what do you do when you find the 3A structure too broad and the save thecat beat sheet too formulaic if you're John truy you create your own structural Paradigm with even more steps but also more flexibility and a shift in focus from what happens to why it happens that change in mindset can be powerful but it also means tr's already lengthy 22-step structure requires even more context to reach its full potential in fact this section of the book doesn't even start until we're well beyond the 60% Mark and I've already covered stor premise character Theme world and symbols if by the end of this video you think the 22-step structure might be right for your story you should really check out the full book Link in the description now try is pretty brilliant but I'd argue he's not so good with titles despite being one of the only popular structures named after its number of steps even try warns don't get hung up on the number 22 a story may have more or fewer than 22 steps depending on its type and length he uses the metaphor of a story as an accordion it is limited only in how much it can contract it must have no fewer than seven steps Why seven well according to truy the seven steps are not arbitrarily imposed from without the way a mechanical story structure such as threea structure is he's really not a fan of the 3A structure the seven steps exist in the story they are the nucleus the DNA of your story and the foundation of your success as a Storyteller because they are based on Human Action they are the steps that any human being must work through to solve a life problem so it's really the between 7 and 22 step outline except step isn't the most accurate word choice either because it usually implies a series of actions taken in order while truy is clear that every good story Works through the steps in a slightly different order you must find the order that works best for your unique plot and characters the order that is given is simply the most common order in the first step well that starts near the end and isn't actually a step at all to be completely honest I think this quote unquote step is poorly explained it's presented as a framing device that's actually a combination of three of the seven core steps try provides three questions to help you create the framework but the examples he provides at the end of the step don't actually answer all those questions and for some reason provide seemingly extraneous information but I'm still going to focus on the three questions because I think they're actually the most helpful bit for framing your plot but if you read this section differently I wouldn't blame you the first question gives us our self-revelation what will my hero learn at the end I didn't want to listen but he was right nothing is more important than family once we know the end we can work backwards by asking what does he know at the beginning what are the relevant beliefs they bring into the story sometimes I look at the laus and I get this feeling like we're connected somehow like if he could play music maybe someday I could too if it wasn't for my family and to move from where our character starts to what they learn we have to ask what are they wrong about in the beginning come you feel better after you eat with your family I don't want to be in this family do these questions completely address Our Hero's self-revelation needs and Desires in the story no but what they do is set us off with the right frame of reference for when we reach those steps but first it's time for a bit of setup because your story has to take place somewhere the story world is one of the first decisions you'll need to make and while some worlds like Middle Earth have more obvious effects on their stories one by one the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring even seemingly normal worlds like 1990 Suburbia will still heavily influence things that's how things really are you just don't know because you're this pamper little Suburban chick and just like places come with baggage your characters do too they enter with a backstory often containing open wounds that hold them back which truy calls ghosts you're close to him aren't you yeah I was he died when I was 9 years old I never got to know my mother though some stories instead start with characters in a seemingly unblemished World want to Mar you he looks at her they kiss suddenly until the ghost is created by an attack he jerks out his dagger and slices Marian's throat that shatters that reality with the final amen William kneels beside maran's body wrapped in burial canvas either way truy points out that these ghosts are often the source of the hero's psychological and moral weakness Concepts we'll discuss more in depth in The Next Step weakness and need is the first of our seven core steps though I think weakness need and a problem is a more appropriate title since all three are important here and inform each other every story should have a hero with a psychological weakness a character flaw that stunts or harms their life like being a workaholic or dishonest tell her I broke my leg and I had to be shot why don't you tell her yourself Fletcher switches gears in an instant and then send out a notice of judgment on my wi today I'll get right on it Fletcher turns and pretends to be surprised Miranda hey I didn't see you but in great stories this psychological weakness usually also has a moral component it's not just causing harm to the hero but also hurting others he said he was going to be here he promised I know I know but he he promises that he's going to see you tomorrow okay our hero then needs to overcome these weaknesses to improve their life and the world around them only they usually aren't aware of them yet or don't see them as a weakness so instead we highlight the weakness near the beginning of the story by giving the heroes a related problem like a crumbling relationship with their kid so glad my gift could bring those two together my plan to phase myself out is almost complete a problem they won't be able to solve until their self-revelation remember we're working backwards and we're just getting started the inciting incident Catalyst trigger Call to Adventure whatever you call it by this point in the series you probably know what this is but here's tr's definition this is an event from the outside that causes the hero to come up with a goal and take action this isn't the start of the goal or action itself but the incident that leads the hero to them I got a call a long distance call from Mr Mooney you know your father's lawyer he's been trying to reach you your father has died Charlie you might even say it ignites their desire desire is your hero's particular goal it provides the spine for the entire plot which is why it's the second of the core seven steps if you learn only one thing from this video let it be that you'd be amazed at how many scripts I read that are completely missing a desire where need was about overcoming internal weakness desire is the external goal it motivates the hero to take action Ian looks longingly at dad whatever it takes I am going to meet my dad you hear that Dad we're going on a quest desire fuels the actual events we see on screen but as we've seen throughout the series it's likely our hero will need a bit of help achieving their goals no need to drag this one out this stage is when the hero usually meets a few new characters that will help them along their way this is obviously the elite unit this is Miriam H this is the go key this is Theo Theo and key lock eyes F you staring at finally the pleasure is all mine though try does expand a bit by suggesting you give allies their own desires to make them feel like more complete characters I'm looking for the brittle Brothers but not everyone is here to help our hero in the third of the core seven steps we reveal the opponent or antagonist the opponent isn't just a bad guy it's a character or thing introduced to oppose your hero we break it can't let you in I I I I cannot let you interfere though that doesn't mean they can't want the same thing you will not be Emperor which wise the older man is to take my place my paers will pass maximus in fact try suggests all good opponents compete for the same goal as the hero at least very broadly as an example try explains that in a detective story it appears that the hero wants to catch the killer Amada it will not be easy for you to hear but there is at least one truly guilty party behind it all guilty in the true sense of acting with malice and committing a heinous crime with selfish intent and the opponent wants to get away your mom is still undocumented and if this is your fault she'll be found out and at best deported and your family will be broken we're not going to let that happen are we huh but you but they're really fighting over which version of reality everyone will believe no no I can't lie you know I can't lie I'll puke well then don't lie tell fragments of the truth in this exact order some of the best opponents are aren't always immediately obvious to our hero they must first be revealed it was all me James it's always been me the author of all your pain the mystery of who done it might even take over the role of opponent and become the core of the story that's what we're trying to find out we're trying to find out who killed him and where and with what sometimes the opponent may even hide in plain sight by playing the Ally another pretty descriptive title here this is when we often meet a fake Ally opponent who appears at first to be an ally but you handled yourself well out there today saw what you did with the tower we could use Someone Like You on my world thanks but will'll turn out to be an opponent later on you lied to me I trusted you though if the villain began plotting before the movie even started we may meet the fake Ally much sooner when I was your age they would say we could become cops or criminals today he what I'm saying is this when you're facing a loaded gun what's the difference he it's my boy the idea of a hidden enemy is intertwined with the Mysteries and reveals that keep the audience wanting to discover more and often Force our hero to react during this step the hero encounters an unexpected truth that shifts their perspective no tomorrow that will mean there will be no consequences there will be no hangovers we could do whatever we wanted that's true we could do whatever we want often reshaping both their goal and the underlying reason driving them toward it I'm not going to live by their rules anymore but keep in mind that the new direction should grow organically out of the original desire line really this is the third time it's like yesterday never happened I am racking my brain but I can't even begin to imagine why you'd make up something like this I'm not making it up I am asking you for help not start a completely new story and with this new goal in mind the hero will need to regroup and figure out what to do next this is the fourth of our seven core steps the stage where our hero and their allies come up with the guidelines and strategies to achieve their new desire take car go to moms kill Phil sorry grab Liz go to the Winchester have a nice cold pint and wait for all this to blow over though they usually don't have everything figured out what happened why is he coming wasn't as easy as all that sometimes the hero doesn't even possess the skills needed to execute their plan get you there I'm not even trained for combat meaning they'll need to train cue the Montage whatever plan they do have almost always ends up failing because as much as our hero wants their goal the opponent wants to stop them our hero isn't the only one that can plan for what they want their opponent can too but when I hired Vini to have her murdered on our engagement day I thought that was clever but it's going to be so much more moving when I strangle her on our wedding night once Gilder is blamed the nation will be truly outraged they'll demand we go to war and again like our hero the details often remain vague or hidden from the audience early on get everybody up do it now I want them all activated wait all of them at the same time you heard me I want born in a body bag by Sundown anatomy of story puts a big emphasis on reveals as the foundation of good plotting this reveal and react cycle is the engine that drives our story forward step 12 is drive and by step 12 try means step 10 through step 14 from when the hero first develops their plan until their apparent defeat this section of the story is the core of the reveal and react cycle the hero has a plan what do we do we wait what if they get in here they can't but then an opposing plan is revealed we're just sending them a message get the point gas hisses through the spigot and into the hose into the hole that's been drilled into the air duct so the hero counters that inside the duck Meg flicks the lighter a spark Sparks a flame flames and a hot blue cloud shoots out in two directions and then regroups with a new plan I didn't hook up this line but I hooked up the main line we can find it we can cut into it which forces the opponent to respond again Raul approaches the cabinet there are three men stairs they broke into the he smashes it with a sledgehammer the line goes dead and so on and so on until the her gets so desperate they're willing to do almost anything to get a win setbacks suck okay what kind of skirts do you use please bore someone else with your questions they especially suck when they happen over this is your job get me home she hangs up oh my God she's going to murder me what does she want you to do and over me and if that happens I will search every Blimpies in the tri-state area until I track you back she's going to fire me and it's not like your opponents are playing fair so why should you Emily would die her whole life is about Parish I I can't if you don't go I'll assume you're not serious about your future at Runway or any other publication well probably because unlike your opponent you've got real friends people who are willing to tell you when what you're doing is wrong I thought Paris is a big deal for Emily even if you're likely to be defensive or even com of about it Andy Andy what the hell is wrong with you I didn't have a choice okay I Miranda asked me and I couldn't say no I know that's your answer because you haven't had your next big Revelation there's still a short distance between you and rock bottom if the hero was dishonorable it didn't work it may have even lost them their friends but no matter what this is the step where things look like they can't get any worse and then they do remember when you thought I hit bottom that wasn't bottom the opponent pulls out another counter well where the F an impression of learing jaws with blur forward then a whirl of motion and a truncated scream exterior APC landscape station they watch in dismay as the approaching ship veers wild it hits a Ridge Run tumbles bursting into flame breaking up and our heroes suffer an apparent defeat That's it man game over man it's game over the are we going to going to do now while it's a true low point it's only an apparent defeat because this vulnerable state is a perfect Catalyst for another Revelation just after the apparent defeat the hero almost always has another major Revelation if he doesn't the apparent defeat is real and the story is over but at their worst our hero will once again uncover an unexpected truth that will shift their perspective and reshape their goal Jake staggers lost and alone through the burning Forest utterly shattered eyes vacant I was a warrior who dreamed he could bring peace sooner or later though you always have to wake up most importantly their Newfound Drive will be unrelenting this is a recommitment and doubling of effort to achieve their goal I needed their help and they needed mine but to ever face them again I was going to have to take it to a whole new level but remember while the heroes been clawing their way back from Rock botom the opponent hasn't stopped pursuing their goals in this step the audience learned something new that the hero has yet to find out maybe the enemy they thought they barely defeated is still alive this will help you heal make you stronger or the villain they thought they'd only just escaped actually let them go they've just made the jump into hyperspace you're sure the herming beacon is secure aboard their ship these reveals how help build anticipation as the audience finds out what the opponent is truly capable of but can't do anything but wait for the hero to fall into their trap and if you have a fake Ally opponent truy says this is when the audience learns the true identity of the fake Ally again before the hero but I have to admit that I almost never found this to be true we usually learn about them much earlier these are the advanced team reports from the uh Miami Field Agent look at them as they begin to read the reports Gibbs withdraws his weapon and shoots each of the agents silence p blood all over the cabin or at the same time as our hero does who do you think locked you out I was the one who filed the injunction against you Tony is Shell Shocked even the one example provided in the book from Casablanca involves more of a friend ofy who only betrays the hero when that same hero pulls a gun on him just the same you call the airport and let me hear you tell him and remember this gun is pointed right at your heart hello is that the airport that's not the airport there were two letters of transit for the Lisbon plane there's to be no trouble about them hello hello whatever the case the hero won't be left in the dark for too long remember how I said reveals or the foundation of good plot well here's yet another major Revelation where our hero discovers the true strength of their opponent his Elite Squad is alive he turns and heads toward the distant Lights of the Imperial City on the Mountaintop Mulan and Mushu watch them in fear but rather than send them running knowing exactly what they're dealing with bolsters their result Mulan runs back to KH picking up the sword Shang Left Behind uh home is that way I have to do something did you see but first a little detour maybe step 18 is another one where the number isn't exactly what it seems because it's the most movable step of them all this is the stage where the world begins to close in on our hero this could be the pressure of the opponent's Pursuit she swings the bat in front of her as she backs away and he follows her stop swinging the bat stay away from or it might be a literal narrow passage that serves as a real barrier and a metaphor the tattooed prisoner offers him the Rope Wayne refuses starts to climb prisoners gather around as word spreads Wayne makes his way cautiously up the treacherous rock face this step often also involves some sort of brush with death again sometimes metaphor like a Tommy it's all over you made a valiant effort but we're going to have to sell to zinski and sometimes literal pow Tim is cut off mids sentence and literally thrown from the fence he slams into grant they fall to the ground Lex runs over to them Grant notices a larger problem there's no breathing but the finite nature of human life gives meaning to what we do with it it makes it worth fighting for if you're keeping track this is the fifth of seven core steps and with only three total steps remaining to squeeze in the rest you can probably tell how pivotal the climax and ending are to a good story our hero and opponent have been in a near constant back and forth since the drive step but this is the final confrontation and it's winner take all the term battle is likely to evoke a conflict of violence stand or choose your Champion I'm here at tradies I need a blade except mine but a war of words is just as viable want to hear your arguments I gave you my arguments we're not convinced we want to hear them again either way this is the step where our hero almost always achieves their external goal Rocky turns the TV camera and raises his championship belt you a goal that should be inextricably linked with a ressing their internal weakness and need core step number six if the battle was the ultimate confrontation then it only makes sense that it leads to the ultimate revelation we began the story by setting up our character's weakness the things that held them back I wish that for only one day Dad couldn't tell a lie but their Journey has led them to this moment of self-revelation where they finally see their true self mistakes and a ob on her way to the airport they're going to lose Max forever ever I can't let that happen I love him pause you know this truth stuff is pretty cool I love my son if their weakness was also moral then the hero doesn't just bear witness to their flaws they also realize how their flaws caused them to hurt others I love you he struggles to sit up and I'll never hurt you again the only thing left is to fix things the hero realizes how much they messed up and maybe even who they've hurt and now must act to set things right and prove themselves changed I Am The Sovereign ruler of the nation of wakanda and for the first time in our history we will be sharing our knowledge and resources with the outside world and for trouy that means making a distinct choice between two options each representing a different answer to the moral dilemma of the story but Genie what about your freedom hey it's only an eternity of servitude this is love Jasmine I do love you but I got to stop pretending to be something I'm not I understand Genie I wish for your freedom what a choice that will change the hero and maybe even their world the last of the 22 steps and the core 7 our hero has confronted their weakness and usually fulfilled their goal their Drive is satiated and they've emerged a different person than when the story began in most Hollywood stories this self-revelation is positive to some degree the hero is enlightened by their journey and the world is changed for the better so no matter what type of animal you are from the biggest elephant to our first FX revealed Nick is a Cadet he removes his Shades Winks at HW I implore you try to make the world a better place though there are some stories where the Revelation is negative the protagonist could learn their irredeemable or at least can't forgive themselves one of the orderlies holds a white fabric bundle something glinting steel silver in the sun you know this place makes me wonder yeah what's that boss which would be worse to live as a monster or to die is a good man or they may fail or refuse to recognize their flaws and avoid self-revelation altogether Jim watches Andrew crazed exhausted looks like he's pushing himself past what a safe and knows there's no longer anything he can do about it he is lost but their downfall still exemplifies the theme the character just loses the moral argument and I've lied about who I am and where I am now no one will ever find me do you mean lied about who you are I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody but for good or bad life at the end of our story returns to a new normal distinct from where our characters began everybody had their hands out everything was for the taking and now it's all over that's the hardest part today everything is different there's no action I have to wait around like everyone else so there it is kind of 22 sort of steps to complete a plot that definitely doesn't follow the threea structure I mean a 3A structure would be hopelessly simplistic and in many ways just plain wrong 3A that's a mechanical device superimposed on the story and has nothing to do with its internal logic there's no way Tres 22 steps would easily divide into three recognizable acts that include steps almost identical to those found in some of the most famous explorations of the threea structure I'm half joking here because I really do think truy takes a pretty unique approach to structure and the overall book makes a strong case for his ideas of an organic plot the anatomy of story focuses on what drives our characters which makes it one of my favorite tools for early project development even if you choose to adhere to a threea structure try would dismiss as a relic of Live Theater but old isn't always so bad in fact there are probably a number of valuable techniques we've lost to the Past Paul Joseph gulino may have uncovered exactly that in screenwriting the sequence approach where he examines structure using old Hollywood techniques that that broke larger stories into segments you could fit on a single reel a concept we'll explore in this video right here