10 questions every writer should ask their story

john yorke, into the woods, tv producer, story for bvusiness, screenwriting, story for tv, creative skillset, university of the arts london, ma drmatic writing,c ompany pictures, BBC

You've written your story, now how can you test whether or not it's as good as it can be? John Yorke recommends asking 10 questions to check you've got your story straight: an approach as relevant to business stories as it is to dramatic narratives.

John discussed the ten questions every writer should ask to test their story during a recent online workshop. In this clip, he applies the questions to two popular films: Aliens and Pixar’s Inside Out – though it can easily be applied to factual content, video games, and business communications. See full video below.

Q1

Whose story is this?

Aliens – Ripley’s

Inside Out – Joy’s

Q2

What do they need? (Flaw)

Aliens – Failure as a mother

Inside Out – To understand life can’t be constantly happy

Q3

What is the inciting incident?

Aliens – The news that colonists are being killed, and the opportunity of revenge

Inside Out – Being cast out of HQ with Sadness

Q4

What does the protagonist want?

Aliens – To kill the Aliens (to atone for dead daughter)

Inside Out – To get back to HQ

Q5

What obstacles are in the way?

Aliens – Aliens, the military, the company, her own inner fears

Inside Out – She doesn’t know the way, or understand she needs to listen to Sadness too

Q6

What’s at stake?

Aliens – Her life and civilisation

Inside Out – Her existence – Riley’s happiness

Q7

Why should we care?

Aliens – She’s selfless (and loves her cat)

Inside Out – She’s funny and smart – has the best interests of Riley at heart

Q8

What do they learn?

Aliens – The strength and resilience within – she can be a good mother

Inside Out – To embrace Sadness and accept life is infinitely better if you do

Q9

How and why do they learn this?

Aliens – She rescues Newt from the jaws of the Alien

Inside Out – Can’t bridge the chasm without the help of Sadness

Q10

How does the story end?

Aliens – She destroys the Aliens

Inside Out – Home, with Sadness at the controls

John Yorke is the UK’s foremost expert on story structure.

His long and distinguished career in TV drama has given him the tools to identify the underlying shape common to all successful narratives, and his bestselling book Into The Woods explains why stories are key to all successful communication, from ads to political speeches.

Find out more about John on his team page.

How to master five-act structure

We work closely with all our students, and often go through topics in detail to help them better grasp them. In this one-to-one session, the John Yorke Story team work with a screenwriter as she masters some of the core elements of five-act structure: inciting incidents, moments of hope and despair, and the point of no return.

Three steps to the perfect inciting incident

Could your inciting incident be the reason your script is rejected? John Yorke Story tutor Kieran Grimes, script editor for EastEnders and story developer for the award-winning TV3/BBC police series Red Rock, explains the top three ways to ensure your inciting incident is effective and engaging.

Five tips to improve the structure of your script

What are the rookie structural issues new screenwriters struggle with? John Yorke Story tutor Kieran Grimes, script editor for EastEnders and story developer for the award-winning TV3/BBC police series Red Rock, explains the top structural points to master to make your script better.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »



Uploaded by John Yorke Story Team

}

Start:	17 January 2022
Duration:	16 weeks
Sessions:	7
Price:	£900

Start:	17 January 2022
Duration:	16 weeks
Sessions:	7
Price:	£900

10 questions every writer should ask their story