Part I
OVERVIEW
Chapter 1: This Book, Its Goals, and Getting Started
You and Your Resources
Why We Work in Outline Form
Ideation and Originality
Identifying with the Main Character
Jump-Starting the Imagination
The Assignments
Concerning the Writing Samples
Having Fun
This Bookâs Layout and Goals
Getting Started
The game called CLOSAT
Chapter 2: You and the Creative Process
The Journey of the Self
Wanting to Tell Stories
Self-Exposure and Giving Support
What is Therapy and What Is Art?
What Stories Mean
Theme and Variation
Just Do It
Outline and Expansion
Collaboration
Part II
SELF-EXAMINATION, OBSERVATION,
AND IMPROVISATION ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter 3: Artistic Identity
Displacement
Assignment 3-1: Survey of Yourself and Your Authorial Goals
Assignment 3-2: Presenting Yourself and Your Storytelling Goals
Assignment 3-3 Listening and Reacting
Going Farther
Chapter 4: Introductions and Playing "CLOSAT"
Improvising
Maintaining Focus
Pitching
If You are Working Alone
Assignment 4-1: Five-Minute Self-Introduction.
Assignment 4-2: Play the CLOSAT game.
Assignment 4-3: Develop your Own Pitching Guidelines.
General discussion
Chapter 5: Autobiography and Inï¬uences
Assignment 5-1: Autobiographical Survey
Assignment 5-2: Presenting your influences.
Chapter 6: Observing from Life
Assignment 6-1: CLOSAT preparatory work and the writerâs journal
Assignment 6-2: CLOSAT with 2 characters, 1 location and 1 Object
Assignment 6-3: CLOSAT with 3 Characters, 2 objects, an act and a theme
Going Farther
Assignment 6-4: CLOSAT Variations for a Group/Class
The Power of Imagery.
Going Farther
Part III
USING THE TOOLS OF DRAMA
Chapter 7: Developing Your Characters and the Dramatistâs Toolkit
Checklist for Developing Your Characters
The Tools of the Dramatist
Tools #1â"4, Four Hats
Tool #5, the Questionnaire
Tool #6, the Diving Mask
Tool #7, the Key (the Dramatic Premise)
Tool #8, the Pressure Meter (Detects and Measures Conflict)
Tool #9, the Stopwatch (Represents Time Progressing)
Tool #10, the Cake Slice (Separates Drama into its Components)
Tool #11, the Set of Boxes (Representing the Three-Act Structure.)
Tool #12, the Telescope (Finding Point of View)
Chapter 8: Analyzing a Scene
Using tool #5, the Questionnaire
Using tool #6, the Diving Mask.
Using tool #7, the Key (finding a dramatic premise)
Using tool #8, the Pressure Meter (Detects and Measures Conflict)
Using tool #9, the Stopwatch (Represents Time Progressing)
An Analogy for Drama
Using tool # 10, the Cake-Slice (Separating Drama into its Components)
Assignment 8-1: Character and Destiny
Assignment 8-2: Volition and Point of View
Assignment 8-3: Acting on volition.
Assignment 8-4: Scene Divisions for "The Fishermanâs Wife."
The Fishermanâs Wife
Chapter 9: Assessing a Complete Work
Using tool #11, the Set of Boxes
The Three-Act Structure.
Character Driven versus Plot Driven Drama
Using tool #8, the Pressure Meter Again (Sources of Pressure, Identifying Genre)
Drawing a Dramatic Arc for a Whole Work
Drama and Point of View
Assignment 9-1: Dividing "Little Red Riding Hood" into Scenes and Acts.
Assignment 9-2 Character Types and Story Meanings.
Going Farther
Chapter 10: Testing a Story Idea and Deciding Point of View
Exploring a Storyâs Effectiveness
Story Effectiveness Questionnaire
Exploring a Storyâs Meaning and Purpose
Story Editing Tools in Summary
Assignment 10-1: Impressions and Feedback.
Assignment 10-2: Critical Communication.
Part IV:
CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter 11: A Tale from Childhood
On Discussion
Assignment 11-1: An Event from Childhood
Assignment 11-1: An Event from Childhood
Assignment 11-3 Developing a childhood film or photo scene.
Example 1 (Vilka Tzouras)
Example 2 (Alex Meillier)
Example 3 (Chris Darner)
Example 4 (Amanda McCormick)
Discussion
On memory
Going Farther
Chapter 12: Family Story
Assignment 12-1: A Story Told in Your Family
Assignment 12-2 Family Story as Comic Strip
Assignment 12-3 The Untold Story
Discussion
Example 1 (Margaret Harris)
Example 2 (Amanda McCormick)
Example 3 (Peter Riley)
Going Farther
Chapter 13: A Myth, Legend, or Folktale Retold
Interpreting Oral Tales
Adaptation Problems
Assignment 13-1 Free Choice of Tale.
Assignment 13-2 Myth
Assignment 13-3 Legend
Assignment 13-4 Folktale
Discussion
Example #1: The Legend of Pretty Boy Floyd Retold (Michael Hanttula)
Example #2 (Tatsuya Guillermo Ohno)
Example #3: Sisyphus Cries Dixie: A Modern Story (Michelle Arnove)
Discussion
Going Farther
Chapter 14: Dream Story
Assignment 14-1: Writing up a Dream
Assignment 14-2: Surreal Narrative
Assignment 14-3: Linking Dreams into One Narrative
Assignment 14-4 Dream and Myth
Discussion
Dream Sequence #1 (Chris Darner)
Dream Sequence #2 (Michael Hanttula)
Dream Sequence #3 (Cynthia Merwarth)
Going Farther
Chapter 15: Adapting a Short Story
Evaluating a Story for Adaptation to the Screen
Assignment 15-1: Short Story Analysis
Assignment 15-2: Adaptation Issues
Assignment 15-3: Dramatic Breakdown
Discussion
Example 1: "An Encounter," from Dubliners, by James Joyce (Peter Riley)
Example 2, "Le Diner de Cons," by Francis Veber (Louis Leterrier)
Overview
Going Farther
Chapter 16: Ten-Minute, News Inspired Story
Making a Working Hypothesis
Assignment 16-1: A picture and its consequences.
Assignment 16-2: Reality TV show.
Assignment 16-3: Docudrama.
Assignment 16-4: Based on a Real Story...
Assignment 16-5: Behind the Fa§ade
Assignment 16-6: This Far, and No Farther
Assignment 16-7: Analyze Four News Items.
Assignment 16-8: Develop Interpersonal Difference
Discussion
Going Farther
Chapter 17: A Documentary Subject
Assignment 17-1: A Documentary Subject
Assignment 17-2: Simple Voice-Over Personal Film
Assignment 17-3: Simple Voice-Over Historical Film
Documentary Subject (Angela Galyean)
Going Farther
Chapter 18: Thirty-Minute Original Fiction
Assignment 18-1: Treatment for an Original Thirty-Minute Fiction Piece.
Assignment 18-2: An Original 30-minute Fiction Piece Inspired by an Image.
Assignment 18-3: An Original 30-minute Fiction Piece Inspired by CLOSAT Cards.
Assignment 18-3: An Original 30-minute Fiction Piece Inspired by CLOSAT Cards.
Example #1: Thirty-Minute Original Fiction Idea (Michael Hanttula)
Example #2: "Eggs Benedict" (Michelle Arnove)
On Comedy
Going Farther
Chapter 19: Feature Film
Assignment 19-1: Idea for a Feature Film (Featuring Two Points of View)
Example: Feature Film Idea (Paul Flanagan)
On The Writing Process and Receiving Criticism
Going Farther
Part V
COLLABORATIVE STORY DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 20: Wholly Improvised (Scenes and story construction in the vein of Cassavetes, Fassbinder, Linklater)
Chapter 21: Screenplay generated from Improvisation (Screenplay generated from a core of ideas, cast collaboration and improvisations, then best material transcribed and shaped into a screenplay, in the vein of Bergman, Leigh)
Part V
THE EMERGING WRITER
Chapter 22: Revisiting Your Artistic Identity
Your Creative Direction
Assignment 20-1: Revisiting your Artistic Identity.
Assignment 20-2: Say Where Youâd Like to Go.
Assignment 20-3: Ideas and Ambitions.
Assignment 20-4 Setting a Personal Agenda.
Discussion and Retrospective
Part VI:
EXPANDING YOUR WORK INTO ITS FINAL FORM
Chapter 23: Story-Editing Your Outline
Structural Options
Transitions
Stream of Consciousness
Troubleshooting
Yielding to the Dramatic Conventions
Chapter 24: Expanding Your Outline
Writing for the Screen
Standard Screenplay Format
Camera and Editing Directions
Sound and Music Directions
Documentary Film Proposal
Plays
Standard Playwriting Format
Novel or Short Story Format
