Into The Woods by John Yorke - ISBN: 9780141978109
Paperback
Unlock storytelling secrets: a journey into the woods and your mind.

Into The Woods

How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them

$38.15

  • Paperback

    336 pages

  • Release Date

    25 June 2014

Check Delivery Options

Summary

Secrets behind the structure and meaning of all stories, from the founder of the BBC Writers’ Academy

We all love stories. But why do we tell them? And why do all stories function in an eerily similar way? John Yorke, creator of the BBC Writers’ Academy, has brought a vast array of drama to British screens. Here he takes us on a journey to the heart of storytelling, revealing that there truly is a unifying shape to narrative forms - one that echoes the fairytale journey into the woods…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780141978109
ISBN-10:0141978104
Author:John Yorke
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Penguin Books Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:336
Release Date:25 June 2014
Weight:246g
Dimensions:196mm x 129mm x 21mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Brimmingly insightful … fresh, enlightening and accessible … a gripping read from beginning to end

Brimmingly insightful … fresh, enlightening and accessible … a gripping read from beginning to end – Robert Collins * Sunday Times *Terrifyingly clever … Packed with intelligent argument * Evening Standard *So detailed and engaging is his methodology that any consumer of books, plays, TV or films will find the experience enhanced; and scriptwriters themselves will find useful guidance - because when you know the why, the how is natural – Robert Epstein * Independent on Sunday *This is a marvellous analysis of screenwriting and, with any luck, should help a great many people achieve their dreams – Julian Fellowes, writer/creator of Downton AbbeyAnother book on screenwriting! Oh, how I wanted to hate it! I didn’t. I loved it. Much of it was fresh to me. And always interesting, always intelligent and, for a writer, always rewarding – Jimmy McGovern, screenwriter, The Street and The AccusedIn an industry full of so called script gurus and snake oil salesmen, at last there’s a book about story that treats writers like grown ups. This isn’t about providing us with an ABC of story or telling us how to write a script by numbers. It’s an intelligent evaluation into the very nature of storytelling and is the best book on the subject I’ve read. Quite brilliant – Tony Jordan, screenwriter, Life on Mars and HustleEven for a convinced sceptic, John Yorke’s book, with its massive field of reference from Aristotle to Glee, and from Shakespeare to Spooks, is a highly persuasive and hugely enjoyable read. It would be hard to beat for information and wisdom about how and why stories are told – Dominic Dromgoole, Artistic Director, The Globe TheatreThis book is intelligent, well written, incisive and, most of all, exciting. It is the most important book about scriptwriting since William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade – Peter Bowker, screenwriter, Blackpool, Occupation and Eric & ErniePart ‘How-to’ manual, part ‘why-to’ celebration, Into The Woods is a wide-reaching and infectiously passionate exploration of storytelling in all its guises … exciting and thought-provoking – Emma Frost, screenwriter, The White Queen and ShamelessInto The Woods is an amazing achievement. It has a real depth and understanding about story, a fantastically broad frame of reference and it’s interesting and absorbing throughout. Full of incredibly useful insights, every TV writer should read the first chapter alone – Simon Ashdown, series consultant, EastEnders

About The Author

John Yorke

John Yorke is a producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of narrative - from speech writing and advertising to drama - and the author of Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely reviewed and critically acclaimed TV dramas, from EastEnders to Shameless, Life on Mars and Wolf Hall.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.