How To Tell A Story
By Mark O’Bannon
HOW TO TELL A STORY
Writing Basics
By Mark O’Bannon
www.BetterStorytelling.Net
Version 1.00
January, 2011
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About the Author
MARK O’BANNON is the author of the novel,
THE DREAM CRYSTAL, which is about the war
between the Tuatha Dé Danaan (Faeries) and the
Shadow People.
The second book in THE DREAM WAR series is
called, THE DARK MIRROS OF HEAVEN.
Mark is the author/designer of the Interactive
Storytelling Game, FANTASY IMPERIUM,
published by Shadowstar Games, Inc.
Mark is also the author of GOOD FAIRIES and
BAD FAIRIES, which are short story collections
and also the novella series, THE GARDEN OF
DREAMS.
You can reach Mark at: [email protected]
THE DREAM CRYSTAL is available at the Amazon Kindle store:
http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Crystal-War-ebook/dp/B0050I6BPU
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Table of Contents
About the Author ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 1 What Is A Story? .................................................................................................................... 5
Story Components ................................................................................................................................ 6
Story Elements ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Story Length .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Chapter 2 The Basics............................................................................................................................... 13
Section I:
Introduction, Rising Action ...................................................................................... 14
Section II:
Complications, Crisis .................................................................................................. 17
Section III: Climax, Resolustion .................................................................................................... 20
Chapter 3 Story Design........................................................................................................................... 21
Story Outline ........................................................................................................................................ 21
The Story Outline Worksheet ........................................................................................................... 21
Chapter Outline ................................................................................................................................... 24
Chapter 4 Writing The Story ................................................................................................................. 26
Scene Outline ....................................................................................................................................... 26
How To Write A Scene ...................................................................................................................... 28
Resources ................................................................................................................................................... 29
The Story Outline Worksheet ........................................................................................................... 30
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Introduction
“Once upon a time, something happened to someone, and he decided that he would pursue a goal. So
he devised a plan of action, and even though there were forces trying to stop him, he moved forward
because there was a lot at stake. And just as things seemed as bad as they could get, he learned an
important lesson, and when offered the prize he had sought so strenuously, he had to decide
whether or not to take it , and in making that decision he satisfied a need that had been created by
something in his past.” (emphasis added)
– Gary Provost
Storytelling is one of the oldest pastimes. Everyone loves a great story, but it’s often difficult
to find someone that’s good at telling one. The best way to learn how to tell a story is
through practice (write a thousand words a day) and by studying the subject.
Most people, unfortunately never take the time to learn basic storytelling techniques, and
when they try to tell a tale, they find themselves losing their audience. Others refuse to study
writing because they fear they will lose their creativity by following formulaic story
structures. However, like building a house, there are definite things that you need to know
in order to tell a story. Learning how to read blueprints, how to swing a hammer, and how
to install a roof are as essential to a carpenter as plot, character and dialogue are to the
author.
To master the art of storytelling you need to learn three things: How to come up with a
great idea, how to structure a story design and how to write beautifully. Ideas need to be
original and they need proper development. Basic story structure can be constructed using
the Story Outline Worksheet at the end of this eBook. Beautiful writing is acquired through
passion, practice and an understanding of writing techniques.
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Chapter 1: What Is A Story?
DEFINITION: A story is narrative description of a character who is trying to solve a
problem.
Your Goal: To Elicit Emotion
Through identification with the protagonist, the audience experiences the story as if it’s
happening to them. One of your goals as a writer is to elicit emotion in the audience. This
is accomplished through a careful choreography of the various components of story.
Story Components:
Premise – This is your story idea. All stories begin with a unique concept. 95% of writers
fail at the premise. Either their idea is poor, or it has been done before (cliché), or it hasn’t
been developed properly. The single most important decision for a writer when developing
an idea is choosing what genre to use.
Plot – This is not only the sequence of events that occur in the story, but also the sequence
of revelations, which cause characters to take new actions. Plot walks on the two “legs” of
actions and revelations. A good plot is based on surprises. The opponents provide the
revelations.
Character – The people involved in the story. The protagonist is the hero. The
antagonist is the opponent. Characters are defined by their relationship to each other,
and by their actions. The principle of minimal characters says that you want the least
number of characters to tell a story. For a novel or screenplay, a good mix is: One main
character, three opponents and six minor characters.
Setting – The time period and location where the story takes place. It will include the
lands, peoples, technologies, cultures, social systems, and things like the weather. Some
genres place great emphasis on the setting, such as Science Fiction and Fantasy.
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Theme – The author’s view of the proper way to act in the world. Theme is not “sending a
message.” Theme is best communicated through the actions of the characters.
Structure – The strategic design of a story. The elements of premise, plot, character,
setting, theme, and genre all affect the design of a story. Structure is how everything is put
together.
Genre – These are different kinds of popular story forms, like action, mystery, romance,
science fiction, fantasy, crime, westerns, horror, comedy, etc. Combining genres is a useful
technique to broaden the audience for screenplays, but mixing genres for novels – known as
crossover fiction, may tend to limit the audience and should be done with care. Each genre
is a complex story form with unique story beats, structures and themes.
Story Elements:
Implicit Promise – This is an unconscious agreement made with your audience when a
reader picks up your book or when a person sits down in a theater. The implicit promise is
that this story will make them think and feel. The audience will be entertained, thrilled,
intellectually stimulated or scared – but always absorbed. When writing a story, ask yourself,
“What mood do you want your audience to leave the theater or close the book with?”
Story Question – This is the question raised in the mind of the audience by your story.
Central Dramatic Question – Every story and every scene will create a question in the
audience’s mind. Who will win the fight? Should they win? Who is right?
Log Line – A one line description of what the story is about. There are many ways to
describe your idea, but basically, you can say that your story is about a ___________
(character) who wants ___________ (desire).
Scenes – The basic building block of a story is the scene. Scenes are action. Scenes are
where characters do things and feel things. In a scene, characters act and react. Every scene
has event and emotion. Scenes typically end with a revelation.
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Narrative Summary – This is a summary of some of the events that takes place in the
story. Narrative summary is used when the writer wants to cover a lot of ground quickly and
when action is not necessary. In a scene, you are showing. In narrative summary, you are
telling .
Revelation – This is a significant piece of information that causes the character to act in a
new way in the pursuit of his desire. Actions and revelations drive the story forward.
Mysteries make the greatest use of revelations, but all stories have them. The quality of
your story is in many ways dependent upon the quality of your revelations.
Conflict – This is what drives the story. There should be some kind of tension on every
page of a novel. Every scene must have conflict. Conflict is more than physical fighting
or verbal arguing. Conflict can also come from tension, suspense, subtext, or hidden
emotions. Layered conflict is where there are more than one conflicts present in the same
scene. There are three main kinds of conflict: Man vs. Man; Man vs. Environment; and
Man vs. Himself.
Central Conflict – This is the main conflict of the story. Who is fighting whom over what?
Inciting Incident – Also known as the inciting event , this is an event that occurs in the
beginning of a story. It starts the action and may or may not be connected to future events.
Weakness – A character flaw that is ruining the character’s life. Not apparent at the
beginning of the story, the character’s weaknesses are gradually revealed over the course of
the story. The opponents are those best able to “attack” the hero’s weaknesses. When the
character’s weakness becomes apparent to the hero, it leads to a self-revelation. Not all
weaknesses are negative. Weaknesses can be made out of positive traits.
There are two types of character weaknesses:
Psychological Weakness – This character flaw harms the character. A few examples could
be: Shyness, letting others take advantage of you, not believing that dreams come true, etc.
Moral Weakness – This kind of character flaw harms the character and other people. A
moral weakness will expand the scope of the story, since it affects multiple people. How is
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your character living at the expense of others? Examples could be: Arrogance, ingratitude,
or cruelty.
Moral Argument – This is the argument made between the protagonist and antagonist. It
explains why they’re doing what they’re doing and it’s used to form the theme of the story.
Average stories are about who succeeds. Better stories are about why someone should
succeed.
Moral Choice – This is something that brings out the character’s moral weakness. In order
to defeat the opponent, the main character will become desperate (because of failure) and
will begin to go against his values. The character’s allies will often challenge the hero when
the character “steps over the line.” Eventually, the character will become aware that he has a
choice between two ways of acting. So in the beginning of the story, the main character is
fighting against the opponent. In the middle of the story, the character will be against his
friends. In the end, the character will be fighting against himself. This is how his moral
weakness is exposed.
Values – These are belief systems that influence the character’s behavior. Values are what
the character considers important. Examples could be: Honesty, cruelty, faithful, logical,
friendly, cynical, selfish, disciplined, etc.
Value Oppositions – These are the ways that character values come into conflict with each
other. Better stories often place the characters and their values in opposition to one
another. It isn’t necessary to give negative values to villains and positive values to the hero.
Backstory – The history of what has happened before the story begins. Usually it’s best to
restrict this to important information. Do not include much backstory in the beginning of
your story because it will kill your action. Backstory should be given out a little bit at a time.
Dialogue – The words spoken by the characters in a story. Dialogue should not be used to
drive a story forward (this is the job of structure). Dialogue is telling, as opposed to
showing, which is what action is for. Action is created through structure. Dialogue is
important because it is the best way to communicate the character’s value system.
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There are three kinds of dialogue: Story dialogue, which simply illustrates what is
happening in the story; Moral dialogue, which is used for the moral arguments of the
characters; and Key Words and Taglines, which are used to carry meaning symbolically and
thematically. Dialogue is not speech. Dialogue sounds like it could be real speech, and it
is always more intelligent, wittier and more meaningful than real speech. Be careful not to
simply express the obvious. This is known as writing “on the nose.”
Description – The way you describe what happens in the story. There are many kinds of
description, such as the description of a setting, a character, an object or actions. Use
specific details to anchor your story in reality and use all of the senses.
Metaphor – An advanced technique which is used to express something that the words do
not literally denote. By coming up with metaphors, you can more rapidly communicate
meaning on several levels at once.
Subtext – This is where the characters don’t say what they really want. It’s used to add
subtlety to a story, but it can dilute your conflict. This kind of communication is caused by
fear, pain or embarrassment. Give your characters hidden desires, put them in conflict with
each other, and then have the characters use an indirect plan to get what they want.
Exposition – Necessary background information needed to understand what’s
happening in a story. Exposition should be carefully sprinkled throughout the story, not
lumped in large boring sections, especially at the beginning of the story. One of the best
ways to kill your story is to include too much exposition. When handled properly,
exposition can be turned into a valuable asset. The way to do this is to treat the information
as a revelation. Why do the characters need to know this now?
Viewpoint – This is how the story is perceived by the audience. Also called point of view
(POV), different kinds of viewpoints were invented in order to tell more complex stories.
Objective or camera-eye, is an objective view of the story and doesn’t enter any character’s
mind. Classical omniscient is where the author can enter any character’s mind.
Contemporary omniscient is where the author can only enter one mind. Third person
singular is a story told through the mind of only one character.
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Third person multiple is a story told through the eyes of more than one character. Many
authors use contemporary omniscient to set the stage and then zoom into one character’s
POV.
Person – The way you describe the main character of the story. There are advantages and
disadvantages for each system. First person uses “I” to describe the story. Second person
uses “you” to describe the story. Third person uses “he/she” to describe the story. First
person is typically used in mysteries. One advantage of first person is that you can create an
unreliable narrator , which is where the main character is not telling the truth about the
story. Second person is typical with interactive storytelling games.
Tense – This is used to describe how immediate the action of the story is. Present tense (I
go, he/she goes) is used in screenplays and synopses. Past tense (I went, he/she went) is the
most common in novels.
Levels of POV – This is how deeply the writer delves into the perspective of the main
character. The range of depth goes from camera-eye to actions to perceptions to
thoughts to emotions to deep immersion. Writers typically shift from the surface level to
the deeper levels and back throughout the story. Deep third person is the most intimate
and personal type of POV. It’s where all of the actions, perceptions, thoughts and emotions
of the character are fully engaged.
Narrator – The use of a narrator in a story can be powerful, if it’s handled well. A
storyteller allows the writer to present the actions of the hero along with commentary on
those actions. The use of a storyteller puts the audience in that character’s mind, blurring
reality (because the narrator may not be telling the truth – even to himself). Another
advantage of a narrator is when your story takes place over a large time span or across
several locations. The storyteller can help to bring a fragmented story together.
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Story Length – How long should your story be? It all depends on what kind of story you’re
telling. Short-short stories are under 2,500 words. Short stories can range from 2,500 to
7,500 words. Novellettes are from 7,500 to 20,000 words. Novellas are from 20,000 to
50,000 words. Novels are from 70,000 to 90,000 words. The genre will affect the length of
the story, too. Young Adult novels tend to be shorter than novels and can be 50,000 to
80,000 words long. Science Fiction and Fantasy novels tend to be longer and can be up to
125,000 words long. Screenplays are 110 to 120 pages long.
Keep it Short
If you are a first time, unpublished author, then you need to keep the word count
down. The higher the word count, the less likely it will sell. Longer novels exist, but these
are usually from established writers. If you have trouble keeping your word count down,
take a look at removing unnecessary exposition. Some editors recommend cutting the first
three chapters out of a novel, since new writers tend to put in too much exposition.
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Chapter 2: The Basics
When reduced to its essential elements, the format of storytelling has not changed in
thousands of years. All stories have a protagonist (main character), the quest (goal), trials
(opposition) and the resolution, positive or negative. Many variations are possible within
this format, but the basic structure is the same.
Stories consist of three parts: The beginning, the middle, and the end. Traditionally, this is
why stories are broken down into three sections. There are six parts of a story contained
within these three sections:
Section I
1. Introduction
– Inciting Incident.
2. Rising Action
– Significant Event.
Section II
3. Complications
– Plot Twists.
4. Crisis
– Decisive Moment.
Section III
5. Climax
– Confrontation.
6. Resolution
– Outcome.
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Section I (The beginning) has three goals:
The first goal is to introduce the setting and the main characters. The second goal is to
hook your audience with something that’s exciting and interesting. The third goal at the
start of a story is to introduce the opponent and the desire line (story goal). All three of
these goals should be accomplished as soon as possible.
The Setting & Main Characters
The first goal begins with the setting, which is where the story takes place. The setting is
usually determined by the genre and it can have a tremendous affect on the way the story is
told. The setting consists of a unique combination of the lands, peoples, technologies and
the culture of the story world. The introduction of the setting doesn’t need to be in the first
paragraph of the story, but the audience must quickly get a sense of where the story occurs.
The characters are the people in the story. There are many kinds of characters. The
main character is known as the protagonist. The opponents are known as the
antagonists. Minor characters may include allies or enemies. Very minor characters are
like extras in a movie – they perform a simple function and then leave.
Characters are defined by what they do, not by who they appear to be. A person’s
actions speak louder than everything else. Many people begin describing a character by their
appearance, but in reality these physical traits are the least important things about a person.
Characters should enter a story doing something . Characters are also defined by their
relationships with the other characters in the story.
Good characters should have a weakness (sometimes called a character flaw), which is
ruining their life (such as arrogance, selfishness, etc.). This weakness will be the source of
the character’s need (which is to overcome the weakness). The character will not be
aware of his weakness at the start of the story. Together with the self-revelation at the
end of the story, these three elements will form the character arc, which creates character
change.
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A story is about how a character changes by the events in the plot, or said another way; a
story is about how a character overcomes his failings. The start of the process of character
change occurs at the beginning of a story and it is realized at the end with the self-revelation.
The plot consists of the sequence of events that take place in the story, along with the
sequence of revelations in the story. The plot directs what happens in the outer story.
This forms the physical part of the story. It’s often called the spine of the story.
The characters experience what happens in the inner story, by how they react to events
of the plot. This forms the emotional part of the story. This part of the tale is also
called the heart of the story.
In this way, a good story will consist of these two elements (the spine and the heart)
developing at once. Desire drives the spine of the story. Weakness/Need drives
the heart of the story.
The audience should identify with the main character of your story. This means that they
experience emotions through your character. When the main character feels something, the
audience should feel something too.
Initially, there are three techniques to cause the audience to identify with the main character:
Make the character suffer; put the character in danger, and make the character admirable
in some way.
For example, in the novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” Harry suffers under
the horrendous treatment of his family, being forced to live in a small closet under the
staircase. Harry is in constant danger from his bullying cousin and from the unjust
treatment of his aunt and uncle. Harry is admirable because he doesn’t complain about his
life, choosing to suffer in silence. All these elements create tremendous sympathy for him,
and the audience identifies with Harry.
This initial identification with the protagonist can wear off, so you’ll need more to retain the
audience’s attention. Over the course of the story, the audience will identify with two things:
The desire and need of the main character.
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Plot vs. Character: Is the plot or the character more important? In a good story, they will
both support each other. Since the plot is determined by what the characters do and the
characters are defined by their actions, they are, in a sense, the same thing.
Plot and character are two sides of the same coin.
The Hook
The second goal in the start of the story is to hook your audience with something that’s
exciting or interesting. One of the best ways to hook the audience is by introducing an
element of mystery into the opening.
Inciting Incident
Sometime after the opening of the story, the inciting incident will occur. The inciting
incident is an event that drastically alters the character’s life, propelling them into the story.
The event must be something that will break the character out of the paralysis he’s in at
the start of the story. The inciting incident could be something trivial or dramatic.
Character motivation is one of the most important aspects of a story. The inciting incident
must be compelling enough to give the character an intense desire. This desire should be
strong enough to propel the protagonist through the entire story.
Desire & Opponent
The third goal in the start of a story is to introduce the opponent and the desire line
(story goal). Opponents are often introduced secretly in the start of a story without anyone
realizing that they are the main antagonist. These kinds of stores are often mysteries, but
they can also be stories where the author wishes the villain to remain secret. In any event,
the villain must always be introduced, even if they are simply appearing on stage just to say
hello. Often they are brought into a story discretely, simply appearing in the background. In
other cases, an opponent may be shown as the obvious antagonist in the story.
The desire line is the story goal. The character’s desire must be specific and obvious.
Stories are about characters who are trying to solve a problem. There usually will be
something blocking the solution to the problem, creating conflict. For instance, if the
characters are trying to pass through a gateway, it could be guarded.
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Every scene should have an obvious goal .
Every scene must also have some form of conflict , which is something that interferes
with the accomplishment of the goal. Stories could have many minor goals, but one major
desire will dominate the story. Minor goals could include subplots such as love stories or
intrigues between characters.
Introduction
The Introduction will introduce the main character along with his weakness, the setting, the
goal of the story, the main villain, and the inciting incident. The character should be
dealing with the initial surface problem before the inciting incident occurs. One of the
most important parts of the introduction is to demonstrate the character’s weakness.
Rising Action
Rising Action is the second part of the story, and it will be a set of scenes that get the
characters moving in the direction of the story goal. In the early stages of a story, the
conflict will begin to rise, creating a greater sense of urgency. A significant event
should occur, and this will intensify the stakes of the story, and the hero’s desire will
increase. Every writer should ask, “What’s at stake here?” in every scene.
Section II (The Middle) has three goals:
The first goal is to complicate the story with plot twists by developing the opponents,
along with their moral arguments . The second goal is to show the character developing a
plan to accomplish the desire line of the story. The third goal is to raise the stakes with a
crisis created when the character’s plan fails.
Developing the Opponents
In the middle of the story, you develop the main opponent and the secondary opponents
through a series of revelations. More intense conflict is created by having multiple
opponents in conflict with each other as well as with the main character. Show what the
opponents want, along with their value systems and how they come in conflict with the
main character. What do they want, why do they want it and why should they have it?
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In this section, show the moral arguments of the opponents and put them in conflict with
the protagonist through an argument. The best kinds of opponents are not evil. Show the
reasons they do what they do.
How to Write Moral Arguments
1. Write a philosophical treatise.
2. Put it in terms of everyday words.
3. Put it in conflict, so that the protagonist & antagonist can speak passionately about it.
4. Sum it up with a final line of dialogue.
The Plan
Once you have a desire and a main opponent, your character will need a plan to achieve his
goal. The opponent should also have a plan. The opponents are developed further
through additional revelations. As the character tries to defeat the main opponent, he will
usually fail. The failure of the hero’s plan will force him to improvise. This makes both
the opponent and hero look more powerful.
Raise the Stakes
When the hero’s plan fails to work, he will become more and more desperate to win and
will begin to commit more and more immoral acts. His allies will challenge him, but the
hero will make excuses for his behavior. The hero will become obsessed with his
desire.
Complications
Complications in the story make things more interesting for the characters. Often a major
plot twist is introduced here which will force the main character to adapt, becoming fully
committed, strengthening or clarifying his motivation. New opponents may be introduced
in this section of the story, as the plot becomes more complex. Eventually, the character will
reach a point of no return.
Crisis
The crisis is the lowest point in the story, where everything looks hopeless. The hero will
suffer an apparent defeat and the opponent will appear to have won. Called the
decisive moment, it will force the hero to make a crucial decision, leading to the climax.
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Section III (The End) contains these goals:
The first goal is to set up the final battle between the protagonist and main opponent. The
second goal is to show the main character’s self-revelation, which usually occurs at the end
of the battle. The third goal is to demonstrate how the main character has changed ,
leading to a new equilibrium and the end of the story.
Battle
The battle is a scene where the main character has the final confrontation with the main
opponent. The hero may win or lose, live or die. This is where we learn if the protagonist
will achieve his desire.
Self-Revelation
The most important parts of a story are the first scene, where the hero is introduced, along
with his weakness and the self-revelation near the end of the story, where the hero’s need is
fulfilled. The self-revelation is usually the final revelation of the story.
There are four kinds of self-revelation: The self-revelation resolves the weakness of the
protagonist, fulfilling his need. The moral self-revelation resolves the moral weakness of
the main character. The thematic self-revelation resolves the thematic question of the
story. The audience self-revelation is a revelation the audience has about their own life
while reading or watching the story. Several characters may experience a self-revelation
during the story.
The Traveling Angel
Occasionally, the protagonist of the story does not experience any character change.
Instead, one of the other characters will experience the self-revelation. This type of story is
called the traveling angel story. The protagonist is the agent of change in this kind of story.
New Equilibrium
After the protagonist has experienced the self-revelation, some action should be made to
demonstrate how the main character has changed. The protagonist will end up at a higher
level or a lower level at the end of the story.
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Climax
The final climax of the story is a scene that everything in the story has been pointing
towards. It can be a surprise, but is should be a logical progression of the events in the past.
Sometimes in a short story, the climax will be the first (and perhaps the only) scene.
Resolution
The resolution, also called the denouement, is a final scene that shows the outcome of the
events of the story. This is where the consequences of the actions taken by the protagonist
are shown. This is also where the character is shown to have overcome their weakness.
The end of a story will be of two main kinds:
An open ended story is where the desire line has been completed, but not everything has
been finished, leaving the audience to imagine their own ending.
A closed story is where everything is complete, leaving an obvious ending for the audience.
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Chapter 3: Story Design
Designing a story involves the use of story structure. Along with the premise, the way you
structure your story is the most important thing you will do. According to John Truby, the
premier story consultant in Hollywood, Ninety percent of screenplays and eighty
percent of novels are rejected because of poor structure.
There are many structure systems, from the simple three act structure used in plays to the six
steps described in The Screenwriter’s Bible to the seventeen steps of the mythical Hero’s
Journey. Most people use the three act structure system, which was designed for theater.
This is a mistake. The three act structure system is too primitive to be very helpful.
The best system is the seven steps of classic story structure taught by John Truby in his
book, “The Anatomy of Story.” Anyone who is serious about becoming a writer should get
this book. Always remember: Structure is not formula.
The Story Outline Worksheet
Now you need to make a general outline for the story. The Story Outline Worksheet (at the
end of this eBook) can be used for this. It contains the title, genre, premise, central conflict,
setting, a description of the main character along with her weaknesses and values, what she
needs, her desire line, the opponents and their values, the central relationship of the story,
minor characters, the moral arguments of the hero and opponents, the self-revelation, and a
brief backstory. Note that the six sections of the story are general descriptions of the action
that takes place in that section. You may want to list several locations, and settings.
Here’s an example of the worksheet:
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Title: The Dream Crystal
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Romance
Premise: A Faerie Changeling decides to rescue her “sister” – the human child she was
exchanged for during a war over the power of dreams.
Central Conflict: Aisling fights Ith, the Lord of Shadows over the Dream Crystal.
Setting: Tír na nÓg – The Land of Eternal Youth, and The Land of Shadows
Main Character: Aisling, a Faerie Changeling
Values: Excellence, Friendship.
Weaknesses:
Psychological: Aisling doesn’t believe in dreams.
Moral: Aisling is a tease, enjoying the power of her beauty over men.
Need – The Heart of the Story
Character Need: To believe in dreams (psychological) & Not to manipulate men (moral).
Desire – The Spine of the Story
Story Goal: To rescue her “sister,” Erin O’Neil.
Main Opponent: Ith, Lord of Shadows
2nd Opponent: Queen Annan of the Faeries
3rd Opponent: Morrigan
Values: Follow your dreams
Values: Be careful what you dream
Values: I want to take your dreams
Values Opposition
Characters
Aisling
Queen Annan
Values – Do Dreams Come True?
Ith
Morrigan
Dreams are a lie
Do not dream
Follow dreams
Steal dreams
Central Relationship: Realizing your dreams
Minor Characters:
Genevieve – human friend.
Eileen – Faerie guardian.
Fáelán – Morrigan’s friend.
Fintan – Faerie mentor.
Erin – human “sister.”
Hieronymus, a cat
Moral Arguments:
Hero: Dreams are for children. Dreams are a lie. Dreams do not come true.
Opponent: Ith: Follow your dreams Queen Annan: Be careful of dreams
Self–Revelation: Dreams that you dare to dream come true.
Backstory: Aisling is a Faerie Changeling, abandoned in our world
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Title: Shadows & Dreams
Goal: To survive Shadow Person assassins.
Opposition: The Shadow People.
Setting: A coffee house in Seattle.
Revelation: The Shadow People are real.
Need
Introduction – Inciting Incident
Title: The Dispossessed
Desire Rising Action – Significant Event
Goal: To learn magic and defeat Ith.
Opposition: Changelings, Morrigan, Shadow People.
Setting: Tír na nÓg – The Land of Eternal Youth.
Revelation: Her parents were murdered by the Shadow People.
Title: The Hat Man
Opponent
Complications – Plot Twist
Goal: To avoid the temptations of Ith.
Opposition: Ith, the Lord of the Shadow People.
Setting: Brú na Bodb – The Palace of Bodb (Faerie castle).
Revelation: Pride causes people to fall into the Land of Shadows.
Title: The Dream Crystal
Plan
Crisis – Decisive Moment
Goal: To protect the Dream Crystal.
Opposition: Queen Annan, Ith.
Setting: The Garden of Thought, The Land of Shadows.
Revelation: The Queen is a liar. Indifference causes people to fall into the Land of Shadows
Title: Shattered Dreams
Battle
Goal: Defeat Ith, rescue Erin and recover the Dream Crystal.
Opposition: Ith.
Setting: Scáth Caisleán – The Shadow Castle.
Revelation: Aisling is a princess.
Climax – Confrontation
Title: The Land of Dreams
Self-Revelation
Goal: To learn to dream again.
Opposition: Queen Annan.
Setting: Brú na Bodb – The Palace of Bodb (Faerie castle).
Resolution – Outcome
Self- Revelation: Dreams that you dare to dream come true.
Moral Revelation: Manipulating men for power is wrong.
Thematic Revelation: When your soul dies, you fall into the Land of Shadows.
New Equilibrium : Aisling returns Erin to her parents. Now Aisling believes in dreams.
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Chapter Outline
Next, you should number and title your chapters. Here are the chapter titles for my
novel, THE DREAM CRYSTAL:
Chapter
1. Shadows & Dreams
2. Dancing Lights
3. Cold Steel
4. Thin Places
5. The Dispossessed
6. Tír na nÓg
7. Shadows in the Garden
8. The Mirror of Eternity
9. The Duel
10. The Garden of Thought
11. The Place of Returning
12. The Masquerade
13. The Rescue
14. Stolen Dreams
15. Without a Thought
16. The Salamander
17. Gateway to Shadow
18. The Haunted Forest
19. The Hat Man
20. The Land of Dreams
Advanced Structure
“The Anatomy of Story” details 22 structure steps which can be used for a story. Every
story is different, of course, so each story will have a unique design. The genre you choose
will have a dramatic effect on the structure of your story. For instance, in a mystery, you
need to introduce the mystery (often a murder) in the beginning. In an action story, you may
begin with a fighting scene (sometimes called an “Overture” scene).
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Here’s how you might design a novel. The Plan is typically the largest part of the story, so
there are more chapters in that section. The way to grow a story is to develop the
revelations sequence. What new things are discovered as the story progresses?
STORY TITLE
Section I
Introduction
Chapter 1
Title
Hook, Setting
Chapter 2
Title
Hero, Flaw
Section II
Rising Action
Chapter 3
Title
Inciting Incident, Goal, Opponent
Chapter 4
Title
Significant Event
Chapter 5
Title
Tests, Allies, Enemies
Section III
Complications
Chapter 6
Title
Second Opponent
Chapter 7
Title
Raise the Stakes
Chapter 8
Title
1st Major Revelation & Decision
Section IV
Crisis
Chapter 9
Title
Plan
Chapter 10
Title
Opponent’s Counterattack
Chapter 11
Title
2nd Major Revelation & Decision
Chapter 12
Title
Crisis, Apparent Defeat
Chapter 13
Title
3rd Major Revelation, Point of No Return
Section V
Chapter 14
Climax
Title
Section VI
Chapter 15
Final Conflict
Resolution
Title
Copyright © 2010-20011 Mark O’Bannon All Rights Reserved.
Self-Revelation, Denouement
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Chapter 4: Writing The Story
You’re almost ready to begin writing. Now you add more detail to your chapters by creating
a list of scenes.
Scene Outline
Every chapter should have an action, a revelation, a list of characters involved in the
chapter, three scenes (beginning, middle, end) and a disaster, which is a tragedy at the end
of the chapter that you can use as a hook to keep the reader interested. Scenes don’t have to
end with a disaster of course. You can change everything later if you like (such as adding or
removing scenes, etc.). This is just to get you started. Here’s a sample of a few detailed
chapter outlines from my story, THE DREAM CRYSTAL:
Chapter 1: Shadows & Dreams
Action: Aisling sees a girl vanish into thin air (she has fallen into the Land of Shadows).
Revelation: Aisling is being watched by the Shadow People.
Characters: Aisling, Genevieve, Ith, Shadow People.
Scenes:
1. Pride & Repression – Fashion school.
2. A Cold House – Aisling sees her “sister” Erin reflected in the glass.
3. The Refuge – A magic mirror reveals an image of faeries stealing a human child.
Disaster: Aisling is kicked out of fashion school and she’s kicked out of her house.
Chapter 2: Dancing Lights
Action: After nearly killing another student, Aisling is kicked out of the Kung Fu temple.
Revelation: Aisling can summon Elementals, but cannot control them. She can see Faeries.
Characters: Aisling, Sifu Yuen, Students, a Fire Elemental.
Scenes:
1. Arrogance & Discipline – Kung Fu temple/school. Aisling challenges a bully.
2. The Fire Elemental – Aisling fights a duel and is possessed by an elemental.
3. Cast Out – Aisling discovers a group of dancing Faerie lights.
Disaster: After Aisling is kicked out of the Kung Fu temple, a Sheerie (a Faerie appearing
as a glowing ball of light) leads her in front of a speeding car.
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Chapter 3: Cold Steel
Action: Aisling completely abandons her dreams.
Revelation: The Shadow People are the destroyers of dreams.
Characters: Aisling, Genevieve, Ith’s Lieutenant, Shadow People, a Sheerie, a Dullahan.
Scenes:
1. Awaken to Shadow – A Shadow Person destroys Aisling’s portfolio, and her
dreams along with it.
2. Holocaust of Dreams – The Shadow People destroy the dreams of several people.
3. Bitter Coffee – After talking of the Shadow People, Aisling feels the cold edge of a
knife pressed against her throat, and hears a whisper, “We are around you in the
darkness.”
4. The Dullahan – A headless horseman ride up and abducts Aisling’s best friend,
Genevieve, riding away into the night.
Disaster: A headless horseman has taken away Aisling’s best friend.
How Many Chapters? How Many Scenes?
The number of chapters in your story depends on several factors. How long do your
chapters tend to run? J.R.R. Tolkein tends to write longer chapters (around 10,000 words),
while J.K. Rowling tends to write shorter chapters (3,000 to 6,000 words). How long do you
want your novel to be? You should have a word count goal in mind, depending on what
kind of story you’re writing. If your chapters tend to be around 6,000 words long, and you
want your story to be around 90,000 words long, then you’re looking at 15 chapters.
Begin with three scenes per chapter and adjust as the story dictates. If you have 15 chapters,
then you’ll have around 45 scenes. This will change as you write your story. Rarely will
things turn out exactly as you’ve planned them. The purpose of creating an outline is to get
a general sense of the story and to have a plan. Although it may seem that a strict story
structure and outline keeps you from being creative, it’s just the opposite: With the story
structure taken care of and an outline to refer to, you can feel free to play around more
without worrying about breaking the story.
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How to Write a Scene
Finally, it’s time to start writing your story. This is done by writing scenes. Scenes are where
the action of the story takes place. You will typically create a story by writing scenes and
interspersing them with narrative summaries, which describe the events taking place between
the action. Be careful not to put too much narrative summary in your story, as it can kill the
action.
There are different kinds of scenes. Action scenes involve fighting. Moral Argument
scenes are designed to present the moral arguments of the protagonist and antagonist
through a verbal debate.
Things like description and writing pretty prose will develop with practice. The important
thing is to get the story structure right so that the action builds dramatically.
Every scene has a beginning, middle and end. There are five parts to a basic scene:
1. Title – The scene title should evoke a sense of what it’s about.
2. Goal – This is what the character wants to accomplish in the scene.
3. Opposition – The opponent will be the source of conflict in the scene. It need not
be the main villain. Often it’s one of the hero’s friends.
4. Setting – Where the scene takes place.
5. Revelation – What piece of information is discovered at the end of the scene which
will drive the story forward in a new direction.
Once you’ve figured out your story design and have a list of chapters and scenes, you can
start writing the story. It may take you several months of practice to get good at writing and
you’ll have to develop your own unique approach. If these techniques work for you, use
them. If you like to keep things looser, then that’s fine too.
Just remember: Keep writing!
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Resources
The Ten Best Books On Writing:
Listed in order of importance
1. The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
2. Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
3. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
4. Writing a Great Movie by Jeff Kitchen
5. The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley
6. The Scene Book by Sandra Scofield
7. Conflict Action and Suspense by William Noble
8. Writing Screenplays that Sell by Michael Hauge
9. Psychology for Screenwriters by William Indick
10. The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley
The Five Best Courses On Writing:
Listed in order of importance
1. Great Screenwriting by John Truby
2. Masterpiece – Advanced Writing by John Truby
3. Story Development by John Truby
4. Genre Classes (choose your genres) by John Truby
5. Writing a Great Movie by Jeff Kitchen
Essays:
Why Three Acts Will Kill Your Writing by John Truby
How to Write a Great Query Letter by Noah Lukeman
The Career Novelist (free eBook) by Donald Maass
Need An Agent?
www.agentquery.com/
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Title:
Premise:
Genre:
Central Conflict:
Setting:
Main Character:
Values:
Weaknesses:
Psychological:
Moral:
Need – The Heart of the Story
Character Need:
Desire – The Spine of the Story
Story Goal:
Main Opponent:
2nd Opponent:
3rd Opponent:
Values:
Values:
Values:
Values Opposition
Characters
Values –
Central Relationship:
Minor Characters:
Moral Arguments:
Hero:
Opponent:
Self – Revelation:
Backstory:
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Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Revelation:
Problem/Need Introduction – Inciting Incident
Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Revelation:
Desire
Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Revelation:
Opponent
Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Revelation:
Plan
Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Revelation:
Battle
Title:
Goal:
Opposition:
Setting:
Self- Revelation:
Moral Revelation:
Thematic Revelation:
Self-Revelation
Rising Action – Significant Event
Complications – Plot Twist
Crisis – Decisive Moment
Climax – Confrontation
Resolution – Outcome
New Equilibrium :
Feel free to download this document from BetterStorytelling.Net: Story Outline Worksheet
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