The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

John Truby

Oct 2008 · Sold by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

About this ebook

John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood's most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. The Anatomy of Story is his long-awaited first book, and it shares all of his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Great Screenwriting, The Anatomy of Story draws on a broad range of philosophy and mythology, offering fresh techniques and insightful anecdotes alongside Truby's own unique approach for how to build an effective, multifaceted narrative. Truby's method for constructing a story is at once insightful and practical, focusing on the hero's moral and emotional growth. As a result, writers will dig deep within and explore their own values and worldviews in order to create an effective story. Writers will come away with an extremely precise set of tools to work with—specific, useful techniques to make the audience care about their characters, and that make their characters grow in meaningful ways. They will construct a surprising plot that is unique to their particular concept, and they will learn how to express a moral vision that can genuinely move an audience.

The foundations of story that Truby lays out are so fundamental they are applicable—and essential—to all writers, from novelists and short-story writers to journalists, memoirists, and writers of narrative non-fiction.

Ratings and reviews

Most useful writer's guide. It can solve many problems for the beginner. However, sometimes it feels as if things could have been said with less words and without two to three chapters. Since the author is primarily a screen writer it would have been nice if the author allowed for e.g a novel writer's input as he does clearly state that this is not a book about the deep matters of narrative description. Still it's useful to all kinds of writer's as it can help you develop not just the writer but also the story if you are prepared to follow it step-by-step...

I took a screenwriting course and this book helped alot! Its just like it says...The Anatomy. It teaches you the concepts of writing, piece by piece...the beginning, middle, and end. It really gets you thinking! If you want to improve in story telling...then this just may work for you!

Easy to understand and very insightful, I immediately noticed my story was missing a few steps that were crucial to building a great story. Definitely a must if you haven't been taught the proper way to tell a story.

About the author

John Truby is Hollywood's premiere story consultant and founder of Truby's Writers Studio. He has worked as a story consultant and script doctor for Disney Studios, Sony Pictures, FOX, and HBO, among others, and has taught his 22-Step Great Screenwriting and Genre classes to over 20,000 students worldwide.