Truby-ized

I just came back from an intense long weekend in London. I was up there attending John Truby's 22-steps story workshop.
Now, perhaps naiively, I thought I understoood screenplay structure. I've been writing them for a while now, and though, while not anything close to a master, I knew what I was doing.

I now see that my knowledge, while a good foundation, could be taken to the next level.

I didn't leave the weekend feeling defeated (like some of my fellow attendees) but exhilirated. I found that a lot of what I knew was right, not much was wrong, and a lot can be taken on to greater heights.

Truby must have spent a good deal of his life in front of the tv, analysing story structure. His insights to character progression are something else. His ability to tie in character and plot devlopment, and to illustrate they are really the same thing can only make a writer understand on a deeper level the interplay in what he writes.

If you are a screenwriter, take this course. It is that simple.

Now, the caveats. If you are a beginning screenwriter DON'T take the course. Lots of people left with a headache. There was too much information (I came away with more than 50 pages of notes) for someone to comprehend who wasn't a little up on their structure already.

Also, if you are not interesting in self-development, don't take it. As writers we have to understand human needs, desires and drive - not just in our characters, but in ourselves. I meet a lot of writers that don't seem to understand that you can't write if you don't know yourself. It just doesn't work.

A lot of what Truby says could have been lifted from self-developmnt gurus and for good reason. In recent months I too have been looking at this connection and seeing the direct applicability of Tony Robbins onto my characters. Hey, if it works for me (which I feel it does) it can work for understanding them too.

As I gear up to teaching MY first screenwriting class I learned a lot from Truby, and just in the nick of time. I have 3 months to assimilate it and get it back out to my students.

Of course now I am having to re-write at least 2 feature scripts and 2 shorts to take into account this knew found 'structure vision'. Thanks a lot John!