Interview: Screenwriter Anthony Mullins on his book ‘Beyond the Hero’s Journey’

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with BAFTA award-winning screenwriter Anthony Mullins about one of the most powerful, yet most misunderstood, tools in a writer’s toolkit – character arcs.

Anthony breaks the discussion down into 5 things about his book:

1. IT’S ABOUT CHARACTER ARCS – The book champions the most powerful, yet most misunderstood, tool in a writer’s toolbox – that is, character arcs – and uses them to challenge that the supremacy of that Goliath of storytelling theory, the Hero’s Journey.
2. IT’S VISUAL – I use a very visual way to illustrate how character arcs work and how they map the emotional shape of all sorts of stories (not just Hero’s Journeys), from inspiring drama to anarchic comedy to gut-wrenching tragedy.
3. IT’S PRACTICAL – It’s not all theory. I also show readers how to use character arcs to develop and refine your own writing voice. Once you are able to identify how your favourite films use character arcs, you can use those lessons to figure out what sort of story you want to tell.
4. IT’S DIVERSE – The book uses extensive case studies from a wide range of films, writers and genres from around the world as well as stories that feature diverse characters. Why? Because I want to encourage writers with a different story to tell.
5. IT’S GOT EXTRA CHAPTERS – I’ve written two new chapters for the international edition. They’re about the lesser known characters in storytelling – Reactive Characters and Passive Characters – and include a close look at The Big Lebowski, The Father, Dead Poet’s Society, Being There and Midsommar.

Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Crafting Powerful And Original Character Arcs For The Screen is out now. Get it straight from the publisher https://kamerabooks.co.uk/index1.php?imprint=4&isbn=9780857305114

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