Story Craft For A Writer Is An Evolving Art
I am passionate about story craft and its intricacies. Why, because I am drawn to complication. My thoughts tend toward the convoluted and contradictory. I find myself compelled to create intricate story, meaningful word plays, and lyrical prose. Story craft fascinates me with its depth and shadows. I love learning about it, because of its complexity. Story can so easily for me turn into something that has epic portions. I love the subtext, the life lessons, the reflections of human potential for great good or great evil, and the challenge of creating a believable tale in layered elements. There are so many facets to the craft that learning to do it well can be a life long process, even for the masters.
The best thing about being a writer is you don’t have to make excuses for pretending. It’s part of the job. Where do all the stories come from? I believe it is the human condition that makes us all heroes and villains. Life is the mythology of living that creates the stories of our lives and imaginations. ~Me from my bio
It is not enough just to have an idea for a story, but a writer needs to understand the structure and mechanics that create a good story. A good read requires a writer to know how to weave a complicated, but entertaining tale, to suspend the reader’s disbelief, so they can fully emerge themselves in the writer’s world.
I am a connoisseur of story. It is reflected in my choice in books and movies. I am a reader first and a writer second. It is because I love to read that I am compelled to write. Mine is a journey to understand the human condition, so I might understand myself better. Layers, shadows and depth with realistic characters draw me in. It is the reason I am always seeking to learn more about the structure and mechanic of stories, as well as all the other elements required to do it well. I have assembled a few favorite writing links below, while seeking to learn what makes a strong bone structure for a story and how to layer it with muscle.
(One of my favorite books based upon The Hero’s Journey is The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers 3rd edition by Christopher Vogler. ) Below a video the Hero’s Odyssey in Writing and Entrepreneurship with Christopher Vogler on YouTube. Volume is low on this, so you may need to turn it up on your computer too.
The Hero’s Journey / Monomyth-a more simple breakdown
Other related videos you might enjoy or wish to own:
Preview on YouTube-Clips The Hero’s 2 Journey workshop
The Hero’s 2 Journey full workshop video on Amazon
The Hero’s 2 Journey:The Journey of Erin Brockovich video on Amazon
The Hero’s Journey video Joseph Campbell on Amazon
MORE LINKS ON STORY STRUCTURE:
Articles that show different story structures and how they are defined. Great help in learning to setup a strong working plot. My favorite article listed is about the Hero’s Journey based on Joseph Campbell’s work. Story Structure Articles
Story Structure Database You can help add to this free wonderful resource tool. Check it out! From K. M. Weiland: Today, I’m super excited to get to put an end to the guessing and unveil what I hope will be a fabulous resource for all of us. What is it? The official Story Structure Database. What Is the Story Structure Database? That’s easy. The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points:
Inciting Event (12% mark)
First Plot Point (25% mark)
First Pinch Point (37% mark)
Midpoint (50% mark)
Second Pinch Point (62% mark)
Third Plot Point (75% mark)
Climax (88% mark)
Climactic Moment (end of conflict)
Resolution (end of story)
More Articles About Writing, if interested, here
Story Mastery & The Director’s Journey – Full Interview with Michael Hauge & Mark W. Travis PART 1 on YouTube.
Story Mastery & The Director’s Journey – Full Interview with Michael Hauge & Mark W. Travis PART 2
34 Videos
That sounds like a great book. Thanks for all the links. Improving my craft is a never-ending process. I hope things are going better for you!
Your welcome, Lori. Things are about the same, in a sort of holding-waiting pattern right now, but I’m good. I appreciate the comment.
I’ve read this book and found some nice nuggets in it. It didn’t just help with structure; there were some great characterization tips as well. 🙂
Anna from Elements of Writing
There is a lot of great information in the book. It is my favorite writing book and my second favorite is Descriptions by Monica Woods in the Elements of Fiction series. It has a goldmine of help outside what that book is about too. Thanks for stopping by Anna. Hugs