Throughout my time in film school there was one screenwriting lesson that made its way into every lecture, project, and conversation – structure. It always seemed to be top of mind for professors and students alike, but why? Well, it’s because structure is seen as the skeleton of a script.
Anyone that has even merely searched “how to write script” could talk your ear off about Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” or Snyder’s “Save the Cat.” While these, among others, can be fantastic ways to dip your toes into the art of screenwriting, I have found that their influence unintentionally inhibits writers just as much as they inspire. What these books ingrain in the heads of aspiring writers is that a script’s success can be attributed to it following a certain set of steps. I would argue the success comes from a good story, or what I consider to be the heart of a script. When you leave the theater is your first takeaway that the film was well structured? No. The secret to what makes a good script? A good story.
It is important to recontextualize what these books are meant to do – find a pattern. Campbell, Field, and Mckee all set out to solve the formula of what makes a great script by studying films that existed before any of their writings. While this could be helpful when creating a foundation for how you write, it cannot be taken as an unbreakable rule. This is not to attack their ideas, but to attempt to view them in a different light.
So, how do we as writers find the balance between structure and story? Luckily for us, it should come naturally. Let’s say you had a crazy day at work and cannot wait to get home and tell it all to a friend, roommate, or family member. When you’re telling them the story are you worried about if the second act is too long? Are you striving to include an all is lost moment? Of course not! That would be ridiculous. While film and television are still relatively new in the scope of human history, storytelling is not. We have the innate ability to tell stories, so why must we focus on the page by page structuring of a script?
Now, this isn’t to say that you should go and write a screenplay where the first and third acts are one page each while the other roughly 118 belong to the second act. Obviously, Hollywood prefers that screenplays follow what has been successful in the past to some degree. It is imperative that you, the writer, do not let that prevent you from prioritizing the story. If your story and characters are strong, the structure will follow.
While these screenwriting books are great building blocks, they are not the end-all of writing. You must learn to trust your ability to tell the story of your script in a way that feels authentic to your vision and not let guidelines prevent you from letting the art naturally flow. The films and television shows that stick with us the most do so because of the heart, not the forms.
-Cody
How We Write 
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