edX
Story Structure: 8 Essentials for Outlining Your Novel or Script
4.3(203)6k students
Korshub's take
Story Structure That Drives Emotional Payoff
Writers of every flavor struggle with the same problem: how to build a compelling arc from chaos. This class offers eight essential story points that work across genres, whether you're writing a novel, screenplay, or anything in between. Each lesson explores one point in the context of a three-act structure, then shows how successful stories have used it. You'll study examples, then outline your own story using the framework. The class pairs this with a note: character drives story just as much as plot does. The class works best paired with the instructor's companion course on protagonist development, but it stands alone as a clear map through structural confusion.
About this course
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing story, but having nowhere to start can be intimidating. Whether you're a panster or a plotter, novelist or screenwriter, these eight essential story points will help you define the heart of your story and build your conflict towards the most emotionally satisfying climax.
Each lesson will go over one of the eight essential story points, putting it into context within a three-act structure and giving you tips on how to utilize it for your unique story. You will also have the opportunity to see how these points have been used in successful stories of varying genres. Your class project will be an outline of your own story, using these eight points.
No story, however, is 100% plot-driven. Character must be taken into account as well! For the best results, pair this course with my other writing class, Making A Hero: Protagonist Development for Film & Fiction.
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