The Story Structure Secret: Actions and Goals (Plotting a Novel or Screenplay Using Character Actions) / Dotson, Marshall

Story structure made ridiculously easy!

How is A Game of Thrones the same story as The Lego Movie? How is the mind-bending plot of Inception identical to the terse narrative of Gravity? In what way is Clarice Starling’s struggle to silence the lambs indistinguishable from Harry Potter’s pursuit of the philosopher’s stone? Despite the striking differences in these stories, they share a less conspicuous similarity: they’re all structured on a universal pattern of actions undertaken by their characters.

This sequence of six Actions and Goals is the hidden foundation of modern story structure. By aligning the unique actions your characters take with these universal story actions, you can easily create compelling narratives that grab your audience by the lapels and punch them in the face (figuratively, of course). Whether you’re writing for television or plotting a novel, penning your first screenplay or following up your latest bestseller, this groundbreaking storytelling technique will revolutionize your writing process.

Actions and Goals will teach you:

How to use the actions of your characters to structure your story.
How your character’s goal should evolve as the story progresses.
The five turning points and the decision your character must make at each one.
How a conflict of ideals creates the opposition your characters face.
How your character’s attempt to fill a new role propels them through the story.

Successful storytellers understand the importance of structure.Actions and Goals gives you beat-by-beat examples of this structural secret at work in over a dozen critically acclaimed novels and films. From The Hunger Games to The Empire Strikes Back, from Titanic to Iron Man, learn the innovative, action-oriented structure at the heart of them all!

Be sure to follow the link in the “In Conclusion” section to download the free outline templates!

Reader Praise for Actions and Goals

“I’ve read a lot of books on structure, but this one tops the list.”

“This book should be in every author's toolkit. Dotson creates a road map and explains it better than anyone I've read so far.”

“I have a library of screenwriting books I've bought on Kindle and this is one I return to.”

“This type of structuring system makes a lot more sense than the other, more traditional types of story structure.”

“This is the best book on story structure I've read so far.”

“I can't say enough about this book. I couldn't have devoted the time it took to do this. And, even if I had the time, I couldn't have written it any better than Dotson.”

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