27 Essential Principles of Story Master the Secrets of Great Storytelling, from Shakespeare to South Park

by Rubin, Daniel Joshua

• ISBN13: 9781523507160
• ISBN10: 1523507160
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2020-08-18
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

Summary

“So often people ask me if there’s a book on story I can recommend. This is the one. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”––Alexa Junge, writer/producer, Friends, Sex and the City, The West Wing
 
A master class of 27 lessons, drawn from 27 diverse narratives, for novelists, storytellers, filmmakers, graphic designers, and more. Author Daniel Joshua Rubin unlocks the secrets of what makes a story work, and then shows how to understand and use these principles in your own writing. The result is “an invaluable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), offering priceless advice like escalate risk, with an example from Pulp Fiction. Write characters to the top of their intelligence, from the Eminem song “Stan.” Earn transformations, from Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. Attack your theme, from The Brothers Karamazov. Insightful, encouraging, filled with attitude, and, as Booklist puts it, “perfect for any writer looking to ensure their stories operate and resonate at the top of their potential,” this book gives contemporary storytellers of all kinds a lifeline of inspiration and relatable instruction.
 
“[The] new bible of lessons and practices for creators.”––Library Journal
 
“Not a ‘how-to,’ thank God, but a ‘here’s why.’ Writers of all levels of experience will benefit from reading––and then rereading––this elegant exploration of the principles of storytelling.”––Traci Letts, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright
 
“A godsend for storytellers in all media. It will help you decide what to write and then show you, step by step, how to tackle virtually any problem you face.”––Anna D. Shapiro, Tony Award-winning director, August: Osage County

 
 

Author Biography

Daniel Joshua Rubin is a multimedia writer and founder of Story 27 in Evanston, Illinois, a writing studio that provides consulting and education to storytellers in all media. He has taught dramatic writing at Loyola University in Chicago, and at the University of California, San Diego, and has written for television (NBC, the WB); new media (The Motley Fool, National Lampoon); and theater (with plays produced at Steppenwolf in Chicago, off-Broadway in NYC, and on the West End of London). He is a dedicated story scholar with a deep interest the role narrative plays in personal development, business, investing and politics. Rubin has an MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, and a BS in Drama Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now lives in Evanston, IL.

Table of Contents

27 Essential Principles of Story
 
Contents
 
Introduction
 
Part One: Essential Principles of Plot

1. Drop the hammer. (Hamlet—Shakespeare play)
2. Ask dramatic questions. (Finding Nemo—Pixar film)
3. Explore all endings. (The Night Of—HBO series)
4. Escalate risk. (Pulp Fiction—Quentin Tarantino film)
5. Base units of action on change. (The Producers—Mel Brooks comedy)
6. Connect with “therefore” not “and.” (South Park, “Breast Cancer Show Ever”—TV episode)
7. Break hell loose in the middle. (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy—Will Ferrell comedyfilm)
8. Begin the end with a no-turning-back point. (Frankenstein—Mary Shelley novel)
9. Build inexorably to hero’s final act. (The Godfather, Part I and II—Francis Ford Coppola films)
10. Wrap up fast. (Late Spring —Yosujiro Ozu film)

 
Part Two: Essential Principles of Character

1. Give hero an iron will. (Red Dead Redemption—video game)
2. Make hero active and decisive. (Modern Times—Charlie Chaplin film)
3. Clash expectation with reality. (Breaking Bad, “Dead Freight”—TV episode)
4. Provoke dilemma. (The Best of Times, The Worst of Times—The Moth story by Anthony Griffith)
5. Layer conflict. (Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan—Marvel comic)
6. Write characters to top of intelligence. (Stan—Eminem song)
7. Peel the onion. (Interpreter of Maladies—Jhumpa Lahiri story)
8. Create antagonists as heroes. (The Piano Lesson—August Wilson play)
9. Confront evil. (The Lottery—Shirley Jackson story)

 
Part Three: Essential Principles of Theme, Dialogue and Setting

1. Hunt big game. (Memories of Murder—South Korean film by Bong Joon-ho)
2. Leave room for interpretation. (Let the Right One In—Swedish film by John Ajvide Lindquist)
3. Develop ideas with varied call backs. (Double Indemnity—Billy Wilder film)
4. Attack your theme. (The Brothers Karamazov—Dostoevsky novel)
5. Infuse dialogue with intention. (Death of a Salesman—Arthur Miller play)
6. Hide meaning. (Remains of the Day—Ruth Prawer Jhabvala film based on Ishiguro novel)
7. Link inextricably to your setting. (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao—Junot Diaz novel)
8. Rule your world. (Harry Potter—JK Rowling book series)

 
Conclusion