The Way of Story. Catherine Ann Jones
“I couldn’t get to sleep and found myself reading it without stopping — not only because of the wonderful information on craft, but because it really is ‘your journey’ and sprang from your life experiences! The Way of Story is quite amazing and you have much to be proud of, while we, the readers and students, have much to be thankful for!”
— Kathie Fong Yoneda, Paramount Studios, author of The Script-Selling Game
“On every page, we find something that teaches, delights, or opens the soul to creative depth. Catherine Ann Jones offers a masterwork based on her long, astonishing career. And we are the beneficiaries.”
— Dianne Skafte, PhD, author, Listening to the Oracle, past Academic Dean, Pacific Graduate Institute
“Catherine Jones is a wonderful, insightful, and talented writer who has the most unique gift a writer needs as well as a great insight into the human condition.”
— Stephen Simon, Oscar-winning producer of What Dreams May Come and Somewhere in Time
“The Way of Story offers a transformative journey for anyone interested in the power of stories, the craft of writing — or the deeper mysteries of the human experience.”
— Betty Sue Flowers, PhD, President, LBJ Presidential Library, editor, The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers
“The Way of Story is so well-written, yet easy to understand: an articulate and fascinating bio of your path as a writer and multi-dimensional human being. Bravo!”
— Jillian Lindig, Broadway actress (Equus)
“Catherine Ann Jones is an important writer and has an extraordinary power.”
— Julie Harris, actress
“Catherine Ann Jones is in possession of a powerful talent… nothing is more rare in my opinion.”
— Norman Mailer
ALSO BY CATHERINE ANN JONES
TELEVISION
The Pact
Child of Destiny (Last Queen of Hawaii)
It’s Only Women (Dalkon Shield Scandal)
Death of an Innocent Child
Summertime (Hallmark Hall of Fame)
Unlikely Angel
Touched by an Angel (series)
FILM & CABLE
Second Chance
Sammy and Son
Wolfbride
Poe: The Dark Angel
The Christmas Wife
Angel Passing
PLAYS
Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane — the musical
The Women of Cedar Creek
The Myth of Annie Beckman
On the Edge: The Final Years of Virginia Woolf
Difficult Friends
Somewhere-in-Between
A Fairytale for Adults
The Friend
The Hill
STORIES AND ESSAYS
Just As I Am
The Woman Who Talks to Stones
Rukmini’s God
The Language of the Heart
Atma, Self, and Individuation
Reality and Enchantment
Change
Love
Pluto’s Shadow
Ariadne’s Journey: From Illusion & Abandonment to Transformation
The Way of Story
THE CRAFT & SOUL
OF WRITING
CATHERINE ANN JONES
MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS
Published by MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS
12400 VENTURA BLVD. #1111
STUDIO CITY, CA 91604
(818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (FAX).
Cover design by Barry Grimes, agdesign
Cover photo by Steve McCurry, Magnum Photos
Interior design by William Morosi
Printed by McNaughton & Gunn
Manufactured in the United States of America
Copyright 2007 Catherine Ann Jones
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jones, Catherine Ann, 1944-
The way of story : the craft & soul of writing / Catherine Ann Jones.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-932907-32-2
1. Motion picture authorship. 2. Playwriting. 3. Creative writing. I. Title.
PN1996.J65 2007
808.3’93--dc22
2007019803
Printed on Recycled stock
The whole of life can be a meditation … even writing.
— Sri Adwayananda
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1: IN THE BEGINNING WAS STORY How to heal the split in a fractured society through story. How to choose your story.
CHAPTER 2: SEVEN STEPS TO STORY STRUCTURE Story is more than the sequence of events. Every story begins with a problem resulting from the main character’s desire.
CHAPTER 3: WRITING THE STORY OUTLINE: FROM VISION TO MARKETPLACE Inspiration first, then craft. Writing a solid story outline serves two essential functions.
CHAPTER 4: TRACKING STORY SPECIFICS: THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL REWRITES Rewriting versus polishing. Using your inner critic in a constructive manner.
CHAPTER 5: CREATING CHARACTER-DRIVEN STORIES Plot is character. Real people versus stereotypes.
CHAPTER 6: THE SECRET OF WRITING STUNNING DIALOGUE All dialogue is a search for meaning. Dialogue is more than conversation.