I’m rereading How to Tell a Story: The Secrets of Writing Captivating Tales by Peter Rubie and Gary Provost. While only halfway through, on page 95 of 199 total (not counting the appendices and index), I have already found many pieces of gold.
Published in 1998, this book contains universal rules at work.
For instance, there is this great “Gary Provost Sentence” that has been
expanded into the “Gary Provost Paragraph” which delineates all the plot points
for your story. It’s an awesome tool. Here it is (plot points underlined):
Once upon a time, something happened to someone, and
he decided that he would pursue a goal. So he devised a plan of
action and, even though there were forces trying to stop him, he
moved forward as there was a lot at stake. And just when things seemed as
bad as they could get, he learned an important lesson, and when offered
the prize he had so strenuously sought, he had to decide whether or not
to take it, and in making that decision, he satisfied a need that
had been created by something from his past.
This is classic story structure. Great, huh?
Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy
editor
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