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

Author:John Truby
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Film & Video, Performing Arts, Storytelling, Screenwriting
ISBN: 9780865479517
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2007-04-15T08:31:03+00:00

A LOT WRITERS think of symbols as those pesky lit-

tle things that were only important in lit class. Big mistake. If instead you think of symbols as jewels sewn into the story tapestry that have great emotional effect, you'll have some idea of the power of this set of story techniques.

Symbol is a technique of the small. It is the word or object that stands for something else—person, place, action, or thing—and is repeated many times over the course of the story. Just as character, theme, and plot are big puzzles to fool and please the audience, symbol is the small puzzle that works its magic deep below the surface. Symbols are crucial to your success as a storyteller because they give you a hidden language that emotionally sways the audience.

HOW SYMBOLS WORK

A symbol is an image with special power that has value to the audience. Just as matter is highly concentrated energy, a symbol is highly concentrated meaning. In fact, it is the most focused condenser-expander of any storytelling technique. A simple guide to using symbol might be "Refer

and repeat." Here's how it works: yon start with a feeling and create a symbol that will cause that feeling in the audience. You then repeat the symbol, changing it slightly.

Feeling -> symbol -> feeling in the audience Changed symbol -> stronger feeling in the audience

Symbols work on the audience in a very sneaky but powerful way. A symbol creates a resonance, like ripples in a pond, every time it appears. As you repeat the symbol, the ripples expand and reverberate in the minds of the audience often without their being consciously aware of it.

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