By Chris Mathews
For those writers looking for a sure-fire way to
create a powerful story, Story Engineering, Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing by Larry Brooks illuminates
some of the shadowy precepts of structure, while at the same time acknowledging
that good storytelling can never just be a paint-by-the-numbers process. With a
working knowledge of the tools and process which Brooks calls the six
competencies of storytelling--concept, character, theme, structure, scene
execution, and voice--, the writer can discover how to create a great
story. Without these craft secrets, Brooks contends, great storytelling is just
not possible.
As I stated before, I was very dubious of concept
as a core competency apart from theme. However, Brooks does a credible job
of making the case that the writer should write with an intention of theme,
and not just let it emerge mystically. Theme is, of course, what a story is
about, but Brooks expands the definition adroitly. Theme must be “relevant” to
life itself; in a real sense, Brooks believes that theme is the launching pad
for story in that it is what “makes us think and feel” about the plot.
As far as implementation of theme, he
believes what the story means can be linked like the double-helix with character
arc, the character’s growth. It’s why the critics panned The
DaVinci Code, he maintains. The main character’s growth was secondary to plot
and therefore Robert Langdon appeared an empty suit. The character has to
conquer both inner and outer forces to make a theme viable. Like the main
character in Dan Brown’s novel, Little Red in Little Red Riding Hood does not
change very much, remaining naïve until the wolf makes his
“all-the-better-to-eat-you” speech. Little Red’s rose-colored world comes
crashing down as she fails to grasp the wolf’s trick until it is too
late…unless you buy the dues ex machina of the hunter. The theme could
be: You have to see things for what they are or you’re going down. The wolf’s
cross-dressing makes his character development much more intriguing than Red’s,
but the story’s theme emerges. In defense of Dan Brown’s writing and in most
best-selling novels, plot takes precedence over character.
After spending half the book on other core
competences, Brooks finally devotes the second half of his book to what he
clearly believes should be the mantra for aspiring writers—structure.
To be sure, he qualifies his advice, constantly
reminding the writer, that all of the other core elements need to be
intertwined into the story to make it truly riveting. The hopeful note for the
writer here, as Brooks points out, is that structure can be learned.
In a final blog, I will examine in more detail
Brooks’ concept of structure, the pith of Story Engineering.
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