Introduction to Story Obsession

This blog will be a weekly study on STORY. It will begin on 1/16/12.

It will focus on critically breaking down stories well known to the popular audience. Movies, novels, and video games are all fair game. I will focus on STRUCTURE and PURPOSE.

STRUCTURE: Stories are made of ACTS, which break down into SEQUENCES and then SCENES.

I will delineate acts, and scenes within those acts. For each scene, I will identify turning points. Each scene will involve a TURN of universal values on positive/negative charge. I will also identify these values.

(When the time comes, I will make clear how I am applying these dramatic units to the novel and video games)

PURPOSE: The purpose of a narrative is to set forth a sequence of events that change, via INCREASING CONFLICT. Two things hold audience attention as the story progresses, so that the dramatic turns can work their magic: CONCERN for characters and CURIOSITY about what will happen next. Ultimately, the audience will see the story's conflict resolved (either through success of failure of protagonist), and look back on the sequence of STORY EVENTS (turns) to perceive a CENTRAL THEME, and possible secondary themes.

In analyzing each scene, I will also sum up the narrative purpose that scene may serve. Or, point out the lack thereof. This will be in terms of not just scene-by-scene turns, but also how the story encourages concern and curiosity in the audience to maintain interest.

Overall, I will attempt to identify the central theme, and how that theme is supported by the narrative. I will also identify the main sources of conflict, and how they manifest in the dramatic action.

Intended future breakdowns:

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway, ALIENS by James Cameron et al., THE MATRIX by The Wachowski brothers et al., THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins, and MASS EFFECT by BioWare Inc.

I will see you on 1/16/12 with my first post: a Story Obsession critical breakdown of THE MATRIX.

I will follow with a new breakdown each week. In a victory for internet trolls everywhere, I will in the future link to my own writing so that you can see how I try to enact the principles of narrative craft, and keep me honest.

-D. Elliot Lamb
@delliotlamb on Twitter
delliotlamb@gmail.com


Excellent companion sites:
http://www.storylogue.com/
http://storycharts.ca/

Excellent Companion Works:
Story by Robert McKee

I DO NOT OWN RIGHTS TO THE WORKS CRITIQUED, AND WILL NOT POST COPYRIGHTED CONTENT FROM ANALYZED WORKS. ANY REFERENCE TO COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL WILL BE FOR ACADEMIC STUDY PURPOSES ONLY.

I WILL BE REVEALING PLOT DETAILS OF THE WORKS STUDIED. IF ANYONE COMPLAINS ABOUT A LACK OF "SPOILER ALERTS," EXPECT A SPIRITED BODY OF INSULTS FROM ME.