“The story is the journey for truth. The plot is the road it takes to get there.”
This quote comes from the nonfiction book, Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot—A Guide for Screenwriters, by Peter Dunne. But don’t let the part about it being for screenwriters turn you off. It’s an amazing book for fiction writers, too.
In it, Peter discusses the three-act structure, and breaks it down according to story (emotion) and plot. But unlike other books dealing with structure, his approach to the characters is different. There are three types that he uses. The protagonist and antagonist you’re familiar with. What’s different, and doesn’t necessarily apply to all types of stories, is the co-protagonist. Peter describes this individual as:
“The co-protagonist usually starts off in the piece as someone who is not fond of the protagonist. The co-protagonist almost immediately challenges the protagonist on every level. The protagonist can’t wait to solve his problem quickly and put this person out of his life forever. But, boy, that is so not going to happen. . . . Revealing themselves, exposing vulnerability or weakness just makes things worse. But while they fight on one level, something else is happening on an internal level. And it scares them.”
The book shows you how to effectively translate this into the plot and story. It doesn’t work for every type of story. If you’re writing a James Bond style novel, then you can skip it. If you’re writing one with a strong romantic element, then it’s the perfect book for you. But it doesn’t necessarily have to have romance in it. The key focus of the novel will be the development of trust between the protagonist and co-protagonist. This could be mother and daughter. Sisters. Two individuals who become friends. The main thing is they’re after the same goal, even if their motives are different.
Another thing I loved about the book is that Peter includes a script for a movie that was never made (too bad!). I wasn’t going to read it at first. I’m a novelist not a screenwriter. But it’s worth studying along with Peter’s comments. And the best part is I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what happened next. I can’t say that about most nonfiction books.
There’s so much more to Emotional Structure than I could explain here. The post would be too long if I tried. Overall, I highly recommend it if you’re writing the type of story I described.
Any questions?