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Writers Workshop Notes - 20/10/2012
Oct. 21st, 2012 01:12 pmYesterday I went to a workshop by BBC Writers' Room, held at the National Media Museum in Bradford
The blurb said: Mark Catley (screenwriter and playwright) and Henry Swindell (New Writing Manager, BBC writersroom North) will examine the universality of storytelling structure and help writers create a useful template for making sure their narrative is as strong as it can be, before they start writing it.
There was nothing new here, especially for anyone familiar with Joseph Campbell's 'Hero' with a Thousand Faces,' and Vogler's subsequent 'The Writer's Journey,' (book blogged by me here) but as a two hour workshop it was a good distillation of ideas. Note this was a workshop aimed at scriptwriters. Usual warnings apply about taking any advice as a prescription. (As indeed apply to Vogler's work.)
The workshop was delivered primarily by Henry and based on 8 essential components of the drama and 10 questions. I have more detailed notes, but the headers will suffice to give you a flavour.
Eight Components
1. A protagonist.
2. A desire. What does the protagonist want?
3. An inciting incident.
4. An antagonist/antagonism or obstacles.
5. A journey, internal or external.
6. An internal or external crisis.
7. A climax.
8. A resolution.
Ten Questions
1. Whose story is it?
2. What emotional state are they in at the beginning?
3. What is the inciting incident? What end-scene does it prefigure?
4. What does the character want?
5. What obstacles are there? Do they confront the character's flaw?
6. What's at stake?
7. Why should we care?
8. What does the character learn? How do they change?
9. What is the key event or conflict they resolve?
10. How does it end? Does it pay off the inciting incident?
I've already said it, but they reinforced the warning: Don't use the ten questions to build a prescriptive story. Get your great idea first and then test it against the ten questions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Right now the BBC is reading scripts. Henry assured us that they're being read by professional writers, not the work experience kid. Send scripts (one at a time) by 31 October (hard copy only). A team of readers will read at least the first ten pages. In addition to this reading period they usually have a couple of months window each year during which you can submit.
More information from www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom
The blurb said: Mark Catley (screenwriter and playwright) and Henry Swindell (New Writing Manager, BBC writersroom North) will examine the universality of storytelling structure and help writers create a useful template for making sure their narrative is as strong as it can be, before they start writing it.
There was nothing new here, especially for anyone familiar with Joseph Campbell's 'Hero' with a Thousand Faces,' and Vogler's subsequent 'The Writer's Journey,' (book blogged by me here) but as a two hour workshop it was a good distillation of ideas. Note this was a workshop aimed at scriptwriters. Usual warnings apply about taking any advice as a prescription. (As indeed apply to Vogler's work.)
The workshop was delivered primarily by Henry and based on 8 essential components of the drama and 10 questions. I have more detailed notes, but the headers will suffice to give you a flavour.
Eight Components
1. A protagonist.
2. A desire. What does the protagonist want?
3. An inciting incident.
4. An antagonist/antagonism or obstacles.
5. A journey, internal or external.
6. An internal or external crisis.
7. A climax.
8. A resolution.
Ten Questions
1. Whose story is it?
2. What emotional state are they in at the beginning?
3. What is the inciting incident? What end-scene does it prefigure?
4. What does the character want?
5. What obstacles are there? Do they confront the character's flaw?
6. What's at stake?
7. Why should we care?
8. What does the character learn? How do they change?
9. What is the key event or conflict they resolve?
10. How does it end? Does it pay off the inciting incident?
I've already said it, but they reinforced the warning: Don't use the ten questions to build a prescriptive story. Get your great idea first and then test it against the ten questions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Right now the BBC is reading scripts. Henry assured us that they're being read by professional writers, not the work experience kid. Send scripts (one at a time) by 31 October (hard copy only). A team of readers will read at least the first ten pages. In addition to this reading period they usually have a couple of months window each year during which you can submit.
More information from www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom
