Jonathan Young

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People often think that creating a story happens in a similar way to how we consume them – where one exciting thing follows another from start to finish. But in fact, crafting a truly satisfying story requires a fundamentally different, structural approach that takes into account why human beings love and need stories so much. 

 

Your skeleton is invisible, but without it you’d have no form or function. Similarly, all good stories have hidden structures that are fundamental to their success, structures that create meaning. 

 

This week will be about learning these specific structural tools and ways of thinking about story, and then using these tools simply and rigorously to develop your own original story from first idea to basic outline.

 

The course is suitable for anyone who wants to learn how to craft compelling, dramatic or comic stories – fiction and non-fiction writers, storytellers, playwrights, theatre-makers and screenwriters. It is an introduction and overview that teaches the habits of mind you will need to become a successful teller of stories; the rest is practice and application. 

 

During the first half of each afternoon, we will cover the fundamental principles of how to create original stories through tuition, discussion, exercises and examples from film, theatre and fiction; in the second half of each session, we will focus on helping each person develop and refine their own story idea through exercises, coaching and additional teaching. Exercises will be set each day, outside of class. 

 

You do not need to start the week with a story idea, however, you are welcome to bring an idea you are already working on.