I just posted part 2 of my 4 part series on using character actions to structure stories (barely made the February cutoff!). The first video provided an overview of the Three Dramatic Phases (Setup, Confrontation and Resolution), the Six Acts, the Evolving Goal and the Act Turning Points. In this video I break down the first Dramatic Phase: The Setup and the two Acts it contains. Enjoy! Part 3 coming in March.
Thomas Harris’ exceptional 1988 novel is as suspenseful as it is cerebral. This is most often attributed to Harris’ masterful characterization of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Dr. Lecter is as suave, refined and intelligent as he is deadly. He is, essentially, the James Bond of psychopathic cannibals.
The new Story Structure video breakdown for Wreck-it-Ralph should be posted this weekend. While I’m making the finishing touches, I decided to whip up the below blueprint of Six Act Structure for those who enjoy visuals. As you can see, there are two Acts contained in each of the three traditional Dramatic Phases. With the exception of Act Six (and Act One if there’s a prologue), each Act contains three Dramatic Episodes, the last of which being the Act Turning Point.
I didn’t get to cover The 16 Dramatic Episodes in Actions and Goals, unfortunately. The book was already pushing 400 pages! But, I intend to make the Dramatic Episodes the focus of the follow-up book. I hope to start work on that soon, but I’m currently focused on promoting and gathering feedback on the current book.
If you read Actions and Goals and found the information useful, I encourage you to leave a review on Amazon here! Good or bad, your feedback is very much appreciated.
Enjoy the blueprint and feel free to drop a comment to share your thoughts!
