We may be wired for story, but do we know how stories are structured? by Beth Barany
We may be wired for story, but we often don’t understand its structure or how a story is put together.
The good news is story lives in us unconsciously. The other good news is that we can learn the components of story structure and then apply it to our creative process. Learning story structure is one of the essential building blocks of craft.
Since one of the profound purposes of stories is to allow readers to safely test out possibilities, let’s give them a great ride.
There are lots of story structure models. In this course, we’ll cover five story models, so that you can:
Have more choice in how you plan your stories.
When you understand the building blocks of story, you can have more flexibility in how plan, craft, and edit your stories.
Decide what happens next in your story with your character and plot.
Stories are told in an organic sequence, organic to story and also to your individual story. Readers may not consciously know what’s missing, but they will know when we’ve forgotten or skipped a step, and that will throw them out of the story.
Surprise the reader.
Readers want the same but different. Agents and editors too!
Gain clarity, purpose, and confidence.
Step outside yourself and your story so that you can plan better (if you plan your stories) and can edit better.
Make a personal story road map.
When you understand story arc, character change, and the external circumstances that spark that change, then you can break story structure on purpose. The old “know the rules so you can break them” adage.
In this course, we’ll cover the building blocks of story from several different perspectives, discuss why each is useful, and brainstorm how they can help you plan or edit your story.
You’ll also have an opportunity to share your story’s structure and look at your stories in a new light. This may help you make improvements or come up with new stories.
The story structures we’ll cover include:
- The Three-Act Structure
- The Hero’s Journey
- The Virgin Archetypal Journey
- The 5-Point Plot Structure
- The Five Commandments of Storytelling
Hope to see you there with your creativity, curiosity, and plenty of ink.
SIGN UP HERE
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/outreach-international-online-workshops-registration-form/
Class listing: http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#MAY
*Scroll past the first course to see this course listing.
ABOUT BETH BARANY: YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Hi! I’m Beth Barany, an award-winning novelist, master neurolinguistic programming practitioner, and certified creativity coach for writers.
Through my courses, programs, workshops and consultations, I specialize in helping writers experience clarity, so they can write, revise, and proudly publish their novels to the delight of their readers.
All my courses are packed with useful hands-on information that you can implement right away. I run an online school for fiction writers here and a 12-month group coaching program to help novelists get published here. I also offer consultations for writers here.
