HOW TO WRITE A

STORY?
What’s your idea?
It should have a HOOK.
It should be HIGH CONCEPT.

high concept: adj. a story based on a striking

and easily communicable plot or idea
(Oxford English Dictionary)
 Awesome ideas.
• A cop who has to kill robots might be a robot himself.

• During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows
its cloned dinosaurs to run amok.

• A suicidal family man is given the opportunity to see what the world would be like if
he had never been born.

• A guy who complains about God too often is given almighty powers to teach him
how difficult it is to run the world.

• After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a

bloodthirsty gang of vampires.
You need a PLOT and a STORY.
 Plot
• the hero WANTING something
• one event causing another

Story
• the hero NEEDING something revealing the hero’s character
Your one-line idea, or LOGLINE, should include
or suggest these three elements:

Someone (the hero) wants something (the goal)

but is blocked by something (the adversary).
LOGLINES
• An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to
France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.

• A cowboy toy is profoundly threatened and jealous when a fancy

spaceman toy supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.

• A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

• A naive young man battles heartless authorities to protect the life of his
girlfriend when it’s revealed that she’s not human— she’s a mermaid.
Your idea in one
word.
revenge.
family.
character.
Who’s your
hero?
To define your hero, ask:
What does he WANT?
What does he NEED?
A WANT is external.
A NEED is internal.
WANTS: Parents to Meet

NEEDS: Courage
 WANTS: Money

NEEDS: Trust/Love
 WANTS: Tomorrow

NEEDS: To Appreciate Today

WANTS: To Defeat Doc Ock

NEEDS: Confidence
What’s his FLAW?
[What he NEEDS is related to his FLAW.]
FEAR.
INDECISION..
SELF-DOUBT.
Who’s the adversary?
 [Note: They might not be a villain.]

An adversary embodies the

hero’s FLAW. An adversary
forces the hero to face his
FLAW.
Adversary.
ADVERSARY.
ADVERSARY.
STRUCTURE
Most films (and many stories) have THREE
ACTS.
• Each ACT is made up of SEQUENCES.
• Each SEQUENCE is made up of SCENES.
• Each SCENE is made up of BEATS
MOVIE

ACT ACT ACT

SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE

SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE

BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
 Beat
• the smallest unit in a script/story
• an exchange of action & reaction
 Scene
• a continuous action in a specific location
• functions as a mini-story
• has a protagonist with a goal
• the protagonists must face an obstacle
• a scene either moves the story forward or
• reveals info about the character
 Sequence
• several scenes that build up to a bigger
climax
• each sequence has a mini-goal
• sequences end in turning points
• turning point = a goal achieved or lost
• turning point = the story changing direction
 Act
• several sequences that build up to a climax
• the climax is a major turning point stories
also tend to have the following SIGNPOSTS
A day in the life.
Show us what the hero’s world is like, introduce all
the main characters, introduce the hero’s flaw(s).
The SPARK!
Something happens and the hero’s world is FLIPPED
ON ITS HEAD. This is where the HOOK comes in. You
can also consider this THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.
Do I Stay or Do I Go?
The hero must decide whether to embark on this
adventure (or take this new opportunity). 99% of the
time she will REFUSE INITIALLY and something will
drive her to make the decision and GO!
Into the New World
The hero (boldly) ventures into the new world, which
is the OPPOSITE of the world she’s lived in up to this
point.
What is love?
The new world often comes with a few new
characters, including the LOVE INTEREST. He usually
represents what the hero NEEDS.
Melt Their Faces Off
Remember that awesome HOOK you thought up?
Pay it off here. The hero has fun with her new
situation. The audience should LOVE this part.
Crossing the Rubicon
In other words, this is the POINT OF NO RETURN. The
hero must do something which she can’t undo, which
will soon plunge her into the NIGHTMARE... but not
quite yet.
False Victory
The hero gets a moment of clarity, and everything
seems like it’s going to be okay – she’s going to
prevail...
[Note: sometimes this is False Defeat.]
Long Journey Into Night
Things go from bad to worse. The villains come back,
way more powerful than before. The hero’s losing
her external battle and internal battle (which often
means the love interest leaves).
Rock Bottom
Things could not get worse. The villains seem
unstoppable. All hope is lost. The love interest ditched
the hero (usually because of the hero’s FLAW). And
just when things are at their most hopeless...
From the Ashes
the hero realizes her flaw, learns her lesson, and
formulates a plan to defeat the villain. Here’s where
the A story (the main plot) and the B story (often the
love interest) meet.
Time to Kick Ass!
The hero faces the villain, who is at their strongest...
and WINS! By winning she has now CHANGED THE
WORLD. The hero is now older and wiser. And every
major character HAS CHANGED.
Signposts

ACT ONE

• Day In the Life

• The SPARK!
• Do I Stay or Do I Go?
• Into the New World!
ACT TWO

• What Is Love?
• Melt Their Faces Off
• Crossing the Rubicon
(Midpoint)
• False Victory
• Long Journey Into Night
• Rock Bottom
• From the Ashes
ACT THREE
• Time to Kick Ass!

Focus on your outline.

Use the signposts to help guide your story. Stories/Scripts ARE
structure. Iron out structure before you dive into the writing.
 Checklist
✓ You have an awesome idea that’s easy to communicate.
✓ Your hero is awesome and likable.
✓ She wants something that’s tangible, and she wants it BAD.
✓ She is flawed and needs to change if she’s to succeed.
✓ Her adversary is formidable.
✓ Every scene has conflict.
✓ Obstacles get harder and harder.
✓ Stakes get higher and higher.
✓ Every major character changes by the end.
✓ The turning points should be SURPRISING BUT INEVITABLE.
 Common Mistakes
• Your hero is too passive.
• Your main character has too many friends.
• You have a few (or many) scenes that lack conflict.
• Your characters don’t all change (or learn something).
• You have too much exposition, and are telling, not showing.
• Your scenes are way too long.
• Every character sounds the same.
• The stakes aren’t high enough.