message” to the audience?
6. Have I been willing to give up a smaller theme if it conflicts with the story’s main theme?
7. Have I thought through my own personal connections to the theme?
8. Have I considered ways that the audience might respond, given their demographics?
Creating the Myth:
1. Do I have a myth working in my script? If so, what beats am I using of the hero’s journey? Which
beats are missing?
2. Am I missing characters? Do I need a mentor? A wise old man? A wizard? Could they help
dimensionalize the hero’s journey?
3. Could I create new emotional dimensions to the myth by starting my character as reluctant, naïve,
simple, or decidedly “un-heroic”?
4. Does my character get transformed in the process of the journey?
5. Have I used a strong three-act structure to support the myth, using the 1st turning Pt. to move into the
adventure and the 2nd Turning Pt. to create a dark moment, or a reversal, or even a “near-death”
experience?
Motivation to Goal:
1. Is my character motivated by action or by talk?
2. Is there a clear moment when my character enters into the story?
3. Do we know why s/he’s begun to act?
4. What is my character’s goal? Is it compelling enough to move my character through 3 acts?
5. Is my character passive or active in achieving the goal?
6. Does the action meet the needs of the storyline? If it’s action-adventure do I use strong dramatic
actions? If it’s relational do I find more subtle ways to move the action?
7. If I’ve used flashbacks, long expository speeches, or backstory, is it absolutely essential? Can I cut
or condense this material?
8. Can I clearly discuss my character spine in a few words? Is it clear how the character spine
intersects with the spine of the story?
Finding the Conflict?:
1. Who are my hero and my antagonist?
2. What is their conflict? It is relational, social, situational, cosmic?
3. Have I expressed most of the conflict relationally?
4. How is the conflict expressed?
5. Do I use images and action as well as dialog to show conflict?
6. Have I created small conflicts between characters, which add extra “punch” to the scene?
7.
Is there one overall conflict which defines the issue of the story? Does it relate to both my storyline
and the character's spine?
Creating Dimensional Characters:
1. Have I gotten stuck in stereotypes?
2. Have I defined certain characters through one dimension, rather than creating three-dimensional
characters?
3. What is the transformational arc of my hero?
4. Have I given my character(s) enough time to change?
5. Is the change credible?
6. What are the influences upon my main characters that help them change?
7. Is there a catalyst character? A love relationship?
8. Does the story force changes in my character?
9. Do we clearly see, through images and action, how the influence of story and other characters create
the transformation?
10. Does the transformation help me express both my theme and my story?
Character Functions:
1. Do you have a confidant(e)? If so are the confidant(e) scenes overly talky, or have you found ways
to reveal and show, rather than tell?
2. Do you have several characters with the same function? If so cut or combine them.
3. Are you missing a function? Perhaps you need another catalyst character or perhaps the audience
will have trouble understanding the theme without a thematic character.
4. Is your hero receiving help along the way from supporting characters?
5. Are they really supporting your character or just hanging around?
6. As a writer do you have a character that carries your personal point of view? If so have you kept the
character active and dramatic instead of talky?
7. Does your point of view give insight to the story, or is it simply a message you’ve been trying to get
across and thought you’d sneak it in here?
8. Are you dealing with material, which is not believable to mass audiences? If so, have you created at
least one audience POV character to help audiences suspend their disbelief?
9. Are you dealing with material open to misinterpretation? If so have you at least one balance
character to protect yourself?
10. Do you have humor in the script? Does one character carry the comic relief?
11. Do you use humor to release tension, or to lighten up the material, or to create greater audience
enjoyment?
12. Count how many characters are taking focus throughout the story. Don’t use more than seven and
try to use less.
Functions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Are my hero and antagonist clear?
If more than one antagonist is one more in focus than the others?
Do we know what the central issue or central problem is?
Who are my supporting characters?
How do my supporting characters contribute to the story?
If I have thematic characters, have I given them other functions so they aren’t merely “message”
characters?
Are there catalyst characters who help move the action?
Does every character have a function in my story?
If I have several characters with the same function, can I combine characters?
Are there any missing functions, which my story needs?
Mythical Journey
Prologue – Precedes main body of the story giving backstory before we enter the ordinary world. – Detective
Films start with a murder – STAR WARS started with Darth Vader kidnapping Princess Lea prior to us meeting
Luke in his mundane ordinary world.
***ORDINARY WORLD***
We start out in the home base and background of the hero before we enter the new/special world of Act II – it’s
best to have two worlds with great differences – audience can easily see the differences - show the dramatic
differences/contrast between the ordinary and new worlds. WIZARD of OZ – Kansas Vs OZ CITY SLICKERS
– City Vs Wide open West
The hero’s problems and conflicts already exist in the ordinary world, waiting to be activated
Foreshadowing: - use ordinary world to create a small model of the new world, foreshadowing it’s battles and
moral dilemmas – raising central/dramatic question: will hero get goal? Overcome flaws? Learn lessons?
Characters have inner and outer problems. WIZARD of OZ Dorothy clashes with Ms Gulch and she’s rescued
from danger after falling in the pigpen by the farmhands. This foreshadows her battles with the Witch and is
rescued by Lion, Tin Man & Scarecrow.
Hero’s Entrance: - how does the audience first see the hero? It’s extremely important – it reveals & defines
the character of our hero. We should get an indication of hero’s attitude, future problems or solutions that will
result.
Must develop strong bond of sympathy or common interest between the hero and audience. The audience must
relate to the hero and their goals, desires and needs.
Hero’s Lack: - hero lacks something or something is taken away – family member dies, kidnapped, etc. –
sympathy for hero, might make the hero unable to love anymore.
Tragic Flaw: - every hero has one flaw, weakness or fault making them human and real.
Wounded Hero: - give hero a visible wound, physical injury or emotional wound – rejection, betrayal, failure,
no mother, father, etc., - lost wife, abandonment – wounds mark areas where hero is defensive, guarded, weak,
vulnerable – hero protects these areas, but we will see them being defensive, touchy or too confident in the
areas – so it comes out one way or another – we may not hear it expressed verbally, but it shows
What’s at Stake: - life & death, big money, hero’s soul
Backstory & Exposition: - use exposition to reveal backstory – gracefully reveal it as the story goes along –
don’t just throw it out
Theme: - state the theme in the ordinary world – everything relates to theme
Q. What is your ordinary world? How do you introduce the Hero? Reveal character? Give exposition?
Suggest theme? Use an image to foreshadow or suggest where the story is going.
Q. Do a biography of your characters: physical, education, family background, job experiences, romances,
dislikes, prejudices, food, clothes, hair, cars.
Q. What ideas, events, people influenced characters?
Q. How is hero incomplete? Needs, desires, flaws, goals, wounds, fantasies, wishes, quirks, regrets, defenses,
weaknesses, neuroses. What single characteristic could lead to your hero’s destruction/downfall? Which might
save hero? Does hero have inner and outer problem, needs? How does hero go about getting needs?
Q. Make a list of backstory and exposition points that the audience needs to know to get story started. How can
those be placed throughout story and revealed indirectly, visually, on the run or through conflict?
***CALL TO ADVENTURE (Catalyst)***
Something happens, a message, new event (war, killing), telegram, warrant, summons, dream, fed up with job,
string of events, two people thrown together by mishap or accident – an unstable situation arises in a society and
someone volunteers or is chosen to take responsibility
Reluctant heroes have to be called repeatedly as they try to avoid responsibility – most common type of hero –
have to be tempted, prodded or shanghaied into adventure – they put up a fight to escape the call to adventure –
they refuse the call
Willing heroes answer to inner calls and need no external urging – they have selected themselves for adventure
– these gung-ho heroes are rare – Clint Eastwood, John Wayne types
Temptation: - the allure of an exotic poster, rumors of gold, women, men, lifestyle or whatever
Heralds of Change: - character could be positive, negative or neutral, but presents the hero with invitation or
challenge to face the unknown – hero may not be able to tell the difference between a mentor and an enemy –
may be disguising his real intention dealing with hero (undercover cop)
Reconnaissance: - a villain comes into the ordinary world and turns it into special world
Lack or Need: - loss of love, child kidnapped, Quest For Fire goes in search of fire
No More Options: - no more options available to hero – goes into hiding, kidnapped, back to the wall
**Try to have more than one call that sends the hero into adventure
Q. What calls to adventure have you received in your life and how did you respond? Have you ever delivered
the call to someone?
Q. What is the ideal place for the call in your story and can you move it or do without it? Find an interesting
way to present the call, avoid cliché ways of doing things.
***REFUSAL OF THE CALL***
Standing at the threshold of fear the hero, heart racing, palms sweating can’t do it – hero refuses the call – it
might be a two answer “No way!” or could have refusals all along the path of the rest of the story – we all balk
at doing certain things, challenges, especially death-defying like skydiving, bungee jumping, using drugs, etc.
Others may talk us out of it, because they too don’t answer the call – It’s too dangerous, high stakes, gamble –
let someone else be the hero, not me – who would? Why do we refuse the call?
Past experiences: been there done that and never again
Excuses: dwelling in the past, denying reality may lead to dire consequences
Conflicting calls: get three calls and we take the wrong one
Positive refusal: it’s good to refuse because of evil or disaster, 3 little pigs refused to let the wolf in
Willing heroes: others around them refuse the call and point out the dangers
Threshold guardians: usually pop up around 1st turning pt. To block the hero from crossing the threshold, will
still raise the banner of fear & doubt trying to block the hero – may be a friend who is concerned, they test the
hero’s commitment and pose questions to the audience – will the hero survive?
Secret door: the hero can answer the call, but don’t violate the boundaries, limits, don’t go open the secret
door, stay away from here or there.
Q. What is your hero afraid of? False fears, paranoia, real fears?
Q. In what way have they refused the call(s)? What are the consequences?
Q. Have you refused calls and what were the outcomes? If you had accepted them what might your life be like
today?
Q. Have you accepted calls that you wish you would’ve refused?
***MEETING WITH THE MENTOR***
Stage where hero gains supplies, knowledge, confidence, special items (ruby slippers) needed to overcome fear
and accept the call to adventure. Mentor is a role model (usually) who has been there before – has experience –
maybe they failed, but they know - puts the magical feather in the hero’s hand to protect them and guide them.
Sources of wisdom: hero makes contact with wisdom needed – may not even be a mentor, but a file or map of
past experiences, charts, diary – audiences enjoy seeing past experiences, wisdom passed down from one
generation to the next.
Folklore & Myth: witches, psychics, spirits, gods. Mentors are often connected to nature or some spirit world,
they are enthused about learning and their job is to instill courage to the hero – the mask f the mentor can be
used to trick the hero into the life/adventure of crime, then reveal the mentor is fake – mentor could turn into
betrayer, enemy of the hero, not all mentors can be trusted “Help me find the gold and we will split it.” They
find the gold and the mentor tries to kill the hero. Dorothy has many mentors, Professor Marvel, the Good
Witch, Scarecrow, Lion, etc. even Toto
Q. Are there mentors in your story or characters who play the mentor role on occasion as your hero travels
through it? Does your story need them? Does your hero have an internal code of behavior/ethics, conscience?
How does it manifest itself?
***CROSSING THE 1ST THRESHOLD (1st Turn Pt.)***
“Just follow the yellow brick road.” The hero has said yes to the call after refusing it, pushing aside all doubt
and fears and now it’s time to go for it – preparation is over, others have dropped by the wayside, the final few
are standing at the threshold to begin – ready or not here we go – hero must act now, out of options, killer kills
again, “Thelma and Louise” kill a man, can be external act or internal, pushing past the threshold guardians,
like getting past a security guard, bouncer, ticket taker – many films show the hero actually crossing a physical
threshold – a bridge, gates, doors, rivers, desert, cliff, etc. – as we move into the Special World we can see it –
it may be a single moment or extended passage through a treacherous stretch, but the hero must make the leap
of faith – no turning back
Rough Landing: it might not be a smooth, gentle, safe landing – the hero may crash instantly Saving Private
Ryan m- guys never even got on the beach before being shot – the adventure sounded romantic, but the special
world is not or it could as they expected – we’ve loaded the plane, fueled, taxied and are now rumbling down
the runway – as soon as our wheels leave the ground we are entering the special world, no longer in our
ordinary world (ground) – now it will take us time to adjust to the air (special world)
Q. Is your hero willing to cross the threshold? Are there guardians at the threshold? What does the hero learn
by crossing threshold?
Q. What options is hero giving up by crossing? Will these unexplored options come to haunt your hero?
Q. What thresholds have you crossed in your life?
***TEST, ALLIES, ENEMIES (ACT II)***
Act II – characters must all get aquainted with each other and we get to really know the characters – the hero is
like a college freshman, starting out in this new special world – the hero is in shock in this new world, new
culture, new rules, new terrain, the sightseeing has ended and it’s time to figure out this special world and try to
fit in.
Contrast: show how the new special world contrasts with the ordinary world – audience needs to see it – first
impression – special world has a different feel, rhythm, priorities, values, rules – rules of survival are more
dangerous - price of mistakes is much higher
Testing: must test the hero – trials & challenges which will prepare the hero for greater ordeals that lie ahead
(the main event) – many mentors remain in Act II to prepare their student for the final exam (Act III) – special
world is dominated by a villain with traps, barricades, hurdles, checkpoints -–how the hero deals with these
obstacles is part of the testing – how does your hero handle the tests?
Allies & Enemies: Hero arrives in special world and spends time figuring out who can be trusted and who can’t
– this test tells us if hero is a good judge of character or not
Sidekicks: Lone Ranger & Tonto, Butch & Sundance
Teams: Dirty Dozen, Great Escape – teams bond or form beginning of Act II – testing reveals the strengths and
flaws of each member
Romance: testing stage might begin with a first date, shaped experience, which begins to build a relationship
Enemies: bitter enemies show up and begin or find out about hero
Rival: usually trying to defeat the hero in competition, not kill hero – may want same love interest
New Rules: hero and audience quickly learn the new rules of special world and they adjust to them – Dorothy
learns there are good witches and bad witches in the special world whereas in the ordinary world all witches
are thought of as bad
Watering Holes: one of the first places hunters look for game in the special world is a watering hole – natural
gathering places and good spots to observe locals and gather information – good place to recuperate, pick up
gossip, make friends and confront enemies – good place to observe hero under pressure, when the character is
revealed – bar can be a microcosm of the special world – bar is also a good place to announce the
mood/atmosphere of the special world by using a musical sequence
Q. What are the differences between the ordinary and special worlds? How can you increase the contrast?
Q. In what ways is your hero tested? When does hero make enemies and allies? There are no right ways, so the
needs of the story may dictate when alliances are made.
Q. How does hero react to the special world with its strange rules and unfamiliar people?
***APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE (Early Act II)***
The hero has adjusted to the new/special world and now seeks its heart – it’s an intermediate region deep into
the special world – the student studies for the midterm, hunter has stalked his game to their hiding place.
Courtship: romance develops here bonding hero and love interest before encountering the main ordeal
Bold Approach: some heroes walk right in – no bones about it – walk right into the bears den and knock on the
door
Preparing for the Ordeal: for some the approach is a time for further reconnaissance and info gathering – or a
time of dressing and arming for an ordeal – gunfighters check their weapons
Beware of the Obstacles/Illusions: don’t be fooled/seduced by perfumes & illusions – stay alert – don’t fall
asleep on the march
Threshold Guardians: right when we get there someone is in the way – must pay the price of admission or use
a past experience to get through
Another Special World: past the first door into another little special world – again with different rules &
values – like the little Russian dolls where one is inside the other – all protecting the central source of power –
Rapid Change is Coming
Be Prepared: sharpen the weapons, dressed to kill/fight, students studying – hero knows the big ordeal is
coming – the big fight
Warning: hero is feeling confident – feeling great – then a warning shot is fired to bring them back to earth –
awareness of the danger – hero gets isolated
Another Threshold: another obstacle/person in the way “not so fast buster, where do you think you’re going?”
Emotional Appeal to the Guardian: maybe experience, psychology won’t work, maybe crying or begging will
work to get past another threshold – establish a bond of human feeling this time
An Impossible Task: it’s tempting to think you can simply walk into foreign territory, take the prize and leave
– hero is trying to challenge the powerful status quo, which doesn’t want to give an inch of power to this
newcomer – still not inside the cave yet Dorothy has to fetch the witch’s broomstick
Shamanic Territory: as they approach the cave they’re now in Shaman’s territory, on the edge between life &
death – Dorothy is kidnapped by flying monkeys, scarecrow torn apart
Complications: hero has a disheartening setback at this stage while approaching supreme goal – allows hero to
put himself back together in more effective form - Tin Man & Lion put Scarecrow back together
Higher Stakes: the approach ups the stakes and rededicates the hero/team to its mission – urgency, life-anddeath, ticking clock – hero is unique, remembers what the mentor taught him – that he has the strength to carry
on – Dorothy is trapped and hourglass is waning, she could die
Reorganization: hero must sometimes call on an ally and lessons learned – reorganize the group – promote
some team members, sort out the living, dead and wounded, assign special missions, clowns must become
heroes now, new qualities of the characters emerge – hero might have to go at it alone now into the land of the
dead – Dorothy has now become the victim, time for the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man to step forward and
become heroes
Heavy Defenses: hero must expect heavy defenses at the fortress/villain’s headquarters
Who is the Hero at this Point: team members may be fighting for the lead spot
Get into Your Opponent’s Mind: must get into the skin of your opponent/threshold guardian – when in Rome
do as the Romans do – understand the enemy, become them – hero disguises themselves to conceal their real
intentions
Breakthrough: hero discards his disguise and makes way into the final veil of the cave – hero may have to use
force
No Exit: must now escape, but the exits are closed off – life and death issue must be faced
Q. What happens between entering the special world and reaching a central crisis in that world? What special
preparations lead up to the crisis?
Q. Does conflict build and obstacles get more difficult?
Q. Does your hero want to turn back at this stage or are they fully committed?
Q. In what way is the hero, while facing external challenges, also encountering inner demons and defenses?
Q. Is there a physical Inmost Cave or headquarters of the villain, which the hero approaches, or an emotional
equivalent?
***SUPREME ORDEAL (end/middle of Act II)***
Not the climax – most common is battle with opposing force – hero stands in the deepest chamber of cave –
facing greatest challenge and most fearsome opponent yet – the real heart of the matter – win or die – hero must
die so they can be reborn – audience loves this death and rebirth – their greatest fears, failure of an enterprise,
end of the relationship, death of an old personality – ET actually dies
Change: hero returns from death changed, transformed – will never be the same – Richard Gere fights with Lou
Gossett Officer & Gentlemen – he changes into a more sensitive person – it’s a crisis, central event in the story
– main event of Act II – hostile forces at their most violent – hero may have to do the same
Witness to Sacrifice: witnesses often see the hero die, then reborn – audience feels the pain
Taste of Death: hero is dead – it’s over – but no! hero survives – explosive joy
Elasticity of Emotion: must alternate between hero’s fortunes and misfortunes – takes audience on roller
coaster ride – up & down – supreme ordeal is lowest point – highest peak follows
Hero Appears to Die: audience thinks hero is dead – emotions at lowest point – love to see the hero cheat
death – uses experience, mentor’s gifts to cheat death
Hero Witnesses Death: hero may witness death or cause a death to happen – audience has same reaction as if
hero dies – hero’s innocence has died
Facing the Shadow: hero’s greatest opponent is his own shadow – actual villains may turn out to be good for
the hero – shows hero what he is actually like – represents hero’s fears and unlikable, rejected qualities –
villains are the hero’s shadow in human form – they’re the dark reflections of hero’s own desires – greatest
fears come to life
Demonization: this is where the hero projects their fears and unlikable, rejected qualities (all things we don’t
like about ourselves) onto others – people in crisis sometimes project all of their problems in a certain area onto
another person who becomes the symbol of everything they hate and fear in themselves – in war and
propaganda the enemy becomes an inhumane devil, so it makes us look like the righteous, angelic ones instead
of us being the real devil – Vietnam – hero must eventually see his fears and unlikable, rejected qualities and
change – overcome them
Death of a Villain: hero comes close to death at the supreme ordeal, but actually the villain dies, which is often
the bad side of the hero – but the hero may have other forces, other shadows to deal with – Dorothy kills the
witch in Act II, gets broomstick, but the death of her hopes of getting home in Act III is another ordeal, shadow
– death should be real, not easy as shown in the movies
Villain Escapes: hero may only wound villain and have to face him again in Act III or face the villain’s boss
Villains are Heroes in their Mind: they are right in their own mind – their arc is a mirror of the hero’s arc –
Hero up-Villain down – heroes, villains, sidekicks, lovers, allies, guardians & lesser folk are all the hero in
their own story – know each POV
Ariadne’s Thread: the power of love – elastic band that connects a hero with loved ones – hero may venture
far out into madness or death, but is usually pulled back by such bonds (love) – it’s the heart of the conflict
many times – the threads that connect one heart to another
Crises of the Heart: romance – hero experiences death of defensiveness and he’s giving in to the romance
(love scene) – maybe hero experiences death of the relationship or betrayal (separation of loved one)
Sacred Marriage: heroes get in touch with all sides of their personalities – masculine & feminine
Balance: represent hero’s total mastery of life
Love That Kills: hero’s love shows another side of his/her personality never seen/experienced before which
makes hero feel betrayed and dead to the idea of love – partner could be Jack Nicholson in The Shining or
Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction
Facing the Greatest Fear: supreme ordeal is the hero facing their greatest fear – usually its death, phobia,
challenging a rival, storm, political fear
Standing up to a Parent: facing your parent, mentor
Youth Vs Age: On Golden Pond
Death of the Ego: the old boundaries of the self are gone – hero can soar above the normal limits and see the
broader view of how everything in life is connected – hero has tasted death – hero excepts responsibility of
looking out for others besides self – earns right to be called hero, because risked his individual life for the sake
of the larger collective life
Q. What is the supreme ordeal of your story? Do you have a true villain or antagonist?
Q. In what way is the villain or antagonist the hero’s shadow?
Q. Is the villain’s power channeled through partners or underlings? What special functions do they perform?
Q. In what way does your hero face death in the supreme ordeal? What is their greatest fear?
***REWARD***
Having survived death the hero is changed – things aren’t the same
Celebration: time to celebrate and rejuvenate from the prior struggles and exhaustion – party, celebration,
BBQ, feast – consume the fruits of victory, rest, recuperation
Campfire Scenes: time to sit around and boast about surviving death, especially for hunters, fishermen, soldiers
– retelling the stories of surviving the supreme ordeal – time for audience to catch their breath, hero also –
reminiscence, nostalgia – things are now different, heroes often look back at what, who got them to this point,
recalling a mentor or events, often this is the time to recap the story so far - hero might reveal some backstory to
a newcomer – time for reflection, intimacy – we get to know the characters better – Jaws, Quint tells about
WWII experience with sharks in Pacific – they compare stories and scars and drink – getting –to-know-you
scenes built on the intimacy that comes from surviving such an ordeal together – really makes a connection with
the audience – can use these types of slower scenes in other parts of story
Love Scenes: good time for a love scene – true hero has earned it
Taking Possession: hero takes possession of what they were seeking – treasure, spies get the secrets,
confidence, courage, loved one – hero has survived death and gets something in exchange
Seizing the Sword: taking possessions of whatever was pursued – Dorothy gets broomstick
Elixir Theft: hero may steal the prize instead of earning it – may be magical substance – could be a price to pay
later
Initiation: heroes are now part of a special breed having survived death – initiation into secret groups,
sororities, fraternities, new rank, new name given, you are a newborn being
New Perceptions: heroes may have new powers or better perceptions, new knowledge
Seeing Through Deception: hero may be granted new insight or understanding, clarity, sees through partner –
sees the real person, good or bad
Clairvoyance: may become telepathic, immortal, clairvoyant
Self-Realization: hero finally sees who they really are – see where they fit into the grand scheme of things – see
where they’ve been foolish and stubborn
Epiphany: others can now see that hero has changed – chain of divine experience from enthusiasm, being
visited by a god; to apotheosis, becoming a god; to epiphany, being recognized as a god – hero may actually
realize he is the son of a god or king, the chosen one – realizes divine and sacred being – gives meaning to life
Distortions: hero may suffer from distorted perception – inflated ego, cocky, arrogant – may abuse the power
and privilege of being a hero – soldiers may become barbaric, cops become criminals – get stuck in the life they
were playing – Lawrence of Arabia is horrified to discover he loves killing – hero must not downplay the
supreme ordeal, underestimate it, nor overestimate it – may have survived by luck – may not be as lucky next
time
Q. What does your hero learn by facing death? By causing death? By experiencing death?
Q. What does your hero take possession of after facing death or their greatest fear? What is the aftermath,
consequences of the major event of Act II? Has your hero absorbed any negative qualities from the shadow,
villain, antagonist?
Q. Does the story change direction? Is a new goal or agenda revealed in the reward phase?
Q. Is this aftermath of the ordeal an opportunity for a love scene?
Q. Does your hero realize they have changed? Is there self-examination or realization of wider consciousness?
Have they learned to deal with their inner flaws?
***THE ROAD BACK (Turning Pt. 2)***
May be a brief moment or sequence of events – hero faces a choice, stay in the special world or journey home
to the ordinary world or move on to another world – very few heroes stay in the special world - must move on –
hero’s journey has gone almost full circle, but will take a little push to get out & away from special world –
wake up the party’s over – go back and help the folks at home – as you leave take one look back, because the
folks back home won’t believe this – what if they don’t believe it? Hero has to make believers out of them – as
they leave they could get chased one more time - Carrie, arm pops out of the ground
Motivation: heroes rededicate themselves to the adventure – story switches from physical goal to emotional
goal or visa-versa – riches to love, love to escape – can be another moment of crisis, setting hero on a new and
final road of trials, fear of retaliation or pursuit, forces strike back at hero, especially if hero stole the elixir
Retaliation: hero should always finish off his opponent for they may rise again stronger and more determined –
they may have retreated for awhile, but may launch a desperate attack before being finally defeated - an addict
may fall off the wagon, hero may have thought he was victorious, but turns out he defeated an underling of the
real Mr. Big
Chase Scenes: hero runs for his life – end of Act II is a good place for chase scenes – builds fast pace for Act
III – hero may have to assume a disguise to escape
Magic Flight – hero may have to throw things away in the chase – these things act as roadblocks to the villain –
may be throwing down principles, protective interpretations, symbols, rationalizations to delay and absorb
villains power – these may show a sacrifice by hero – leaving something behind of value – hero discovers
what’s really important and throws away the material things, money, treasure
Chase Variations: hero pursued by admirer – Shane tells boy to stay behind, but boy follows him, dog follows
boy - shows boy
Is loyal as a dog
Villain Escape: Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal escapes – villains often escape only to be tracked down and
killed in the grand finale
Setbacks: hero survived ordeal, but on way back a sudden catastrophe – ship sinks before reaching the shore –
delayed crisis – Dorothy’s balloon takes off without her – doomed – no hope – hero wants to return home, but
one more test
Q. What are the advantages of being chased or ejected from the special world? Or leaving voluntarily?
Q. How does your hero rededicate themselves to the quest/goal?
Q. What is the road back in your story? Is it returning to the starting place? Setting a new destination?
Adjusting to a new life in the special world?
Q. Is there an element of pursuit or acceleration of the story in this portion going from Act II to Act III?
***RESURRECTION***
Climax, last and most dangerous meeting with death – hero has to undergo a final purging and purification
before reentering the ordinary world – once more they must change – show the change don’t talk about it –
show they have been resurrected – trick is to keep the wisdom of the ordeal, but get rid of its bad effects – wash
death off of you
New Personality: new self must be created for a new world – just as the hero had to shed the old self to enter
the special world, they must now shed the personality of the journey and build a new one suitable for return to
the ordinary world – it should reflect the best parts of the old self and the lessons learned
Cleansing: hero must cleanse the smell of death, but retain the lessons of the ordeal – primitive societies seem
better prepared to handle the return of heroes – they provide rituals to purge blood & death from
warriors/hunters so they can become peaceful members of society again – we never held public ceremonies and
counseling for returning Vietnam Vets to help them purge their killing self so they could feel good about
representing the US – they couldn’t reintegrate into society – returning hunters may be quarantined – astronauts,
divers must slowly return to the ordinary world from the depths of the special world – baptism to revive hero
Two Great Ordeals: many stories have two climaxes or deaths and rebirth ordeals, one near the middle and
one at the end – like a midterm & final exam – hero must be tested one last time to see if he retained the
learning from the supreme ordeal of Act II
Physical Ordeal: this ordeal is the highest stakes ordeal – James Bond will usually win his fight with the
villains then have to race against the clock to disarm the bomb before it destroys the world, saving us all –
billions of lives at stake
Active Hero: hero must act in the climactic moment – don’t have the cavalry ride up and the save the day –
hero has to perform
Showdown: the biggest battle of the story with the highest stakes – death – dramatic music, opposing forces
marching toward each other in some kind of kind of arena, close-ups of guns, eyes, hands ready for battle – hero
must come close to death – wounded
Death & Rebirth of Tragic Heroes: tragic heroes often die, but are remembered/resurrected by the survivors –
Butch and Sundance, Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan’s Express, Bruce Willis in Armageddon, Quint in Jaws, Al
Pacino in Scarface
Choice: hero has choice at resurrection moment to use lessons learned or chooses his old flawed ways – John
Book in Witness could kill the Police Chief or lay down his gun and use what he learned from the Amish about
non-violence – he drops his gun knowing that all of these witnesses are present including himself
Romantic Choice: may be in the area of love – choosing one over another- the average girl who stuck by the
hero’s side of the super model who only showed up after victory
Climax: the highest peak in energy, physical showdown, final battle, could be difficult choice, sexual climax,
musical crescendo
Quiet Climax: gentle cresting of a wave of emotion – not a loud explosive, dangerous moment – death of a
loved one and acceptance of their death
Rolling Climax: some stories may need more than one climax especially for individual subplots – hero could
go through a mental climax then a physical climax then a showdown in the material world then a spiritual
change – a well made story can bring all levels to climax at the same moment
Catharsis: climax should provide the feeling of catharsis – purifying emotional release – trying to trigger in
your hero and audience the most conscious, highest peak of awareness – raise level of awareness – best
expressed through physical expression of emotions such as laughter and crying – sentimental stories bring tears
Character Arc: gradual phases of change in a character, phases and turning points of growth – don’t make it
happen too quickly – characters don’t change immediately – hate to love, cowardice to courage, bigotry to
tolerance – grow/change in unexpected ways
SEE CHART of Character Arc
Last Chance: final attempt to make major change in attitude or behavior – hero may backslide at this point
making those around think he’s let them down – hope is temporarily dead for that character, but can be
resurrected if hero changes their mind – Hans Solo turns his back, but shows up at the last minute showing he
has changed and will risk his life – Robert Carlyle in The Full Monty decides not to strip with his buddies, but
shows up on stage after all
Watch Your Step: resurrection can be a potential misstep for a returning hero – sometimes great drama comes
from heroes dropping the ball at the last moment before reaching their goal – Quest For Fire – fire is dropped
in water, but girl from other tribe shows them secret of fire
False Claimant: a pretender steps forward questioning the hero’s credentials or claiming victory for themselves
– often hero must battle with pretender
Proof: hero has to have proof of exotic travels and discovered riches – sometimes proof turns from gold to sand
once it’s brought to the ordinary world from the special world – this shows hero that inner goals are the most
important
Sacrifice: hero must sacrifice old habit or belief, give something back – Terminator gives himself back
Incorporation: incorporates learned lessons from every character into their body
Change: old self is dead – new self is alive – show change visibly in appearance or action, dress, behavior,
attitude
Q. What negative characteristics has your hero picked up along the way? What flaws still need to be corrected
if any? What flaws do you want to keep, uncorrected? Which flaws are necessary for your hero’s nature?
Q. What final ordeal of death and rebirth does your hero go through? What part of your hero is resurrected?
Q. I there a need for a physical showdown in your story? Is your hero active in the critical moment?
Is the character arc in your hero realistic and gradual? Is the change in your hero visible in actions or
appearance or both?
***RETURN WITH ELIXIR***
Hero goes home or onto new place, but wherever they go their life is different – true heroes return with the
elixir to share with others or go heal a wounded land – implementing change in daily life
Denouement: tying up loose ends of subplots and all issues and questions raised in the story – closing the circle
– but could raise new questions
Circular Story Form: story ends in same place where it began often with the same phrase or scene which may
have acquired a new meaning – the original statement of the theme may be re-evaluated – having hero return to
starting point or remember how hero started out allows a comparison for the audience – shows how far the hero
has come, changed and how different the old world looks now – hero may go through something at the return
that they couldn’t handle in the beginning of the story – Ghost – Patrick Swayze couldn’t tell his wife he loved
her, but in the end he could – Ordinary people – Conrad couldn’t eat breakfast due to depression, but in the end
he was able to
Achievement of Perfection: weddings are popular – show new beginning, new relationship
Open-ended Story: some films end without answering all the questions
Functions of the Return: last chance to touch the emotions of the audience
Surprise: tying up all loose ends should have some surprise endings, unexpected things a twist – No Way Out –
Kevin Costner was a Russian spy – Basic Instinct – was Sharon Stone the murderer/
Reward and Punishment: hand out final rewards and punishments to heroes and villains – they should get
what they deserve, no more, no less
The Elixir: hero shows that can overcome death and bring elixir to share with people/community – power to
restore life in the ordinary world – may be actual substance, medicine, money, fame, power, love, peace,
happiness, success, health, knowledge, good story – best bring hero and audience greater awareness – not a
hero if they don’t bring back something – hasn’t grown
World is Changed: changes others
Responsibility: Hero goes from being a loner to being responsible with others
Elixir of Tragedy: hero dies, but others carry on for hero – Braveheart
Sadder but Wiser: hero acknowledges wrong behavior – White Men Can’t Jump – mixed pain and pleasure –
lose love, but gain experience, knowledge
Sadder but No Wiser: loses everything, but still doesn’t learn – doesn’t get it – same behavior as before – hero
is doomed to repeat same ordeals
Epilogue: shows how characters ended up – Stripes, American Graffiti, Dirty Dozen, Stand By Me, League of
their Own
Pitfalls of the Return: many films fall apart in the final moments – too abrupt, prolonged, unfocused,
unsurprising
Unresolved Subplots: leave subplots unresolved, dangling – rule of thumb – subplots should have at least 3
beats or scenes distributed throughout the story, one in each Act
Too Many Endings: keep it simple
Abrupt Endings: Story ends too soon, feels incomplete – like someone hanging up the phone without saying
goodbye
Focus: story switches focus – love story ends up being about political corruption – story lost its thread, theme
Punctuation: a story, like a sentence, can end up 1 of 4 ways – period, exclamation point, question mark or an
ellipsis…
Q. What is the elixir your hero brings back from the experience? Is it shared with others or kept internal?
Q. Does your story go on too long after the climax or main event? Can it be shortened?
Q. In what gradual ways has the hero taken on more responsibility in the course of the story? Is the return a
point of taking on the greatest responsibility?
Q. Who is the hero in the story now? Has your story changed heroes? Have other characters risen to become
heroes? Who turned out to be a disappointment? Are there any surprises in the final outcome?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Structure – Another Viewpoint
Structure should grow out of story and characters
Superwant: Stronger the want stronger the conflict – must mean everything – don’t over-intellectualize the
superwant
Action: What the characters do to get the superwant otherwise it’s a wasted action – physical dialog is action,
but not as well used as physical acts by hero – don’t want unmotivated actions if you want to show a guy is a
jerk show him being a jerk, have him kick a puppy or something to show it
Conflict: 1. Character VS Character
2. Character VS Environment 3. Character VS Themselves
Story: Story is everything
Structure: How we put the elements together- brings order to the chaos – invisible to viewer – built into fibers
of the story
Theme: Shouldn’t write from theme – no preaching – theme is rich and deep in the story and is what the film is
really about – you can’t put your finger on it – theme will come out in the story – don’t force it upon the work
1. Do I care about these characters?
2. Can I follow the story?
3. Am I engaged minute by minute to keep watching? – every moment must count – otherwise momentum
stops.
4. Don’t be too obvious – don’t let the audience figure everything out – can’t guess what’s going to happen
next – discover something new every scene – we know the two [people are going to fall in love, but make it
in a surprising way.
5. People are dying to love the film!
Well-structured stories neither begin nor end at a random point. Know why it starts and ends at a certain point.
Act I – 25%
Act II - 50% Act III - 25%
Don’t worry about page counts for something to happen at a certain point.
Structure serves the need of the characters and story.
ACT I – Normal World
Prior to the thing that sends them into the new world – story needs to start at the last place it can – don’t waste
time starting – most stories waste 5 pages setting up the characters, etc.
Set-up – Scene or sequence sets up the characters, the ordinary world and the tone. It also hints at the
superwant and possible conflict - establish the character through action – write out the characters daily ritual on
paper and show some of these if need be – these define who the character is.
Inciting Incident – This forces the hero into the world of Act II – incident is something that has never
happened to hero before -problem they have to deal with – alters normal world
Big Decision – This is the decision made by the hero in response to the inciting incident - sends them over the
bridge into Act II – the way they are going to deal with the problem – superwant grows out of this big decision
and inciting incident – also called tuning point 1 or plot point 1 – usually have some scenes or a sequence
between incident and big decision
Each scene must propel us forward – no fat – when big decision has been made – Act I is over – end of the
normal world – character must move forward in journey – audiences don’t pay money to see Act I – get out of
Act I clean and fast – audience pays to see Act II and Act III
ACT II – New World (Special World)
Act II is chaos – it’s the heart – the New World is the world of chaos – world of conflict
Goal #1 – hero takes stronger and stronger actions to get what they want
Goal #2 – as they take these stronger actions – conflict escalates, because opposing forces are defending his
goals, wants
Goal #3 – physical and emotional stakes are increasing
Goal #4 – viewer becomes more emotionally tied to what happens to the character
Goal #5 – take the conflict as far as it can go logically – don’t be timid – audience will stay with you as long as
you don’t cross the logic line
Act II – Part I – enter the New World (could be the same house and same town, but we can see it’s different)
Key – ordinary world is gone, changed, transformed for better or worse – start of the act is the start of the new
world – adjusting to the new world – this is what Act II part I is – don’t move too fast – a slow burn – gives
audience time to adjust – characters feel a false sense of safety and confident, but things will be a lot harder than
they think – character is diluted
Goal #1 – superwant remains clear
Goal #2 – character is still taking actions to get what they want
Goal #3 – sense of conflict from scene to scene
Goal #4 – staying emotionally connected to characters
Midpoint – Act II – point of no return - the big rock falls down and says it won’t be that easy – shift to another
world – still new world, but its not as big a shift as it was from ordinary world to the new world, but it’s time
for something big to happen, which will complicate things a lot more – climbing Mt. Everest – we look up and
it’s steeper than we thought, but we’re half way and can’t turn back – everything must continue to escalate –
another world shift – like it’s own inciting incident – things really take off after midpoint – usually a long
sequence
1. Hero is very far from who they were at beginning
2. Now in a fast burn – characters must work their hardest to get what they want
3. In this scene/sequence in one big swoop the physical and emotional stakes increase – could just be a
statement made by a character (s)
4. Best place to make time feel of the essence after this midpoint – ticking clock – limited time left for hero to
get their superwant
ACT II – Part II – greater chaos, greater tension, the ascent to superwant is even greater – go, go, go! – you’re
running out of time, commitment is greater, conflict is greater, stakes are higher, harder than ever – escalation
Turning Point #2 or Plot Point #2 – we are going to the end of the new world – reach the lowest point (nadir) at
the end of Act II – emotionally and physically the lowest point for the hero – furthest from their goal/superwant
than ever before – no hope – football team has the ball on the 1 yard line and must go 99 yards to score – the
further you can take your character from their superwant the greater the climax will be in the end – character is
either still committed to superwant or new inner need
Nadir – Something terrible happens or hero does something to screw things up - someone dies, relying on
someone else then they die or leave, end of relationship – ET dies, Titanic hits iceberg
It’s this lowest point where hero realizes their inner need – realize that the superwant is not what they really
wanted – Act III is where they get what they really want – go after inner need, but if we replace the
superwant with an another want then it had better be bigger than the superwant or the audience will
never believe it
Internal and external forces stopping character from getting superwant
ACT III
Quest for normalcy – character must figure out how to rebound from nadir (lowest point) – how to battle back –
struggle back leads all the way to the end of the story – fastest Act – climax – what is it going to be – represents
when two opposing forces meet and clash at their biggest like they’ve never fought before – someone wins,
someone loses – you have solved the problem – it’s over – conflict is over – climax must represent strongest
emotional point of the story
Jaws – climax has guy go one on one with shark – he’s on a sinking boat, he can’t swim – at start he hired
someone to kill the shark, then he went with them to help them, now he’s got to do it – sinking boat shows
ticking clock – time is of the essence
Don’t
1. Climax that comes out of nowhere – out of the heavens –crossed over the logical line
2. Person wants a million dollars and finds a bag full of money
3. Last scene that goes away from tone of the movie/logic/etc.
The last scene should hint at world to come for hero – don’t waste too much time after climax
Dramatic Arc
Rising conflict – climax is the highest point of conflict – dramatic stakes never diminish – if at anytime it feels
easy for the hero then the audience loses interest – not every single scene will escalate the conflict though
Emotional Arc
Experience many emotions of the hero – takes the audience on an emotional ride also – stronger emotions as we
go
List Actions hero takes to get superwant – actions create story beats.
List emotions – find areas in script where you care about hero and where you don’t care.
All characters have a superwant.
What is the central conflict?
Who is against who or what is against what?
Why should anyone care about your characters and their conflict?
“The first draft of everything is shit.”
-Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway, charming as ever, was correct. Everybody's first draft is shit. Even
his. Yours too! You have to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite until you nail it. Then
you stop. The good news is, you can fix just about anything. It only takes elbow
grease and time.
“I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.”
-James A. Michener
Dan Harmon over at Channel 101 gave a hilariously concise description of story
structure a while ago. Thought I'd share-1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
You
Need
Go
Search
Find
Take
Return
Change
As I've said, the easiest way to visualize these steps is by drawing a circle, dividing it
into 4 equal pieces, and writing numbers around it clockwise, with (1) and (5) at the
north and south "poles" of the circle, (3) and (7) at the east and west poles.
1) "You" - who are we? A squirrel? The sun? A red blood cell? America?
2) "Need" - something is wrong, the world is out of balance. This is the reason why a
story is going to take place. The "you" from (1) is an alcoholic. There's a dead body on
the floor. A motorcycle gang rolls into town. Campbell phrases: Call to Adventure,
Refusal of the Call, Supernatural Aid.
3) "Go" - For (1) and (2), the "you" was in a certain situation, and now that situation
changes. A hiker heads into the woods. Pearl Harbor's been bombed. A mafia boss
enters therapy. Campbell phrase: Crossing of the Threshold. Syd Field phrase: Plot Point
1.
4) "Search" - adapting, experimenting, getting shi* together, being broken down. A
detective questions suspects. A cowboy gathers his posse. A cheerleader takes a nerd
shopping. Campbell phrases: Belly of the Whale, Road of Trials. Christopher Vogler
phrase: Friends, Enemies and Allies.
5) "Find" - whether it was the direct, conscious goal or not, the "need" from (2) is
fulfilled. We found the princess. The suspect gives the location of the meth lab. A nerd
achieves popularity. Campbell phrase: Meeting with the Goddess. Syd Field phrase: mid-
point. Vogler phrase: Approach to the Innermost Cave.
6) "Take" - The hardest part (both for the characters and for anyone trying to describe
it). On one hand, the price of the journey. The shark eats the boat. Jesus is crucified.
The nice old man has a stroke. On the other hand, a goal achieved that we never even
knew we had. The shark now has an oxygen tank in his mouth. Jesus is dead- oh, I get
it, flesh doesn't matter. The nice old man had a stroke, but before he died, he wanted
you to take this belt buckle. Now go win that rodeo. Campbell phrases: Atonement with
the Father, Death and Resurrection, Apotheosis. Syd Field phrase: plot point 2
7) "Return" - It's not a journey if you never come back. The car chase. The big rescue.
Coming home to your girlfriend with a rose. Leaping off the roof as the skyscraper
explodes. Campbell phrases: Magic Flight, Rescue from Without, Crossing of the Return
Threshold.
8) "Change" - The "you" from (1) is in charge of their situation again, but has now become
a situation-changer. Life will never be the same. The Death Star is blown up. The couple is
in love. Dr. Bloom's Time Belt is completed. Lorraine Bracco heads into the jungle with
Sean Connery to "find some of those ants." Campbell phrases: Master of Both Worlds,
Freedom to Live.
A guest post by Kenn Adams. Kenn is a teacher, author and the Artistic Director of
Synergy Theater.
I created the Story Spine in 1991 and, over the years, I’ve been thrilled to
watch more and more people use it, teach it, discuss it, and even modify
it in order to make it their own. One of my favorite modifications is the
addition of “And, the moral of the story is…” at the very end. Over time,
however, some of its permutations have become less powerful, I think,
than the original due to a missing link here or a different word there. So,
I’m happy to present it here in its original 8-line format along with a
brief analysis, a couple of interesting examples, and some tips on how to
best make use of it.
To see how it works, let’s find the Story Spine in two famous movies:
The Incredibles
Once upon a time there was a superhero named Mr. Incredible who was
forced to live as an ordinary man in a society where superheroes were
outlawed.
Every day, he grew more and more frustrated with his stifling, boring life.
But one day, he accepted a secret superhero job from a mysterious
stranger.
Because of that, he fell into the diabolical trap of this mysterious
stranger who turned out to be Syndrome, a super villain with a long-time
grudge against Mr. Incredible.
Because of that, Syndrome was able to capture and imprison Mr.
Incredible.
Because of that, Syndrome could now put his master plan into motion
by setting a giant, killer-robot loose on civilization.
Until finally, Mr. Incredible escaped from his prison and foiled the villain
by destroying the giant, killer-robot.
And ever since then, he was loved by all and able to be a Superhero
again.
The Wizard of Oz
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Dorothy who was carried
by tornado to the magical land of Oz.
Every day, she journeyed toward the Emerald City in order to ask the
Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz to help her get home.
But one day, she got to Oz and she met the Wizard.
Because of that, the Wizard told Dorothy that he would only help her
get home if she killed the Wicked Witch of the West.
Because of that, Dorothy encountered many dangers and was finally
successful in destroying the witch.
Because of that, the Wizard agreed to take Dorothy home in his hot-air
balloon.
Until finally, on the day of their departure, Dorothy ran after her dog,
Toto, and missed the balloon.
And ever since then, Dorothy learned that she always had the power to
get home on her own, which she did.
How to Use the Story Spine
The Story Spine is both a practice
technique for learning how to tell a well-constructed story as well as an
outlining tool to help construct a story. Practice with it by simply making
up a bunch of different Story Spines as quickly as possible. It’s fun! It’s
easy! You can rattle off a dozen as you’re waiting for the bus. Pretty
soon, the well-constructed story structure will become instinctual. As an
outlining tool, it is very helpful when you have a bunch of great ideas for
a story but are not quite sure how they all fit together. By fitting them
onto a Story Spine you’ll be able to see what you’ve already got in terms
of your structure and, from there, you’ll be able to start filling in the
missing pieces.
A Final Thought
Notice, in my examples above, that when stripped
down to the Story Spine, the movies in question lose many of their
characters and much of what makes them so brilliant and memorable.
That’s because the Story Spine is not the story, it’s the spine. It’s nothing
but the bare-boned structure upon which the story is built. And, that’s
what makes it such a powerful tool. It allows you, as a writer, to look at
your story at its structural core and to ensure that the basic building
blocks are all in the right place. Now, of course, turning your Story Spine
into a story is a whole different topic and it’s one that I dig into rather
thoroughly in my book How to Improvise a Full-Length Play, the Art of
Spontaneous Theater. I hope you’ll read it. And, please don’t let the
title scare you! While it’s written for improvisers, it offers a thorough
understanding of dramatic structure that is equally applicable to authors,
playwrights and screenwriters.
Curtis Kessinger
Email: [email protected]
(562) 209-0476
Los Angeles, CA