Character is Structure: The Insider’s Guide to Screenwriting

This  book seeks to reshape the way that writers think about constructing  their story, looking at the subject from the inside out. Often  practitioners and theorists examine work through the separate lenses of  character and/or structure and then bring them together. Within this  book, authors Hughes and Wilkes argue that character is structure and  one without the other makes for a dissatisfying narrative.

Through detailed case studies on films that span all genres, from mainstream franchises like The Hunger Games (2012-2015) and Shrek (2001-2010) to art house films such as Toto Le Heros (1991) and Eraserhead (1977),  the authors reveal the dramatic imperative behind the central choices  or dilemmas faced by every protagonist in every classic feature length  narrative. They argue there is only one of five choices that any writer  must make in inventing that key transition from the protagonist's  ordinary world into the adventure that will form the heart of their  story.

Using the universal language of folk and fairy stories,  this book gives writers and students a clear framework through which  they can reference and improve their own storytelling. In doing so, it  enables both the novice and experienced screenwriter to tell their story  in the most authentic and impactful way, while keeping their  protagonist at the heart of the narrative.