Save the Cat
· 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
A character should never get exactly what they want or what they're trying to get in a scene.
Instead, they either SHOULD get what they want BUT it has some unexpected consequence.
Or they should NOT get what they want AND it should have some additional unexpected consequence.
Instead, they either SHOULD get what they want BUT it has some unexpected consequence.
Or they should NOT get what they want AND it should have some additional unexpected consequence.
On Writing Better: 43 Things I Learned from My Insane 2 Years of Study
all archetypal stories are defined by this one essential tenet: the central character has an active goal. They desire something. If characters don’t then it’s almost impossible to care for them, and care we must.
John Yorke • Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them
No matter how clever or outlandish your scenario, it will not be compelling to an audience without characters we can invest in and root for.