Both structure and content inform each other as a story develops.
Structure consists of the storyboard of scenes that propel a story to
its conclusion. It's the framework, the outline, the scaffolding for the
decisions of what to present. Content consists of actions that
characters perform within particular settings. These are the events that
bring life to relationships and suspense to the structure.
To build an engaging and satisfying story, overlay a myth as a super-structure. It will act as mile-markers on a highway. Below is an example from the Caucuses consisting of thirteen movements of a powerful, ultimately satisfying story of hubris and punishment. It predates the Greek legend of Prometheus who stole fire and was chained to a rock.
Filmmakers flush-out the movements of stories by filming locations and interviewing actors. They are sketching the settings and characters. For settings, I consider mood and places accessible to me for visits. For characters, I use models of people I knew and adapt them to emphasize a particular characteristic. To make the settings and characters more real, I download images and construct collages. I give them speech by writing an ordinary day where they are introduced to another character.
The collages and sketches inform events and the events are organized into scenes and chapters.
To build an engaging and satisfying story, overlay a myth as a super-structure. It will act as mile-markers on a highway. Below is an example from the Caucuses consisting of thirteen movements of a powerful, ultimately satisfying story of hubris and punishment. It predates the Greek legend of Prometheus who stole fire and was chained to a rock.
While battling evil spirits in his search for a bride, his two brothers were killed, and Amirani attempted suicide, but discovered to his dismay that he returned to life. Thereafter, Amirani abandoned his search for a bride, and empowered by the highest God, he took on another Giant. He is swallowed by the Black Dragon. Amirani cuts the dragon's belly and comes out, and then he takes on highest god himself. In response for his insolence, God punished him in three stages: he fastened Amirani to a post driven deep in the earth, second, God, buried him in chains under a mountain pass, which formed a cave-like dome over him; and third, for one night each year, the mountain opened to reveal Amirani suspended in air where a human attempted in vain to release him, and the mountain closed again in consequence of the excessive talk of woman.In this example the first movement of the story is 'While battling evil spirits in his search for a bride, his two brothers were killed'. The story you are writing will need to reveal the evil spirits: are they bad cops, criminals, corrupt officials, etc? Who or what is the bride?-a woman, a good career, happy life, money, etc.? Who are his two brothers and how were they killed?
Filmmakers flush-out the movements of stories by filming locations and interviewing actors. They are sketching the settings and characters. For settings, I consider mood and places accessible to me for visits. For characters, I use models of people I knew and adapt them to emphasize a particular characteristic. To make the settings and characters more real, I download images and construct collages. I give them speech by writing an ordinary day where they are introduced to another character.
The collages and sketches inform events and the events are organized into scenes and chapters.
My name is Douglas Rugh, and my methods build capacity and increase revenue.
