Marshall Dotson

Actions and Goals

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 difference 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 takes with these universal story actions, you can create propulsive 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 coming off your most recent bestseller, this groundbreaking storytelling technique is guaranteed to change your perception of story.Actions and Goals will teach you: How to use the actions of your character to structure your story.Why your character's goal should change 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 character faces.How your character's attempt to fulfill a new role propels him through the narrative. 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, you will learn the simple, effective structure at the heart of them all.