It’s not everyones cup of tea unless you’re into screenwriting or intrigued by story telling structure like me. But if you’re reading this blog you are probably a writer or at least interested in writing.

In the introduction Yorke comments: “In stories throughout the ages there is one motif that continually occurs – the journey into the woods to find the dark but life-giving secret within. This book attempts to find what lurks at the heart of the forest. All stories begin here.”

Yorke explains: “What an archetypal story does is introduce you to a central character – the protagonist – and invite you to identify with them, effectively they become your avatar in the drama… and something happens to them, and that something is the genesis of the story… the something is almost always a problem, sometimes disguised as an opportunity… that throws your protagonists world out of kilter – an explosion of sorts in the normal steady pace of their lives. The story is the journey they go on to sort out the problem… the problem and the search for the answer provide the framework for stories…”

Yorke’s explanation pretty much sums up all stories. Much of the book is about the structure. All drama is based on conflict between the protagonist and antagonistic forces, driven by the protagonists desire and follows an escalating pattern from inciting incident, to crisis, to climax and resolution. Good writers understand the factual nature of this structure and apply it whether consciously or not at scene, act and story levels.

Interestingly, Yorke tends to advocate a five act structure, more popular in shakespearian times. This is simply a three act structure with the second broken down into three separate acts, the middle act containing the important Mid Point of the story. Yorke describes acts as “a unit of action bound by a characters desire. They have their own beginning, middle and end, the latter of which spins the narrative off in a new and unexpected direction…”

There are plenty of examples to illustrate story shape:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (albeit in 7 Acts)
• Hamlet
• Being John Malkovitch
• My Zinc Bed
• The Godfather
• ET:The Extra Terrestial
• Thelma & Louise

Besides the act structure, there is plenty of good advice about drama in general: “All dramatic structure is built of the chassis of change. Complete change … is commonly called a dramatic arc. Just as stories are made from acts and acts are built from scenes, so each of these units represent a different kind of change… Just as in every story a protagonist battles an antagonist in pursuit of a goal, so scenes replicate that structure… For drama to occur, a protagonist must be confronted with an equal and opposite desire. The goals of the protagonist and antagonist in every scene are in direct conflict.”

And on the importance of turning points: “Every scene has a turning point for one simple reason- scenes exist because they have a turning point. It is why a writer selects them to tell their story: turning points are the units of change, the key moments in a characters life.”

There is lots of useful advice in the book: on the importance of showing and not telling, characters and characterisation, dialogue, sub text, exposition, television series and serial structure and a long discussion on why we love stories. If you’re a successful writer, much of this may sound quite intuitive. If you’re starting your writing career then there is great useful nuggets of advice. John Yorke was the creator of the BBC Writer’s Academy and he has brought a vast array of drama to British screens. And his knowledge of dramatic structure shows.

Tell Me what you think?