Story Structure Is a Myth (but Rather Than Busting the Myth, Create One That Works for You)
Published 11 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Friend, Welcome to the new edition of The Storytelling Wizard!
This one's gonna be a quick read because I have been investing my time (last couple of weeks) into creating an email course for you all (check the end of this email).
Today, I want to share with you my realizations as I complete 11 years of calling myself a storyteller.
In 2014, I wrote my first ever scene of a screenplay. The setting was EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT I wanted to start my movie on a highway in the dark, and that's how dark my path was when it came to understanding a screenplay. I read hundreds of books I could get my hands on while in film school, and I continued for years after I worked as a writer and director. I'm still learning, and this process will never stop. What I realize after 11 years of internalizing the identity of a storyteller is - every idea feels: • simple at first (amateur level) • complex (struggler level) • simple (pro level) I read so many books with so many story structures that I was constantly having arguments (in my head) about which one works better. These are the story structure tools I came across while trying to develop my stories: • The Hero's Journey • Save The Cat • The Nutshell Technique • The Eight Sequence Structure • 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take • Dan Harmon's Story Circle But I couldn't apply any of those because I was busy arguing which one worked the best. Then, I let it all go and started writing whatever I wanted. And I realized I had internalized all of them. This internalization is felt only when you apply what you learn. Applying what you have learned is the certificate that you have learned. Here's the simplest story development process I follow once I've written my first draft: • How does the whole thing start? • What happens next? • Who are these people? • What happens next? • What's the problem? • Does that make sense? • What happens next? • Can we go any faster? • Are we there yet? • Why, why, why, why, why, why? From the eyes of an amateur, this will look extremely simple to follow. And from the eyes of a pro-writer, it will look like an oversimplification and (again) too simple to follow. But the struggler who follows the process and grinds it out will take this and make it their own by customizing it to their needs. Lesson? Create your own System. And bend the rules only after you understand them. Otherwise, you're just a rebel without a cause. If you're a storytelling nerd, check out a few more structural roadmaps in the image below. --- I created a 5-Day (Free) Email Course for Beginner Screenwriters, so if that excites the storyteller inside you, go ahead and opt-in.
