Have you ever gotten really excited by a story idea, but as you started writing it you found yourself getting stuck midway through?
Have you ever felt like your characters weren't doing what you wanted them to do?
Do you feel like your story is falling flat, and like your brilliant idea is somehow getting lost in the journey from your imagination to the page?
Have you read every book on story structure but felt like they were all trying to intellectualize an essentially mysterious process?
Did you wonder if maybe it was you?
It isn't you.
...and you're not alone.
Here's the thing: Most story courses are taught by story analysts, talented left-brainers who may excel at deconstructing stories, but fail miserably at articulating the mysterious process of story creation. Thus, story structure has become a term that many true artists resist.
Examining the final result of a well-told story can be illuminating, but how can anyone other than the artist truly know the process that went into making it? Ultimately, stories are about the human spirit. After all, isn't the goal of any well-told story to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Simply studying the disparate aspects of a classic does not confer onto the reader the magic that went into making it. It would be like examining a cadaver in order to discover what it means to be human.
Story structure is not a formula - and the structure being alluded to is not the plot, but rather the key experiences that lead to your protagonist's transformation.
In other words, character suggests plot. When you let go of trying to figure out your story and begin to explore your protagonist's experiences at key stages in their journey, situations emerge to support those experiences.
In this powerful one-day workshop, through lecture, writing exercises, and one-on-one work with writers to illustrate the principles, I will take you through the process of connecting to the core of your story by marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of structure.
When you let go of approaching story structure as a conceptual model, you will be set free to discover that everything you imagine belongs in your story when you distill it to its nature.
By the end of the day, you will not only have a much clearer understanding of the story you wish to tell but also a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of story creation.
Who is Story Day for?
This workshop is for novelists, screenwriters, show runners, memoirists, producers, directors, song writers, poets, editors, and anyone else with a desire to deepen their understanding of how to build a story.
About the workshop
Watch the class anytime
You are not required to take the workshop live. Many writers have day jobs or commitments during class hours, or sometimes life just gets in the way, therefore this workshop will be recorded and available for viewing for three weeks.
What's the schedule?
Story day is comprised of a morning and afternoon session with a one hour break for lunch.
- Morning - Unlock the Story Within | 10am - 12:30pm PST
- Through writing exercises and one-on-one work with the writers to illustrate the principles, you will connect to the core of your story. You will discover the dilemma that is driving your protagonist and you will begin to connect to their transformation in a clear and dynamic way.
- Afternoon - Story Structure | 1:30pm - 4pm PST
- In this workshop, you will be guided through the key experiences in your protagonist's journey, and discover how they reframe their relationship to their primal desire in order to arrive at their transformed state.
