The Three Story Method
The Three Story Method is available now! Zach and J. go deep on their methodology in this episode, discussing how it evolved and why now is the right time to share it with other authors.
In addition, the two career authors discuss the primary objections to using any story framework or methodology, the rule of three, the six elements, and the core concept of the Three Story Method.
Three Story Method has been published wide, on all major platforms for both ebook and paperback markets. The audiobook version is currently in review at Findaway where it will also be distributed wide to multiple, global platforms.
Early feedback on the official Three Story Method Workbook is positive.
The Career Author Podcast is a podcast where co-authors J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon share their struggles and successes as full-time authors, advice for improving your writing craft, and honest discussions of what it takes to build a successful career as an author.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why J. and Zach agree with James Patterson in that 99.9% of all writers benefit from planning
- Myths about the complexity of storytelling
- The magic of the number 3
- Why Aristotle is (still) the man
- How the order of pre-production can affect the final story
- What’s next for Three Story Method
Send us your ways and hacks – https://thecareerauthor.com/waysandhacks/
Leave us a comment: What questions do you have about Three Story Method?
Thanks to all of our Patrons.
Podcast sponsored by Kobo Writing Life – https://writinglife.kobobooks.com
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Links:
Writers, Ink interview with Chuck Palahniuk – https://writersinkpodcast.com/tapping-into-your-readers-emotions-with-chuck-palahniuk/
The Career Author YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/thecareerauthor
Three Story Method – https://books2read.com/threestorymethod
Three Story Method Workbook – https://amzn.to/37SAR1a
Molten Universe Media – http://www.moltenuniversemedia.com
Events – https://thecareerauthor.com/events/
Comments
13 responses to “The Career Author Podcast: Episode 115 – The Three Story Method”
Morning guys. Great hack/way today.
The 3 Cs, Conflict, Choice and Consequence are a useful way of looking at story and I like the fact that one can apply them to scene, chapter, act and story.
I like the idea of a weekend retreat although I would suggest caution about organising it early this year in the current Covid-19 environment.
I’m going to take your Workbook and convert it into a Scrivener document template and see how that turns out as that is my choice of outlining stories.
Confession time. I am more of a convert to 3 Story Method than I was to Story Grid, although I recognise that has value too.
An idea for your retreat. Use the three C’s to analyse a film or TV episode by scene, act and the whole story; keeping it simple. You could set similar, nominating a simple well known film or TV episode as prep work for delegates to your retreat and use it as a teaching technique to get them started.
Questions about the 3 story method:
1. Are the three stories the inner, outer (both character) and global or did I miss the point?
2. As you now have your own methodology are you going to switch to that when analysing film and TV episodes instead of Story Grid? It seems logical to me and would help promote the wisdom and culture of 3 Story Method.
Great show today guys.
Thanks, buddy! Glad you’re finding 3SM accessible 😉
1. Not sure about this question. The “three stories” deal mostly with conflict, choice, consequence.
2. Yes, we’ve been doing that for months.
I was thinking it could be read as 3 stories, meaning 3 different stories in the same book. So one story could be the inner journey of the protagonist, another story could be the outer journey of the protagonist and the third story could be the global story of the novel. No problem.
Clever! I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Feel free to use it and develop as your own if it has a use for you.
I’ve always thought of it as the intrapersonal (the MC’s inner story), the interpersonal (the MC’s relationship to their allies), and the extrapersonal/external (the global story and the relationship with the antagonist). I remember the first time I realized it, it was watching a rerun of Start Trek: TNG. There wasn’t enough interpersonal conflict. The crew got along too well. 😉
That works 😉
Chris,
Would love a copy of the scrivener template. Any help I could give in the effort, please let me know.
Great to see the book out in the world.
Well done to both of you.
You asked why you would buy the kindle version of the workbook: I often get unexpected time freeing up and because it’s unexpected you can’t guarantee having the physical copy of any book with you at the time. So I’ve got the kindle version AND the physical version. For emergencies and unplanned stolen time.
As I’ve said to you directly, this is the most accessible methodology I’ve worked with. Highly practical and relevant.
thanks
Claire
Wow! I hadn’t thought about the workbook ebook that way. Thanks! And thanks for the kind words.
Thank you so much, Claire! We’re so glad you’re finding the book valuable and accessible.
Claire I agree. The books I find most useful I get in both formats. I like the paper because it’s still easier to flip around the pages looking for something. I like the digital because I can carry all of my favorite craft and publishing business books with me for access anytime.
Okay Zach. of ALLLLLL the Episodes. This…THIS ONE is a LANDMARK episode. 😀
Glad to hear the podcast that goes with the book. I ordered both and they are on my kindle and if amazon delivers at my door when I get home tonight. I look forward to refactoring book 2 to include this methodology and then plot out 3 with 3SM as well.
and I just realized that I forgot to it post on this. sigh.