Storyteller’s Workbook

Copyright John Eastman ©2010

Contents
Classifications of Human Interests Page 1
Internal and External Wants and Needs Page 1
Character Emotional Range Page 2
The Human Instincts Page 3
The 12 Passions of Man Page 4
Plot Mecanisms Page 5
Story Values Page 6
The 7 Archetypes/Roles Page 7
Classic Story Design Page 8
The Premise/Anti-Premise Page 9
The 3 Truths About Conflict Page 10
Classifications of Human Interests

HEALTH
RICHES
SOCIAL LIFE
BEAUTY
TRUTH

Internal and External Wants and Needs

LOVE
SEX
MONEY
PAIN
ILLNESS
JOY
FEAR
DESPAIR
TRIUMPH
DEATH
CHARACTER EMOTIONAL RANGE:

FEAR
ANXIETY
SURPRISE
ADORATION
HOPE
JOY
BEWILDERMENT
FRUSTRATION
JEALOUSY
HATE
ANGER
COYNESS
DOUBT
INTERROGATION
IMPENDING DISASTER
HILARITY
INTOXICATION
SUSPICION
SELFISHNESS
DEFIANCE
SELF-PITY
ENVY
LOVE
GREED
CONCEIT
THE HUMAN INSTINCTS

The maternal instinct

The instinct of self-preservation
The instinct of protection
The desire to flee
The instinct of fear
The desire to be free from pain
The desire for prestige and distinction
Pride of ownership
The desire to attract
Love of praise
The desire for attention
The desire to dominate
THE TWELVE PASSIONS OF MAN

5 SENSUAL PASSIONS:

GOOD TASTE
TACT
SMELL/ODOUR
VISION
HEARING

4 PASSIONS OF AFFECTION

AMBITION
LOVE
FRIENDSHIP
FAMILY

3 DISTRIBUTIVE PASSIONS

INTRIGUE
UTILISATION OF THE SENSES AND THE SOUL
NEED FOR PERIODIC VARIETY
PLOT MECHANISMS

Outraged Dignity
Creating the Unexpected
Making the Serious Ridiculous
The Weak Outsmarting the Strong
The Transgressor Coming to Grief
Turning the Tables
Unexpected Oportunity to Get Even
Flouting Convention
Reversing Logical Outcome
Slapstick
Getting Out of a Predicament
The Pun (play on words)
The Gag (funny incident)
 STORY VALUES

ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3

CHARACTERIZATION
+
PLOT TWISTS

POSITIVE COMPROMISED NEGATIVE DETRIMENTAL

LOVE INDIFFERENCE HATE HATE MASQUERADING AS LOVE

WEALTHY BROKE BANKRUPT IN DEBT TO A MURDEROUS LOANSHARK

JUSTICE UNFAIRNESS INJUSTICE TYRANNY

TRUTH WHITE LIES LIES SELF-DECEPTION

HEALTHY SICK DEAD UNDEAD

FREE CONSTRAINED IMPRISONED IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP

N.B. The best stories include 2-3 POSITIVE story values

as the story unfolds from P through C,N then D.
You can use these story values to create ironic situations.
The 7 Archetypes/Roles

N.B. One character may play other roles simultaneously.

Therefore you do not require 7 characters in order to
make a story work ;)

HERO
Authentic
Has contradictions
Strong and Resolved
Weak venturing out for the first time
Unsure of himself
Makes the decision to take on the voyage

Role: Find a meaning to life and transmit this to the habitants of his world.

MENTOR
Wise and well spoken
Good-doer and generous
Usually an aged person

Role: Counsels the hero throughout the hero’s voyage – transmits his knowledge
Usually provides gifts to the hero. These gifts help him through his journey.

GUARDIAN OF THE PASSAGE

The obeying, aggressive sbire of the villain

Role: Opposing force of the Hero’s will. Will test the Hero’s Determination.

HERALD
Loyal (usually very honest and truthful)friend of the Hero. Sometimes the Hero’s right-arm man,
sometimes a close collegue or partner.
Role: The Messenger of the Hero – His announcement relates the forthcoming or arrival of the
Hero. The Herald also helps to motivate the Hero.

METAMORPH
Changing of Personalities – not worthy of anyone’s confidence. (Usually a ‘femme fatale’ or
some sort of twisted female character. Not to be trusted)

Role: To test the Hero. This character might play several roles to create confusion.

SHADOW
The dark side…the unknown. Supressed Sentiments.

Role: To keep the Hero from achieving his goal.

The Shadow’s goal is to destroy all hope.

LUDION
The trouble maker.

Role: To point the finger! Absurd and a hypocrite.

Breeds chaos. Serves as a comical story element.
 CLASSIC STORY DESIGN

N.B. Purple highlights represent essential pillars for a solid story.

An ordinary world

ACT 1

Call of the Adventure

Refusal of the Call

Mentor

Arrive on Site

Tests, Allies, Enemies

ACT 2

Approaching the….

The Ultimate Test

The Compensation

ACT3

The Return - unfinished business for the Hero

The Resurrection - Hero’s comeback (reach his goal and surprise the villain)

The Return with the Elixir

The Premise and Anti-Premise

Definition of Premise:

An aim or objective being blocked by an emotional or physical

barrier.

a. leading to action being taken to overcome the barrier

b. resulting in the aim or objective being met

The 3 ‘C’s

Character / Conflict / Conclusion

Aim - Objective Action Reaction to the Action

Bravado leads to its own destruction.

Love conquers even death.
Friendship protects against false ambition.
Jealousy kills the object of its love.
Trustworthiness exists from the good deeds of man.
Sharing knowledge develops into exemplary individuals of society.
Learning math keeps away sharks and thieves of the financial world.

See if you can come up with your own. Think about the meaning of stories you
have read or movies you have seen. Identify their hidden meanings.
The premise is the hidden message of your story, the undertone….the unspoken
truth.
You might discover your premise prior to writing the story. You might discover it
as you write. Either way, it is important that you, the writer, discover what the
premise is and write it down. Fail to find the premise…and your story will not hold
up. It will fail. So google it up and spend some time on this one. It’s quite tricky
because it is never spoken. But it is the underlying current that flows from scene
to scene, page to page, chapter to chapter.

Another important point about finding the premise early on is this. How can you
know what the anti-premise will be without first knowing the premise? Every
premise requires a strong anti-premise.

Remember…as a writer you must…

PROVE THE PREMISE!!

PREMISE: CHARACTER / CONFLICT / CONCLUSION
PREMISE: GOOD BOYS STAY IN SCHOOL.
ANTI-PREMISE: GOOD BOYS NEVER GO TO SCHOOL

SO HERE’S MY STORY: Moonlight Drivers

Synopsis:
An intellectually challenged student Jimmy falls in love with his Math Tutor Sarah. She is
pregnant at the end of summer. Jimmy is forced to Leave school and find work at Pizza Hut to
support the child. Sarah’s family won’t have her quit school over ‘a retarded boy’s baby!’Over
pure pressure,Jimmy and Sarah decide to runaway together on the eve of their
anniversary.Their silver gray station wagon went unseen as it arrowed out across moonlight
drive. The moon lit up the night.

120 Page Manuscript – ‘Moonlight Drivers’

Back Story Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Back Story

Scenes: 20 20 40 20 20

Total Scenes: 120

PROVE THE PREMISE SCENES: 75
PROVE THE ANTI-PREMISE SCENES: 25

So I decided that Jimmy and Sarah will raise their new baby in Mexico City whilst struggling with
their day jobs and each secretly getting their graduate degrees by way of correspondence
academic training over the internet. They return 5 years later to celebrate Bradly,s birthday
(their autistic son) with their family. Baby Bradley is attending a special school on Moonlight
Drive. Jimmy and Sarah opened up this new school to help families in their neighbourhood deal
with the difficulties of raising mentally challenged children ; )

So the premise and anti-premise play it back-and-forth scene-for-scene. At the

end of the story, since the majority of your scenes will have driven home the
premise (or resonates in the scene), the audience will ultimately vouche for it as
well.

Congratulations, you have proven your premise!

One last note about the premise. The underlying truth of your story does not
have to be true in real life. Your premise is only true in the confines and context of
your story. Even so, you must ALWAYS PROVE YOUR PREMISE. And the best
stories are based on real life issues.

Again, NO PREMISE, NO STORY

THE 3 TRUTHS ABOUT CONFLICT

CONFLICT OF INTEREST VS. CONFLICT OF INTEREST = CONFLICT OF INTEREST

CONFLICT OF INTEREST VS. MORALITY = MORALITY

MORALITY VS. MORALITY = MORALITY