Hans’ Story Trifecta
This has been a tough week for Hans and me. The only universal win is that we are getting a new Stargate series. It's been too long, old friend.
Anyone who tells you there are set rules for storytelling is either close-minded (as I was in the past) or trying to make a profit. Hello!
They are tools, and yes, it is important to understand them. All of them. The Three-Act structure. Two acts. Four. Seven. Eight. The Hero’s Journey. I am a fan of Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. It is character-based and can be applied to anything.
Working on interactive projects changed the way that I view storytelling. It made me appreciate the importance of the audience’s experience. Instead of trying to make things that would please a demographic group, I discovered how important it is to test with and get to know them. Everyone will see and interact with your project in a different way. This is terrifying and exciting.
In the age of AI and disruptive change, only a fool would hide behind the industry’s traditional walls. A cynic would call them shackles. The future is magnificently messy.
The six Wren Findley books are interconnected. A blend of science fiction and fantasy. I am playing a long game, drawing readers into a story that never seems to end. Much like Sarah J. Maas does with Hans’ heart.
Each book still needs to have a satisfying story arc. Structure-wise, Hans has decided to steal something pretty common and put his own name on it. He says this is his ultimate tribute to humanity.
The Hans Trifecta:
What is the jumping-in point?
At what point do you pull the rug out?
Do you have a tactical exit?
This structure can apply to anything and everything. It can occur multiple times throughout a narrative. You can use it when telling a story at the bar (pitching practice) or on that annoying scene that is still giving you trouble.
What is the jumping-in point?
Where are we? When? Who? What is the first image? How do you draw your audience in? Are you going big to small, or small to big? Are you focusing on immersion or character? How much information do you give? Do you start at the end?
Star Wars blew folks’ minds by choosing to introduce the antagonist first. It then went small.
For the opening of Wren Findley and the Call of Pied Piper, I was inspired by a news article.
The rest of the opening chapters grew out from there. I also made the conscious choice to throw both my protagonist and the audience into the midst of the story early on. I then spent the next several chapters with the main character as she tried to figure things out.
In Book 2, I am opting to start inside a shared dream between Wren and Gomez. Humans and bonded dinosaurs Dreamwalk together on the Moon. This allows me to frame the characters’ internal demons early on and catch the audience up on the time in between the two books. Where Book 1 felt like a TV show pilot, I am planning for this entry to feel like the first season.
At what point do you pull the rug out?
When does the drama ratchet up? Is the audience feeling too safe? How can you change the direction of the story? Do the characters discover that they are on the wrong path? Do you need to throw more rocks at them? Is this a twist?
One of my favourite midpoint shifts is in the first Red Dead Redemption game. You spend the first part of the game playing as one character, only for them to die, and another takes over.
Jaws is another example. The fight on land fails, and the protagonist, who is scared of water, is forced to take to the seas to hunt down the shark.
Do you have a tactical exit?
What is the final shot? Are you mirroring the start? Do things work out for the best? Or the worst? Are you doing a Marvel? Does your scene finish early, or does it overstay its welcome? Is this the actual end, or a pit stop along the way? What would happen next?
Let’s face it. Endings are hard. I am one of those odd people who choose to read the last chapter of a book first. For me, it is about the journey.
The same goes for my writing. The journey is easier when you know the end. If only life had a yellow brick road.