The Architecture of Story
A Technical Guide for the Dramatic Writer
9780226181912
9780226182070
The Architecture of Story
A Technical Guide for the Dramatic Writer
While successful plays tend to share certain storytelling elements, there is no single blueprint for how a play should be constructed. Instead, seasoned playwrights know how to select the right elements for their needs and organize them in a structure that best supports their particular story.
Through his workshops and book The Dramatic Writer’s Companion, Will Dunne has helped thousands of writers develop successful scripts. Now, in The Architecture of Story, he helps writers master the building blocks of dramatic storytelling by analyzing a trio of award-winning contemporary American plays: Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. Dismantling the stories and examining key components from a technical perspective enables writers to approach their own work with an informed understanding of dramatic architecture.
Each self-contained chapter focuses on one storytelling component, ranging from “Title” and “Main Event” to “Emotional Environment” and “Crisis Decision.” Dunne explores each component in detail, demonstrating how it has been successfully handled in each play and comparing and contrasting techniques. The chapters conclude with questions to help writers evaluate and improve their own scripts. The result is a nonlinear reference guide that lets writers work at their own pace and choose the topics that interest them as they develop new scripts. This flexible, interactive structure is designed to meet the needs of writers at all stages of writing and at all levels of experience.
Through his workshops and book The Dramatic Writer’s Companion, Will Dunne has helped thousands of writers develop successful scripts. Now, in The Architecture of Story, he helps writers master the building blocks of dramatic storytelling by analyzing a trio of award-winning contemporary American plays: Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. Dismantling the stories and examining key components from a technical perspective enables writers to approach their own work with an informed understanding of dramatic architecture.
Each self-contained chapter focuses on one storytelling component, ranging from “Title” and “Main Event” to “Emotional Environment” and “Crisis Decision.” Dunne explores each component in detail, demonstrating how it has been successfully handled in each play and comparing and contrasting techniques. The chapters conclude with questions to help writers evaluate and improve their own scripts. The result is a nonlinear reference guide that lets writers work at their own pace and choose the topics that interest them as they develop new scripts. This flexible, interactive structure is designed to meet the needs of writers at all stages of writing and at all levels of experience.
224 pages | 4 tables | 6 x 9 | © 2016
Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
Literature and Literary Criticism: Dramatic Works
Reviews
Table of Contents
About This Guide
The Plays and Playwrights
Technical Considerations
Genre Type of story
Style How characters and events are depicted
Dramatic Focus Main character and point of view
Rules of the Game How things work in this particular story
Framework Act and scene divisions, including French scenes
Stage Directions Instructions for staging the play
Other Script Elements What’s in the script besides the play
The Big Picture
Title Meaning and function of title
Characters Who causes the story to happen
Offstage Population Who influences the story from offstage
Plot Synopsis and chain of events
Character Arcs Character entrances, exits, and transitions
Story Arc and Main Event Most important thing that happens
Subject and Theme What the story is about
Dialogue Language characteristics and indigenous terms
Visual Imagery How images reveal story
World of the Characters
Physical Realm The setting and what’s in it
Emotional Environment General mood or atmosphere
Social Context Key circumstances, values, and beliefs
Laws and Customs Social rules that affect behavior
Economics How characters are influenced by money or lack of it
Power Structure Who is in charge and who isn’t
Spiritual Realm Presence or absence of the supernatural
Backstory The past that affects the present
Steps of the Journey
Point of Attack How the play begins
Inciting Event and Quest What triggers the protagonist’s dramatic journey
Central Conflict Key obstacles to the protagonist’s success
What’s at Stake The protagonist’s reason to act
Strategies and Tactics How the protagonist tries to complete the quest
Pointers and Plants Preparation tools to engage the audience
Reversals Turning points in the story
Crisis Decision The protagonist’s most difficult decision
Climax and Resolution Showdown and final destination
Acknowledgments
The Plays and Playwrights
Technical Considerations
Genre Type of story
Style How characters and events are depicted
Dramatic Focus Main character and point of view
Rules of the Game How things work in this particular story
Framework Act and scene divisions, including French scenes
Stage Directions Instructions for staging the play
Other Script Elements What’s in the script besides the play
The Big Picture
Title Meaning and function of title
Characters Who causes the story to happen
Offstage Population Who influences the story from offstage
Plot Synopsis and chain of events
Character Arcs Character entrances, exits, and transitions
Story Arc and Main Event Most important thing that happens
Subject and Theme What the story is about
Dialogue Language characteristics and indigenous terms
Visual Imagery How images reveal story
World of the Characters
Physical Realm The setting and what’s in it
Emotional Environment General mood or atmosphere
Social Context Key circumstances, values, and beliefs
Laws and Customs Social rules that affect behavior
Economics How characters are influenced by money or lack of it
Power Structure Who is in charge and who isn’t
Spiritual Realm Presence or absence of the supernatural
Backstory The past that affects the present
Steps of the Journey
Point of Attack How the play begins
Inciting Event and Quest What triggers the protagonist’s dramatic journey
Central Conflict Key obstacles to the protagonist’s success
What’s at Stake The protagonist’s reason to act
Strategies and Tactics How the protagonist tries to complete the quest
Pointers and Plants Preparation tools to engage the audience
Reversals Turning points in the story
Crisis Decision The protagonist’s most difficult decision
Climax and Resolution Showdown and final destination
Acknowledgments