Storytelling 1 – Beginner – All you need to write stories

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Storytelling - 1. Essentials
PDF, 101 pages
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How to write a story

This tutorial explains what a plot, a character and a narrative structure are and how to build them, then how to add a layer of drama effects over it.

Designed and written for the beginners and the curious, it presents simply and clearly the basic knowledge one needs to analyze or write stories, in any media, any art, any size, any style, in scriptwriting, screenwriting, playwriting, songwriting…

The tutorial Storytelling – Introduction gives you free samples of what this Storytelling 1 – Beginner tutorial is providing you in a much more developed version.

If you need to make more complex stories or to get to know more about working with plots and characters you can continue reading Storytelling 2 – Advanced aimed at experienced artists and professionals in analysis, critique and creation.

 The art of telling stories

You feel a drive to express yourself into a narrative universe, you have things to tell to an audience? Great.

So what is it you want to write?

  • An experimental novel about the ecological crisis seen from the animals?
  • A movie about the life of a bankster, told in a destructured way like Pulp Fiction?
  • An album of techno like Skrillex melt with classical music?
  • A tale for children like The little prince?
  • An ad for the cause of…
  • A communication campaign?

OK. So I have 2 pieces of news for you, one good and one bad:

The bad news, is that you can probably write this story, but nothing guarantees it will reach the quality that is needed to be liked and appreciated by a significant audience. Who wants to write for nobody?

Unfortunately, basic skills are not powerful enough when it is about the pleasure to create an original artwork. And competition is strong – there are millions of available artworks, no
audience is especially asking for ours.

The good news, is that we are all skilled in the art of telling stories, so we just have to learn a few rules to raise our level up:

  • Rules about the objects of a story: the plots and characters, special effects
  • Rules about storytelling as a way to convey ideas.
  • Rules about narrative architectures.
  • When we know those rules, we have the right tools to design stories.

Table of Contents

1. The Plot

1. Why learning?

  • Everybody tells
  • Towards pro, complex stories
  • Learn the rules, mix them, break them!
  • Telling: a human basic need
  • Stories to share, understand, plan…
  • Everything is tellable
Storytelling-1- Towards pro, complex stories
Storytelling-1- Towards pro, complex stories

2. What is a story?

  • Story is dynamics
  • Story is told to an audience
  • Story generates a message
  • Story is performative
  • What storytelling can do
  • Stories = plots and characters

3. How to write actions?

  • Definitions
  • The standard plot structure

2. The Characters

1. How to build the main character?

  • The royal way to the audience
  • Identification: our main tool
  • Opposition: our main rule
  • Heroes and Enemies
  • What is a character made of?
  • Functional zones
  • Functional properties
  • Goal (and subgoals)
  • Motivations
  • Strengths and weaknesses
  • Theme properties
  • Examples of character properties
  • Analysis: „Road runner“
Storytelling-1- Characters functional zones
Storytelling-1- Characters functional zones

2. How to build characters sets?

  • Functional roles and character sets
  • The standard set of characters
  • Examples of sets of characters
  • How to develop characters?

3. Multiple plot stories

  • How to mix and arrange plots to create narrative architectures
  • From simple plots to complex plots
  • Parallel / interlaced plots
  • Crossed plots
  • Factorial plots
  • Included plots
  • Series of plots
  • Plot structures: make yours!
  • The problem of transitions
  • Contrast and harmony
  • How to build a plot structure?
Storytelling-1 - Included plots
Storytelling-1 – Included plots

4. Drama effects

1. How to improve the telling with effects

  • General principles

2. How to distribute information among the characters

3. A few special effects and tricks to be applied to your plots

  • Effects and Tricks
  • Distribute information and make effects

Enjoy your reading !

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