Let’s review our writing process so far: 1. premise 2. 7 major structure steps 3. character web 4. opposition 5. plot: conflict sequence and reveal sequence 6. we talked about adding any specialized genre beats for your story forms 7. we clarified the theme in the form of the moral argument 8. scene list 9. constructing the scenes and writing 3-track dialogue
• how to mix genres the right way • multiple hero stories and multiple POVs • character web and 4-point opposition • key techniques for writing a successful multi-hero, multi-POV story • branching story shape • writers’ work • questions
Problem: you can't write a popular story without combining two or three major genres.
Key point: almost every writer in this group is combining 2-4 genres.
Make sure you use all the beats from your main genre.
How do you choose the primary genre? Rule of thumb: the technical genres are usually primary.
Use the first two scenes to establish the two heroes, preferably with a crisis.
Set up an outside desire – this is the action goal. The desire for each other in love will come as they go after the outside goal together.
The conflict between the two lovers is the gold of the buddy picture love story.
This is the dance , why they must go through life together, and they dance really well.
Instead of tracking the development of a single character, ensemble stories compare what many heroes are doing and feeling at about the same time.
Key point: everyone is trapped in the system in some way, even the most powerful characters.
A story about a team is not structured like a multi-hero story. Examples: Seven Samurai, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Galaxy Quest
Caution: the vast majority of you are not writing multi-hero stories.
Key point: if you want your multi-hero story to be successful, the same premise checklist applies.
The Help: When a naïve Southern white woman sees how white bosses treat their African American maids, she decides to secretly write a book about the maids, only to face harsh reprisals by the social elite that turn the town upside down.
When writing a multi-hero story, the essential technique to use is at least a 4-point opposition, and probably more.
Instead of 1 hero vs. 1 main and at least 2 secondary opponents, you have at least 4 main characters set in opposition or in contrast to each other.
Make sure every character plays a key role in some larger system. The Help: racist America Traffic: the drug business LA Confidential: the justice system
Key to success: you must keep multiple heroes and multiple POVs from killing narrative drive. It’s all about creating a plot that builds.
The 7 steps for each character should converge at a vortex point.
Make the hero of one storyline the opponent in another. For example, Hannah and Her Sisters, L. A. Confidential, Pulp Fiction
Caution: you don’t have to use all 7 of these techniques.
Multiple hero stories use one of the advanced story structures, known as a branching story shape.
Caution: watch out for too many characters and/or storytellers.
Key rule: the more storytellers you have, the more you risk distancing the audience.
Assignment for next class IF YOU ARE WRITING SCENES FOR YOUR STORY: 1. write the next three scenes in the story where there is dialogue Be sure to start by listing the premise in 1 line 2. write your hero’s weakness in 1 line 3. write the endpoint of your hero’s character change ie, his or her self-revelation
Assignment for next class IF YOUR STORY IS AT ANY OTHER STEP OF THE WRITING PROCESS 4. follow the instructions for that month’s assignment 5. send in any question about story in general or about your story in particular.
Caution: don’t skip a step in the writing process! For each new story idea, start with the Premise assignment and work through the steps in order.
Remember: hand in only one assignment at a time.
Next class: Wednesday, October 18
Hawaii Anatomy of Story Class May 18–20, 2018 Honolulu, Hawaii Reserve your seat at: https:// writerscoloringbook.com/
Recommend
More recommend
