Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
· ASSIGNMENT: Identify the PLAN, CENTRAL ACTION, and CENTRAL QUESTION of your story. · What does the protagonist WANT? · How does s/he PLAN to do it? · What is the CENTRAL QUESTION of the story? And for extra credit: · What and who is standing in his or her way?
Alexandra Sokoloff • Screenwriting Tricks for Authors (and Screenwriters!): STEALING HOLLYWOOD: Story Structure Secrets for Writing Your BEST Book
Middle Trap the MC in a spiral of events outside of his control. Set the line of dominoes in motion. Force the MC’s original goal out of his reach. He can still see it and certainly still wants it, but he can’t reach it. Give the MC new goals. The MC’s primary goal shifts to the background as he struggles to stay afloat with all the complications c
... See moreK.M. Weiland • Outlining Your Novel
Characters then should not always get what they want, but should – if they deserve it – get what they need. That need, or flaw, is almost always present at the beginning of the film. The want, however, cannot become clear until after the inciting incident.
John Yorke • Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them
Saunders describes reading student novels that churn their wheels endlessly, stuck in exposition, no escalation in sight. I’ve written a lot of stuff like that. It’s not enough that things keep happening. The things that happen need to build on each other and intensify, like a snowball growing in size and speed as it pursues some Looney Tunes chara... See more