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Solve Your Story Structure Problems In 11 Steps - Pat Verducci [FULL INTERVIEW]

Film Courage・82 minutes read

A great story requires main characters with strong desires, balanced conflict, and relatable human emotions, following a three-act structure for movies and ongoing conflict for TV shows. Establishing empathy early on, focusing on character transformation or impact on others, creating stakes, and allowing goals to shift during the story are crucial elements of effective storytelling.

Insights

A compelling story requires a main character with a strong desire, plenty of conflict, and relatable emotions.
Establishing empathy for characters early on in a story, including anti-hero characters, is crucial for audience engagement.
Balancing structure and creative discovery is essential in writing, with feedback from fellow writers aiding in gaining perspective and improving work.

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Recent questions

What are the key elements of a great story?
A great story requires a main character with a strong desire, plenty of conflict, and relatable human emotions.
How should conflict be handled in a story?
Conflict in a story should be balanced, with both internal and external conflicts present throughout, building up to a climax with significant tension.
Why is empathy important in storytelling?
Empathy is crucial in storytelling as it allows the audience to connect with characters, even if they are not traditionally likable.
How can writers enhance their productivity?
Creating a daily writing routine at the same time each day can significantly boost productivity and project completion rates.
What is the significance of character transformation in storytelling?
Transformation in a story is crucial as it serves the purpose of helping the audience understand themselves better and provides insight and growth.

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Summary

00:00

Crafting Compelling Stories with Conflict and Empathy

A great story requires three key elements: a main character with a strong desire, plenty of conflict, and relatable human emotions.
For a movie, the story should be contained within a three-act structure, while a TV show needs to promise ongoing conflict and story development.
To ensure a character's desire is compelling, it should consist of both an emotional need and a specific goal that satisfies that need.
Conflict in a story should be balanced, with both internal and external conflicts present throughout, building up to a climax with significant tension.
Conflict should be modulated throughout the script, with quieter moments interspersed to reveal character depth and increase stakes for the characters.
Every story should create a dramatic question of whether the character will achieve their goal, maintaining viewer interest and engagement.
Characters may initially pursue the wrong goal, leading to a journey of self-discovery and a deeper understanding of their true desires.
Empathy is crucial in storytelling, as it allows the audience to connect with characters, even if they are not traditionally likable.
Establishing empathy for characters should occur from the beginning of the story to ensure audience engagement and investment in the character's journey.
The empathy meter should kick in from the start of the story, especially for anti-hero characters, to maintain audience connection and interest throughout the narrative.

14:42

"Crafting a Magical Writing Routine for Success"

Anthony Mangala works hard on page one to establish his desires, including being seen by people in power, playing music, and living in poverty.
The connection established with the character makes it relatable as many yearn to be part of a wealthy crowd they can't access.
Establishing this connection early in a story, even for anti-hero characters, is crucial for audience engagement.
Writing involves both learnable craft elements like character creation and a more intuitive, magical side that feels uncontrollable.
The magical aspect of writing, which feels daunting, requires consistent effort and routine to attract inspiration.
Overcoming anxiety and creating writing rituals, like posting a daily writing quote, can help in summoning the magical side of writing.
Joan Didion's advice to work harder, spend more time alone, and avoid complaining resonates with the challenges writers face.
Prioritizing alone time for writing, even if it means waking up early or finding a quiet space outside the home, is essential for productivity.
Creating a daily writing routine at the same time each day can significantly boost productivity and project completion rates.
Setting aside time for writing is not selfish but necessary for personal fulfillment and expression, benefiting all aspects of life.

29:32

"Creative Rituals: Coffee, Pencils, and Character Journeys"

The ritual involves having a cup of coffee or tea at a specific time and using colored pencils for writing.
The speaker used to smoke cigarettes but quit due to health concerns, replacing it with coffee.
Colored pencils are used to underline and track character arcs in the writing process.
Music is avoided during writing as it is distracting, unlike the speaker's husband who uses music in his writing process.
Taking breaks every hour to walk around helps the speaker maintain focus and prevent ruining their work.
The speaker discusses the sensual aspect of smoking and the difficulty in breaking the connection between smoking and creativity.
Finding the emotional spine of a story is crucial, often discovered through writing and exploring the hero's journey.
The hero's journey model helps writers develop complex characters with flaws and fears, leading to emotional growth.
Writers are encouraged to delve into their characters' fears and past experiences to create depth and conflict in their stories.
Emotional structure in a story involves creating a journey from the character's initial beliefs to their transformation, akin to pulling back an arrow before releasing it.

43:39

Emotional growth through crisis in screenplay writing.

The emotional structure of a screenplay involves a character facing a moment of crisis in the climax, leading to emotional growth.
Discovering the central thematic spark of a screenplay often occurs towards the end of the writing process, after understanding the characters deeply.
Theme in writing is not a starting point but emerges as characters' desires and fears are explored, often appearing as a revelation during revision.
Arthur Miller found his themes midway through writing his plays, guiding the rest of his work.
Writing requires a balance between structure and creative discovery, with outlines serving as roadmaps to prevent getting lost.
Seeking feedback from a community of fellow writers is crucial to gaining perspective and improving one's work.
Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" defies traditional themes, focusing on the humanity within dark characters.
Teaching different story structures like the hero's journey, the three-act structure, and the Jules Selbo 11-step model provides writers with varied tools for storytelling.
Story structure models should be seen as inspiration rather than strict formulas, allowing writers to choose what works best for their process.
Understanding the psychological and emotional aspects of storytelling through various models can enhance the depth and impact of a screenplay.

57:52

Crafting Compelling Stories: The Story Model Explained

The Story Model is a flexible form, not a formula, allowing for creative use and adaptation.
Hollywood movies and independent films often follow recognizable patterns in their storytelling.
The Three-Act Structure is a common way to discuss story progression, with key points like the inciting incident and climax.
Jules Selbo introduced a clear and simple 11-step model for feature films, focusing on character wants and actions.
The character faces denial, a second opportunity with danger, and a decision to pursue their goal in Act One.
Act Two sees progress towards the goal until a midpoint where a fear-driven decision leads to everything falling apart.
Act Three involves a crisis decision, climax, and resolution where the character gains new insight and healing.
Jules Selbo's model emphasizes goal-driven storytelling and character development.
The True Crime movie "True" directed by the speaker highlighted the importance of contained scripts to avoid production challenges.
The speaker's personal experience with True Crime magazines inspired the theme of "be careful what you wish for" in her writing.

01:11:38

Challenging Writing Conventions for Transformation and Growth

Writers should challenge themselves by tackling what is difficult for them, even if it scares them, to become more comfortable and authentic in their writing.
When writing memoirs or scripts based on personal experiences, it is crucial to be truthful and not hold back, as readers or viewers will sense dishonesty.
Right-brained writers, who are intuitive and chaotic, may struggle with structure and organization, but finding a comfortable way to organize thoughts is essential.
Understanding and embracing genre conventions while delivering them in a fresh way is crucial to avoid predictability and clichés in storytelling.
Filmmakers like Tarantino and Jarmusch successfully break traditional storytelling rules by subverting conventions while still understanding and respecting them.
Starting a story slowly and taking time to introduce characters allows for the audience to connect with and empathize with them, creating a stronger bond.
Creating questions and leaving gaps in the story for the audience to engage with and figure out keeps them interested and invested in the narrative.
While not all main characters need to undergo transformation, it is essential for the story to have transformation, whether through the main character or the impact they have on others.
Transformation in a story is crucial as it serves the purpose of helping the audience understand themselves better and provides insight and growth.
The purpose of storytelling is to facilitate transformation, whether through character development or the evolution of relationships and situations, to offer insight and understanding.

01:27:02

Character transformation key in creating compelling stories.

Stories are watched for transformation, so focus on character change.
Writing a story where the main character changes is clearer and easier.
Characters who don't change but impact others can also be compelling.
In "Queen's Gambit," the main character, though not drastically transformed, grows subtly.
Knowing the character's desires from the start makes writing easier.
Characters' goals can shift during the story, like in "Get Out."
Characters can reveal their desires to the writer during the writing process.
Creating stakes for characters is crucial for building suspense and tension.
Stakes can include survival, love, security, self-actualization, and more.

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