This is Story Fanatic, a collection of articles covering story structure and analysis for
creative writers. Published weekly.
The ease with which visual conflict plays out on-screen leads filmmakers towards visiting familiar territory. Conflict exists, however, in both the external and internal domains. Rarely traversed, this realm of within offers those in the cinematic arts an opportunity to try something new.
Great stories engage audiences on an emotional level unheard of in lesser mediums of communication. By creating an intimate portrayal of one character struggling to resolve a problem, writers of these great stories insure audience engagement and empathy. The key lies in effectively defining this struggle and focusing it one specific area of conflict.
Understanding how conflict plays out within a complete story allows a writer the opportunity to dive into relatively untouched areas of storytelling. Instead of focusing on the well-worn paths of how a character looks or what they think, the adventurous author takes their Main Character into the realm of deficient psychology. In other words, they write personal journeys of struggle against how a character thinks and comes about conclusions.
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Not every Hero is created the same. While on the surface they may appear to be interchangeable passengers on the same transformational “journey”, the truth is that deep down, they carry their own unique set of circumstances and issues that differentiate themselves from each other. Stories are complicated yet sophisticated beasts, they deserve as much then in our understanding of them.
Authors often come to this site in search of specific information regarding the particular structures of a short story. In working with several students over the years to bring meaning to their short films, it becomes quite apparent that the most successful endeavors are those that simply sample a slice of what could be a full-length feature. By hinting at something more beyond the pale, filmmakers and Authors can entice their respective audiences to engage throughly with their work.
Whether you find yourself barreling down an intergalactic trench at top speeds, or you find yourself twirling around and around and around in again in the hopes of measuring up to the stiffest competition around, the problem at the heart of your struggle may turn out to be the very same thing. For Luke Skywalker and Nina Sayers this possibility becomes a certainty. Their stories at large may be vastly different, but their internal struggles are one and the same.
Characters need to have goals, right? If they don’t the Audience won’t know what the character is all about. At least, that is the common perception. Unfortunately, giving a character a goal without fully integrating it into the structure of a story leads a work of narrative fiction open to all sorts of tragic issues.
The first in a series of 2-minute instructional videos that cover the often discussed, yet unfortunately misunderstood concept of “character arc.” And what better way to start off this new channel on StoryFanatic then to cover the classic meta-hero from Star Wars, Luke Skywalker. Future installments will feature even more complex characters, but each will maintain the short bite-sized approach to understanding story structure.