Topic: Writing Screenplays

Ten-second review: “Follow this 9-step guide to crafting a compelling 3-act tale.”

Title: “Create the Right Screenplay Structure.” Paula Brancato. The Writer (August 2009), 44-45.

Summary:

. “Set up your protagonist.” Reveal the main character.

. “Blow your protagonist out of the water.”

. “Create a false hope in the protagonist.”

. “Define the Holy Grail for the protagonist.”

. “Now build the antagonist.”

. “Create a turnabout and failure.”

. “Force your protagonist to hit bottom.”

. “Create a satisfying resolution.”

.”Get the heck outta there.” “The best stories feel, at the end, like an open window. They leave the audience wanting more.”

Comment: I checked this structure against one of my favorite movies, North by Northwest, with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. It pretty much fits the steps in the plot. RayS.