Story Tips #7 - Mythic Structure, Introduction

By Jax Hunter


Welcome to the next installment of Story Tips From the Big Screen.  This monthly column (to be posted the second Monday of each month) explores screen writing techniques that will help fiction writers tell a better story. 

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This month, and for the next few months, we’re going to take a look at structural variations of stories. Of course, these variations are not the sole property of the screenwriting world any more than three act structure is. However, many of the screenwriting sources talk about these variations, and I hope they’re helpful to all of us.

The first structure we’ll be looking at is that of myth throughout the ages, the Hero’s Journey. It fits nicely into our three act structure. Therefore, after an overview and review of the big picture this month, we’ll look at each act within this structure over the next few months.

The Hero’s Journey, a term coined, as close as I can tell, by Christopher Vogler, is a series of twelve stages seen throughout the centuries in classic stories. Vogler borrows from Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces to come up with his stages.   

In this classic pattern, the mythic hero journeys through all the stages of death and rebirth to come out the other end transformed. Lajos Egri in The Art of Dramatic Writing calls this “growing from pole to pole.” A lost and lonely Dorothy finds home and family. A stupid scarecrow finds his brain. A fraidy-cat lion finds his courage. And an empty tin man finds his heart.

The basic premise of this hero’s journey is this: The hero travels from his ordinary world into the mythological woods for varying reasons. While in this other world, he is faced with trials and tribulations, meets friends and foes alike and, when all seems lost, finds what he’s looking for. He then returns to his ordinary world - not always an easy trip - with the prize.

The classic mythic hero - James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Indiana Jones - is always on the side of good and always fights evil in one form or another. He is usually courageous and clever. He’s often endowed with a special talent or gift and is likely motivated by idealism. He may begin the journey with only self interest (Han Solo) but, by the end, he puts his life or fortune on the line for something bigger than himself.

In the course of the story, the mythic hero never quits. He never resorts to unheroic actions - though a shortcut may present itself that will test his integrity - and he never wins by lucky break.

The hero leaves his every day world and enters a “foreign place,” often because he has no choice - to refuse the call would go against everything he believes in. On the journey, he’ll be tested, learn the rules of this new world and be opposed by evil. He may be helped along the way by new friends and a mentor. He’ll face universal fears, both external (heights, big bugs, monsters, driving snow) and internal (failure, ridicule, loss of love.)

At the end of his journey into the woods, he’ll likely have a confrontation with the Evil One, which he’ll either win or lose. On his return home, he may be again opposed by evil.  He may lose the prize and have to retrieve it, and he will, ultimately, have a death/rebirth experience - even if its metaphorical.

When he returns to the ordinary world he has been transformed. He may find that the glory is stolen or isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. He may learn the true meaning of the journey and may get a call to another. 

Here are the twelve steps - outlined within the three act structure (remember him?)

Act I - get your hero up a tree

1.  Ordinary World

2.  Call to Adventure

3.  Refusal of the Call

4.  Meet the Mentor

5.  Crossing  the Threshold

Act II - throw rocks at him

6.  Tests, Allies and Enemies

7.  Approach the inmost cave

8.  The Ordeal

9.  Reward

Act III - get him out of the tree

10.  Road Back

11.  Resurrection

12.  Return with Elixir

Next month we’ll look more in depth at the Act I stages in the Hero’s Journey. If you would like to investigate the subject more, let me recommend the following books:

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

The Key by James N. Frey

Myth and the Movies by Stuart Voytilla

Until next month, BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard)

Jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2004.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

Story Tips #4 - Outlining Your Novel - The Script Writer's Way

By Jax Hunter


Welcome to the fourth installment of Story Tips From the Big Screen.  This monthly column (to be posted the second Monday of each month) explores screen writing techniques that will help fiction writers tell a better story. 

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Last month we learned the two minute movie and now we have a four-page treatment of our story.  The next step is the outline, or the step outline.  A step outline is simply a skeletal version of the story, your two minute move played out scene by scene.

Robert McKee in his wonderful book Story, defines a scene as a story event, an action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space.  He goes on to talk about value changes within scenes, but that’s a topic for another time. 

Before I write an outline, I like to know what I will need for this particular book.  So I get out my calculator.  We talked a bit about this method in the article about three-act structure.  If I’m shooting for a three-hundred page book, and I like to write ten page scenes (just an example), I will need thirty scenes.  Fifteen scenes will be split between Act I and Act III and fifteen will fill Act II.  I’m ready to outline thirty scenes.

With these numbers in mind, I know approximately where my plot points will fall so I jot them down in the appropriate slots.  We could call that plot slot jotting.  But I digress.

Then, I just fill in all the numbered scenes.

Being able to scrutinize the skeleton this way, on a sheet or two of paper, makes it easy to see if you really do have enough plot to fill the book.  At this stage, it’s easy and painless to make changes as well, long before you’ve spent hours, days, weeks writing, only to find out that you should have turned left back at the first light. 

Once this step outline is finished, you can focus all your energy on filling in the body of the story, the character emotions, setting details, dialogue, etc.  You’ll know where you’re going and won’t have to worry about whether the motel will be full-up or not when you get there.  (I love road-trip spontaneity, but also love knowing I have reservations.)

So what does a step outline look like?  I’m glad you asked. Hang with me a moment and I’ll show you some steps.  First, let’s look at the two minute movie outline of Romeo and Juliet.

Melancholy Romeo Montague meets innocent Juliet Capulet at a Capulet party.  They fall in love.

Because the two families hate each other, the Friar agrees to marry the kids secretly - and so they marry.

Soon thereafter, a street fight ends with Juliet’s kinsman dying by Romeo’s hand.  Romeo flees Verona after consummating his marriage to Juliet.

Juliet’s family announces her forthcoming marriage to Paris.  Juliet fakes her death.

Romeo misses the message and thinks that she’s really dead so he kills himself.  Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead and kills herself.  End of story.

So, here’s what the first few scenes would look like in the step outline:

1.  Two Capulet servants tussle with two Montague servants.  Prince arrives, breaks up the fight.  Romeo is melancholy because he loves Rosaline, conversation with his cousin.

2.  Paris talks to Juliet’s father re: marriage.  Romeo and Benvolio learn of the Capulet party and plan to go.

3.  Juliet and Mom discuss marriage to Paris, Juliet is obedient.

4.  The boys on the way to the party.

5.  Romeo first sees Juliet.  Tybalt realizes that there are Montagues present.  Patriarch steps in and averts violence.  First touch.  First kiss.

You can see that it was quite a jump between the highlights of the two minute movie and the “final” step outline.  It’s very possible that there will be versions in between.  It all depends on how much detail you have cooked up in your head before the plot slot jotting begins. 

Every author works differently and some absolutely can’t plot beforehand.  Most screenwriting books insist that you do so, though.  And while I absolutely HATE to be told that I HAVE to do something, I have come to see the value of outlining before I write.

Whatever you decide, just write.  See, though I’m not good at taking orders, I’m pretty good at giving them :)   I hope these ongoing tips from the screenwriting world have sparked ideas and given you more tools with which to work.  

Until next month, BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard) 

Cheers, Jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2004.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

Story Tips #3 - The Two Minute Movie

By Jax Hunter

Welcome to the third installment of Story Tips From the Big Screen.  This monthly column (to be posted the second Monday of each month) explores screen writing techniques that will help fiction writers tell a better story. 

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Hello again from altitude.  This month, as promised, we’re going to make a two minute movie.  At least on paper we are.  I know you’re all asking “What the heck is a two minute movie?”  Be patient - we’ll get to it.  First, just a quick review of three act structure.

Last month we did a more in-depth study of three act structure (TAS).  If you missed it - stop right here - and go back to it.  It’s important for our two minute movie.

TAS - Get your hero up a tree in Act I, throw rocks at him in Act II and get him out of the tree in Act III.  Act I takes about one fourth of the book and ends with the first plot point (an event that spins the action in a different direction).  Act II takes about half the book and ends with the second plot point.  Act III takes another fourth of the book and brings us into the dark moment where all is lost, then resolves the story in a satisfying way. 

With that in mind, let’s go on.  The two minute movie is a plotting tool that will help us get past the page 30 crisis.  You know the point - you’ve taken this wonderful idea and are happily typing along when you hit the wall. Your story comes to a screeching halt because you don’t have a clue what comes next.  Writer’s block sets in and you either bang your head against the monitor until you need ibuprofen or you head straight for the harder drugs.  Just kidding.  I would guess, though, that we’ve all been there.

The two minute movie is a two page - not one or three or four - a two page treatment of your story.  Whenever I hear the word “treatment” - very Hollywoodish - I can’t help but think of Cosmo Kramer.  But I digress.  In this treatment, you “consciously develop your idea” into a story.  The idea comes from Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434. 

In this two-page, double-spaced overview, you walk your story through the three act paradigm. 

Act I gets three paragraphs or so, setting up the characters and their needs.  The last paragraph here sets up the first crisis - plot point one.

You’ll use five or six paragraphs to tell the rising action of Act II.  Remember to fill Act II with obstacles that stand between where your character is and where he wants to be.  This section is the action - reaction part of the book.  Each action forces the characters into situations in which the stakes are higher than the last.  Each action cranks up the tension until you arrive at plot point two. 

And that leaves two or three paragraphs to cover Act III -  the dark moment where all is lost, and the resolution. 

There’s your two minute movie.  Hunter suggests that you may want to show this two page treatment to trusted friends who will be able to give good feedback.  He states that this exercise not only helps you in the next process (the step outline) but will tell you if you really have a story at all.

Syd Field, in his book The Screenwriter’s Workbook has a similar exercise.  He calls his the 4-page treatment.  Syd says that “the hardest thing about writing is knowing what to write.”   I couldn’t agree more.

His method has the author starting at the end and writing backwards, so to speak.  He wants you to map out the ending, the beginning and plot points one and two before you start your treatment.

Here’s how Field’s four pages look:

            One half page describing the opening scene or sequence;

            One half page describing the general action of Act I;

            One half page that describes the plot point at the end of Act I

            One half page for the action of Act II

            One half page for the plot point at the end of Act II; and

            Three quarters to one page for Act III, the resolution.

These exercises are much harder than they look on the surface.  It’s way too easy, as you’re writing these paragraphs, to wonder at the why’s - to get hung up with character motivations and the small actions that thrust your character into the bigger moments.  However, if you’ll stick to the overview method in this phase of building your story, you will have much better luck staying out of the bogs and moving forward.

Another time that two minute movies are invaluable is in the midst of writing.  I have a recurring problem with getting ideas for future books while I’m still embroiled in the current book.  Somewhere recently I read that when these ideas come to you and you’re concerned about losing them, take a few minutes to an hour to get the idea on paper.  That way, the idea doesn’t escape and it won’t be hounding you as you write the work in progress.  The two minute (two page) movie would be perfect for getting this idea down before it escapes.  Then simply file it away and when you get quickie ideas that go with that story - characters, locations, whatnot - just stick them in the file. 

Until next month, campers, when we’ll take a look at outlining, I leave you to your movie making.    Don’t forget the most important thing, BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard).  

Cheers, jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2004.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

Story Tips #2 - Three Act Structure

By Jax Hunter

Welcome to the second installment of Story Tips From the Big Screen.  This monthly column (to be posted the second Monday of each month) explores screen writing techniques that will help fiction writers tell a better story. 

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Did I wear you all out last month?  I hope not.  This month, I promise to be a bit more reasonable. 

Screenwriters learn early on that most screenplays are based on three act structure, a paradigm that goes back to Aristotle’s Poetics, written in 350 B.C.

The simplest restatement of three act structure is: Beginning, Middle and End.

There’s a saying found in many screenwriting sources that is variously credited to many different people.  “In Act I, you get your hero up a tree.  In Act II, you throw rocks at him.  In Act III, you get him out of the tree.”  We’ll look in greater detail at these three steps.  The rule of thumb in screenwriting, though, is that Act I is 25% of your play, Act II is 50%, and Act III is 25%.

Up a Tree:  

Act I gets your reader involved with your story, with your characters.  You use this section to introduce your characters, the setting, the goal and the obstacle.  Halfway through Act I, your protagonist will face or take on a problem.  Act I ends with the first plot point.

Plot points are defined by Syd Field (Screenwriting Workbook) as “an incident, episode, or event that ‘hooks’ into the action and spins it around into another direction.  It can be anything: a shot, a speech, a scene, a sequence, an action, anything that moves the story forward.”  It’s the first plot twist, the first real complication.   In the movie Braveheart, it’s the moment that Murron, our hero’s wife, is murdered.  Now the obstacle/problem becomes personal -  it is invested with real emotion.

Throw Rocks:

Act II heightens the emotional commitment to the story, both for the characters and for the reader.  In Act II,  you complicate everything.  This section has a pattern of rising action, each complication getting more threatening to the protagonist.  Along the way, our hero has more and more to lose.

Act II ends with the hero apparently defeated.  This is the black moment.  All is lost.

C’mon down, hero: 

In Act III we start from the darkest point - where all is lost and the hero makes a last ditch effort to get to his goal.  This is the final push to the climax.  The showdown.  Finally, the resolution brings a satisfactory end to the reader, even if it doesn’t bring the same to our hero.  In romances, the hero and heroine end up together.  In mystery and suspense, the good guy figures out who the bad guy is and, ultimately, defeats him.

Stuart Voytilla, in his book Myth and the Movies (closely related to Vogler’s Writer’s Journey) suggests that Acts I and III occur in the hero’s Ordinary World while Act II takes place in the Special World.

Dramatica Software’s manual describes the acts as journeys.  Act I takes the hero from the starting point, City A, to City B; Act II from City B to City C; Act III from City C to the destination, City D.

These are the basics of three act structure.  If I’m aiming toward a 300 page book, then I know that the first 75 pages will be Act I, pages 76 - 225 for Act II, and another 75 for the crisis and resolution.  Once I have these structural definitions, it’s easier to see how many scenes I’ll need along the way. 

Of course, this is just a model.  It’s a tool to use, not a recipe that you have to follow exactly.  I’ll leave you with one more restatement from Syd Field.  He speaks of the three acts as: Setup, Confrontation and Resolution.

Next month we’ll look at the two minute movie.  Until then, BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard.)

Cheers, Jax   (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2004.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

Novels with a Beat

By Deb McLeod

Our October Writer’s Book Club featured Rebecca Green Gasper who introduced us to Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheets for screenwriting. We analyzed The Hunger Games and used the 15-point story arc to better see the shape of the story.

I’ve used the three-act structure as well as the journey as a plotting tool with my clients. But this was the first time I’d seen this 15-point story arc. The Hunger Games fit the beat sheet perfectly. We could easily identify the beats of the story and they conformed to the story arc in the Beat Sheet.

The theme was stated early in the novel. The main character, Katniss, stays within the rules. She is not a rebel. She’s hungry and people rely on her. She does what she has to do to survive. By the end of the book Katniss has become the face of the rebellion against a way of life that she can’t live under any longer. It’s a complete reversal. Her character follows the Beat Sheet arc.

After the book club I put my novel to the test. I downloaded a copy of the Beat Sheet and started filling it out. I had run into a wall of sorts just at the end of Act 2 and had been immersed in working my way out for about two weeks. When my energy for the work begins to wane that’s a signal to me that I took a wrong turn somewhere earlier in the plot. This was the perfect time for me to try the tool out.

My book is complicated. It’s the first of an eight-book thriller series. There are paranormal elements to it. There’s a love story and a conspiracy. There are plenty of characters, and there’s a B, C and a D story braided between the highs and lows of the A story.

Plotting has been a challenge.

First, I tried to slap the whole plot onto the Beat Sheet, but then I realized that I needed to pull apart the storylines and subplots and do a Beat Sheet for each one. Magical brilliance!!!

I started with the love story; the easiest to pull out and look at. The Beat Sheet fit all the way down to my stalling point. I had veered off the path right around the end of Act 2; I had forgotten my character’s theme.

At twenty-four, Macy Delacort has won at the game of life. She has everything a girl could want, but, in order to get it, she gave up an important part of her essence. Through the story she will begin to see exactly what her choices have cost her. By the end of the book she will learn to be true to herself and find her true love.

As I was writing scenes and moving in and out of all the other subplots, I forgot Macy’s theme and what her place was in the story. But now I had a plan. She’d been sidetracked from her mission. The challenge had faded and there was nothing to help her change by the end of the book.

Now I can see what I need to do. I still have scenes to think up and in plotting the other subplots as well as the main story, I might be able to find which scenes will give Macy an opportunity to lose everything but to get herself by the end of the story.

I have been so taken with this method that I hosted a Beat Party for some people who are about to do NaNoWriMo. We’d all like to have our road maps in place before we start so I met with a few people to teach them the Beat Sheet. We have plans to get together two or three more times and help each other beat out our plots before NaNo starts.

I never used to be a plotter. But I am now. It’s a wonderful feeling to know where you’re going and still leave room for surprises. I found the Beat Sheet to be a perfect tool for my book and just what I needed. Try it out. See if it works for you too. 

About the Writer:  Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach, co-founder and executive director of The Writing School. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist.