How to Craft a Great Story · Teach Yourself by Sykes, Chris -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Title Contents About the author Acknowledgements Dedication Introduction 1 The basics of a Story

What is a Story?

2 Finding and Making Plots

How to Find a Plot Relationship between Character and Plot The Plot-Maker

3 Constructing a Plot with Pace and Movement

Building a Plot Motivation Revision

4 The Plot Ladder

Making a Plot Ladder

5 Conflict

Conflict in Storytelling How to Create Conflict in a Scene where there is none Objectives and Super-Objectives A summary: Character need and Inner and Outer Story

6 What is Structure?

Story Structure: Beginning, Middle and end A Simple Story Structure Losing Control Jumps

7 Story and Plot: the Principles of Connectedness and Causality

Connectedness Causality

8 Plot Holes and Problems with Plot

Plot Holes Other Plot Holes Watertight Plots Other Problems with Plot How to Solve Problems with Plot Do Plot Holes Matter?

9 The ‘Gold’ and the ‘MacGuffin’: Plot-Drivers, Confrontation and Disaster

The ‘Gold’ Fool’s gold Disaster Goals Lead to Action Building Tension Rising Action Falling Action Action and Reaction

10 The four Stages of a Story

Story Shape Exposition Complication Obstacles The Climax Resolution

11 Understanding form and Structure

Sonata form The Sestina The Sonnet Lipogram Writing to a Format

12 Finding Perfect Story Shape: Proportion

Elegance and Efficiency Structuring the Story Proportion The Time/Tension Relationship

13 Screenwriting Theory: Using the Three-Act Structure

The Value of Writing Theory The Writing Process Planning and Using a Plan Screenwriting

14 Using Mythic Structure

Mythic Structure The Writer’s Journey Technology The Hero Quest Story Types The Relevance of Screenwriting Theory

15 Other Story Models

Change and Tradition Other Story Models Visualization The End

Afterword Glossary Taking it Further Copyright