Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them
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- Create Date：2021-08-03 09:54:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Yorke
- ISBN：0141978104
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Summary
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 and， like any great art， comes from deep within。 From ancient myths to big-budget blockbusters， he gets to the root of the stories that are all around us， every day。
Reviews
Alex Crichton
，
Although it inevitably falls into some of the same pitfalls as similar "writing guru" books， the writer has a lot of new things to say on the matter， especially in the way of 'why we tell stories'。 Very fascinating read， highly recommended for anyone interested in storytelling。 Although it inevitably falls into some of the same pitfalls as similar "writing guru" books， the writer has a lot of new things to say on the matter， especially in the way of 'why we tell stories'。 Very fascinating read， highly recommended for anyone interested in storytelling。 。。。more
Sanna Carlborg
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Mycket intressant om strukturen och psykologin bakom berättelser！
Aly
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Lettura adatta a principianti ma contiene spunti e riflessioni interessanti anche per chi è già navigato。 Utile soprattutto la parte sullo sviluppo dei personaggi e la comparazione dei diversi archi narrativi。
Lee Taylor
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I think this is an interesting book and his argument is illustated with a wealth of examples taken from high and low culture and across different media （film， TV， literature， drama）。My only comment would be that Yorke's analysis seems essentially the same as that put forward by Will Storr in his relatively recent 'The Science of Storytelling'。 If you want the kernel of the argument and the psychology behind it， I'd read Storr。 If you want examples I'd read Yorke。 I think this is an interesting book and his argument is illustated with a wealth of examples taken from high and low culture and across different media （film， TV， literature， drama）。My only comment would be that Yorke's analysis seems essentially the same as that put forward by Will Storr in his relatively recent 'The Science of Storytelling'。 If you want the kernel of the argument and the psychology behind it， I'd read Storr。 If you want examples I'd read Yorke。 。。。more
Brandon Cook
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Interesting and occasionally edifying。For people interested in how to write， this will provide a bit of relevant guidance。 Still， as always， the best way to learn to write is to read good writers。
Kit
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Couldn't stand reading beyond page 40。 Out of around 45 （I may have missed a couple） named people who were either quoted or their work referenced in the intro and first 40 pages of the book combined- only one was a woman and all the rest were men。 I don't see how a book that is meant to be about storytelling as a human phenomenon can miss out the academic and creative work of a group that makes up around half of humanity。 And that's without getting into the gross generalisations about storytelli Couldn't stand reading beyond page 40。 Out of around 45 （I may have missed a couple） named people who were either quoted or their work referenced in the intro and first 40 pages of the book combined- only one was a woman and all the rest were men。 I don't see how a book that is meant to be about storytelling as a human phenomenon can miss out the academic and creative work of a group that makes up around half of humanity。 And that's without getting into the gross generalisations about storytelling and 'human nature' the author makes while almost exclusively focussing on western， english speaking work and traditions。Was looking forward to learning a lot from this book， sadly that was not the case。 。。。more
Mike Futcher
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An open-minded and expansive book， Into the Woods starts as a look at the story structure in screenwriting and quickly encompasses film， theatre and literature to delve into how and why humankind tells stories in general。 The bulk of the book concerns the 'how'， with the 'why' implied throughout， and all the threads brought together in the final chapter。Yorke's theories on the 'how' are sound， if a bit repetitive （but I suppose you could say that for any theoretical explanation of anything）。 It An open-minded and expansive book， Into the Woods starts as a look at the story structure in screenwriting and quickly encompasses film， theatre and literature to delve into how and why humankind tells stories in general。 The bulk of the book concerns the 'how'， with the 'why' implied throughout， and all the threads brought together in the final chapter。Yorke's theories on the 'how' are sound， if a bit repetitive （but I suppose you could say that for any theoretical explanation of anything）。 It is refreshing that he's not trying to give us hard-and-fast rules on how to write （a sort of 'How to Become a Successful Writer in 10 Easy Steps'）， and indeed even declines to advocate the conscious pursuit of a story structure （pg。 xvi）。 He is a bit more ambitious; he identifies the peculiarity that many stories throughout the ages bear uncanny similarities。 Many of these storytellers must have been unaware of form or of any 'rules'， and therefore a resilient and constant story structure must arise unconsciously， based on how the human mind orders itself。 It is how one can draw similarities in basic story structure between stories created last week and those written thousands of years ago， and indeed to the stories told by unwitting children。The 'why' is where Yorke differs from the bulk of film theory and screenwriting guides - dismissed here as written by 'snake-oil salesmen' （pg。 xii） - as he presents a believable thesis that storytelling "mimics the way the brain assimilates knowledge" （pg。 213）。 The underlying structure of any story - in which order is made out of chaos， and the incomplete is made complete （pg。 212） - corresponds with how the human mind perceives and processes experiences。 Yorke explains it better （and longer） than I have， but is a plausible idea and not at all half-baked。 You don't feel short-changed from reading Into the Woods。Most surprisingly， the book is a good read， at least for a book of theory which includes a suspicious number of graphs and diagrams。 It is not quite the tour de force the reviews would have you believe， but it is more amiable and less dry than you would expect。 （I liked the bit on page 54 where Yorke simultaneously respects the work of Joseph Campbell and exposes the limitations of his famous 'hero myth' theories， remarking that when he - Yorke - was a scriptwriter on EastEnders， he "simply couldn't see how a hero's journey could apply to Pauline Fowler in the launderette"。）For film buffs， wannabe writers and geeks in general， it is always satisfying to talk casually about tropes and pop culture， as Yorke does successfully here。 With Into the Woods， Yorke has provided an environment in which one can assimilate ideas on storytelling and writing without having to nail your colours to the mast。 It is， perhaps uniquely， a 'how-to' guide which encourages one to expand， innovate and flourish rather than binding one to a constricting， disappointing and unresponsive set of rules。 。。。more
Aušrinė
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I heard about the book “Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them” by John Yorke from Lessons from the Screenplay YouTube channel （and I read a good chunk of the book in his voice too）。 I was interested in it hoping that it could help me to write better reviews on books。 Not that I am going to write a review in three or five acts， but that I might be better at noticing why I liked or disliked a particular book。 The idea was that if I don’t like the book， but I can’t really tell why， I heard about the book “Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them” by John Yorke from Lessons from the Screenplay YouTube channel （and I read a good chunk of the book in his voice too）。 I was interested in it hoping that it could help me to write better reviews on books。 Not that I am going to write a review in three or five acts， but that I might be better at noticing why I liked or disliked a particular book。 The idea was that if I don’t like the book， but I can’t really tell why， “Into the Woods” would help me by teaching to recognize that the disliked book does not have inciting incident or turning point， or characters lack desire， etc。What I understood after reading “Into the Woods” that I am too lazy to analyse everything in such detail。 It would be almost impossible to do it after reading something only once。 Actually， “Into the Woods” is more about movies and TV series than books as most of the examples are from a visual storytelling and only very few books are mentioned。 I felt that to fully enjoy and understand “Into the Woods”， one should have seen mentioned titles at least 2-3 times。 And I haven’t seen some of them at all。 Several of the examples contain spoilers， e。g。 for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J。 K。 Rowling。 Besides， the main ideas were repeated so many times， that I got a bit bored。I appreciate that the book has its sources listed and plenty of notes。 But as someone involved in a certain field of academic writing， I found the critique towards a few other authors a bit too harsh。 I know， it is weird that some academic journals does not allow to openly say that another scientist is wrong， you have to try to make it non-personal， but at the same time it feels quite polite。 John Yorke does not bother himself about this。-----2021-ųjų skaitymo iššūkisMINI8。 Juoda （viršelio spalva ar pavadinime）Knygos viršelis yra juodos spalvos。11。 Knyga niekaip neiliustruotu viršeliu （tik pavadinimas ant viršelio， nėra jokio paveikslėlio）Be pavadinimo， leidėjo logitipo ir punktyrinės linijos nėra daugiau jokių paveiksliukų ar grafinių elementų。 。。。more
Aaron McCombe
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First book on screenwriting and story structure I have genuinely found engaging the whole way through。
M。—
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No book on writing is perfect but this is very good。
Patrick Lum
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Very funny to read this directly after reading Save the Cat！， which Yorke begins in the preface almost immediately by disparaging。 Yorke ultimately serves up a storytelling model similar to the many many story structure maps that have gone before （as he acknowledges in an Appendix comparing them）， but is much more interested in exploring why precisely such applications of structure seem to work almost universally than simply handing out a how-to。Through rigorous example and a multitude of breakd Very funny to read this directly after reading Save the Cat！， which Yorke begins in the preface almost immediately by disparaging。 Yorke ultimately serves up a storytelling model similar to the many many story structure maps that have gone before （as he acknowledges in an Appendix comparing them）， but is much more interested in exploring why precisely such applications of structure seem to work almost universally than simply handing out a how-to。Through rigorous example and a multitude of breakdowns， Yorke makes a compelling case for a basic framework of story and how it is imposed by the human condition of needing and desiring to see order out of chaos。 I was especially impressed by the acknowledgment of serialised television and the explanation that， instead of allowing characters to change as per dramatic convention， it instead turned 'development' into 'acquisition of information'， allowing the basic shape of story to continue while preserving characters in a kind of stasis。While I don't intend to see Yorke's model as the only model of writing （something indeed warned against in the text）， the argument presented is strong， the writing itself enjoyable， and the breadth of examples sweeping。 A great read for storytellers， whether or not you agree with the central thesis。 。。。more
Katherine
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A must-read for anyone writing scripts。
Jeremy Ray
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This book is sooooo good。 It took me time getting through the material because it's so analytical。 I read quite a few other On Writing books while I read this one; they all had something great to say， but in my opinion they just didn't compare to this one。 John Yorke does a great job breaking down important components of story， but he also gives theories on WHY those components are important。 I can't tell you how refreshing that is。 There are so many writing gurus that throw out theories but don This book is sooooo good。 It took me time getting through the material because it's so analytical。 I read quite a few other On Writing books while I read this one; they all had something great to say， but in my opinion they just didn't compare to this one。 John Yorke does a great job breaking down important components of story， but he also gives theories on WHY those components are important。 I can't tell you how refreshing that is。 There are so many writing gurus that throw out theories but don't give you explanations to back them up。 I also really loved what Yorke had to say about Writing Gurus who try to make their way the only way。 This is definitely one of my top 5 On Writing books I recommend serious writers read。 I especially recommended the last 100 pages。 （Uch， looking through the book now， and I have a crazy amount of highlights。😂😂😂） 。。。more
Paolo D'Alessandro
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The closest thing to the definitive book on storytelling。A must-read。
R。J。 Southworth
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This book definitely reminded me of The Science of Storytelling: it also delves into why we tell stories and why most stories can be boiled down to the same structure， and some of its conclusions are similar， though framed in different ways。 And as with The Science of Storytelling， I got a lot out of Into the Woods。 It has a variety of interesting ideas and perspectives on stories， from five-act structure to fractal symmetry。 Though its content isn't framed as directly offering advice to writers This book definitely reminded me of The Science of Storytelling: it also delves into why we tell stories and why most stories can be boiled down to the same structure， and some of its conclusions are similar， though framed in different ways。 And as with The Science of Storytelling， I got a lot out of Into the Woods。 It has a variety of interesting ideas and perspectives on stories， from five-act structure to fractal symmetry。 Though its content isn't framed as directly offering advice to writers， they can still glean a lot of useful knowledge from it - and there are also some psychological and sociological ideas on storytelling （some taking examples from modern television） that provide much food for thought in general。 。。。more
Megan Chester
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Yorke shows how we construct stories， by insightfully deconstructing them。 Though it may feel repetitive at times， this book is clear， calm and confident。 It is packed full of examples and I would recommend it， especially to writers。
Robert Cooke
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I have never really thought about how stories are constructed。 I’m not even sure I realised it was something that had a formula or a theory。 I thought it was a flash of inspiration only the gifted ever have。 This book， by a British screenwriter， was a revelation to me in that respect。 It covered the theory of stories and why there seems to be some universal traits between tales going all the way to antiquity。 While I learned a lot there was times especially in part 1 when it really delved into t I have never really thought about how stories are constructed。 I’m not even sure I realised it was something that had a formula or a theory。 I thought it was a flash of inspiration only the gifted ever have。 This book， by a British screenwriter， was a revelation to me in that respect。 It covered the theory of stories and why there seems to be some universal traits between tales going all the way to antiquity。 While I learned a lot there was times especially in part 1 when it really delved into the weeds that I started to lose a little interest。 In contrast I found the chapter on dialogue and exposition by far the most interesting。 What is good exposition， what is bad？ It’s something I have never thought about and I know in the future I am going to be more conscious of it。If you are not familiar with British TV you will not get a lot of the references; he uses examples from EastEnders， a British soap， quite regularly。 He does use US movies as well so it will not be all foreign。I don’t know how much someone immersed in the world of writing or screenwriting would get out of this but as a total newbie I took a lot even though it was a little dry at times。 。。。more
Džiugas Babenskas
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Great guide on closing the gap between you and everything that is not you。 Storytelling - born from our need to order everything outside ourselves。 A story is like a magnet dragged through randomness， pulling the chaos of things into some kind of shape and - if we're very lucky - some kind of sense。 Every tale is an attempt to lasso a terrifying reality， tame it and bring it to heel。 Great guide on closing the gap between you and everything that is not you。 Storytelling - born from our need to order everything outside ourselves。 A story is like a magnet dragged through randomness， pulling the chaos of things into some kind of shape and - if we're very lucky - some kind of sense。 Every tale is an attempt to lasso a terrifying reality， tame it and bring it to heel。 。。。more
Sam
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Fantastic take on story structure， very useful to read with an eye to my screenwriting module next year。 Books like this inspire you to work on your own projects， and realise the good in what you have already made which I think is invaluable to your motivation and excitement in your craft as an artist/filmmaker。
Laura
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I don’t usually read books twice， but this one I certainly will。
David Drysdale
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Nice to read a book about the craft of story and writing that actually draws its examples from books instead of movies。
Ceola Daly
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4。5This was a really great introduction into story structure and narrative studies， written in a very conversational style with a variety of examples。 I wish Yorke had spoken a bit more on non-british television， but it's understandable that he stuck to his area of expertise。 All in all， very interesting and an enjoyable/educational read！ 4。5This was a really great introduction into story structure and narrative studies， written in a very conversational style with a variety of examples。 I wish Yorke had spoken a bit more on non-british television， but it's understandable that he stuck to his area of expertise。 All in all， very interesting and an enjoyable/educational read！ 。。。more
Luke
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A fantastically well researched book。 The information is presented via well known and modern references to TV and film which highlights each step of story structure clearly and precisely。 Before I started reading I was a little hesitant as I thought that if I know how stories work from an academical/psychological point of view I would lose the magic and mystery that stories bring but in fact I found the complete opposite。 Once I had finished reading my mind started subconsciously noticing things A fantastically well researched book。 The information is presented via well known and modern references to TV and film which highlights each step of story structure clearly and precisely。 Before I started reading I was a little hesitant as I thought that if I know how stories work from an academical/psychological point of view I would lose the magic and mystery that stories bring but in fact I found the complete opposite。 Once I had finished reading my mind started subconsciously noticing things in books， TV shows and films that I would never have noticed before which actually made the reading/viewing an even more enjoyable experience。 It helped me to identify why I did/didn't like a particular book/TV show/film， so much so that when I would discuss that piece of work with people I had a genuine understanding of what did & didn't work for me which then opened up even more enlightening conversations around stories and the part they play in our lives。 If you are looking for a first book in to story structure that is modern， easily accessible and provides something that you can make use of straight away this book is a great place to start。 。。。more
Kauã Barreto
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Brilliant book about storytelling and screenplay structure。 John Yorke knows what he's writing about and makes the subject clear to the readers。 Brilliant book about storytelling and screenplay structure。 John Yorke knows what he's writing about and makes the subject clear to the readers。 。。。more
Joseph Winer
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Yorke sometimes contradicts himself with his arguments （something I’ve been informed he does irl as well！）， but I think he makes a really strong case that all stories （or I suppose， all well written stories） follow the same set of rules。 I keep spotting these now in every book/tv show/film I encounter。 Great read if you’re interested in story structure。
Linette
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I slogged through this book。 It was heavy going。 There's a lot of good stuff but it is highly repetitious。 I know why he did this but that did not make it any easier to read。 I slogged through this book。 It was heavy going。 There's a lot of good stuff but it is highly repetitious。 I know why he did this but that did not make it any easier to read。 。。。more
Mirv
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Not without reaches and over-simplifications， but a pretty solid assessment of general story structure nonetheless。 Runs into most trouble when it drills down into more specific plot outlines and script elements - it runs a risk of stretching its central theory of act structure to breaking point。 A well-sourced and sharply analytical piece of academia， but （perhaps naturally） not without its problems。 Certainly interesting enough to be well-worth a read for any writers or just those interested。3 Not without reaches and over-simplifications， but a pretty solid assessment of general story structure nonetheless。 Runs into most trouble when it drills down into more specific plot outlines and script elements - it runs a risk of stretching its central theory of act structure to breaking point。 A well-sourced and sharply analytical piece of academia， but （perhaps naturally） not without its problems。 Certainly interesting enough to be well-worth a read for any writers or just those interested。3。5 stars 。。。more
Amen Musbah
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Really insightful and genuinely fascinating explorations of storytelling， great stuff。
Peter Dray
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John Yorke， a prominent script writer， explores the structures that are common to narratives。 It's a fascinating glimpse not just into the art and craft of script-writing （for which I have a new-found respect） but also into the nature of what it means to be human。 To Yorke， dramas are essentially stories of human desires: conflicted， unrealised and fulfilled - as are the 'fractal' elements that make them up。 In the end， then - and differing to others who have explored narrative - Yorke sees recu John Yorke， a prominent script writer， explores the structures that are common to narratives。 It's a fascinating glimpse not just into the art and craft of script-writing （for which I have a new-found respect） but also into the nature of what it means to be human。 To Yorke， dramas are essentially stories of human desires: conflicted， unrealised and fulfilled - as are the 'fractal' elements that make them up。 In the end， then - and differing to others who have explored narrative - Yorke sees recurring stories as reflections and ambitions of the deepest structures of human psychology; a way of finding meaning in a universe in which entities simply live and die。 I suppose I believe stories reveal something not just about storytellers， but also the fabric of the world in which we tell stories - that we live in a universe rich in meaning （a point of view Yorke brusquely sweeps aside）。 This made the final chapter somewhat dissatisfying - but I feel enriched nonetheless by such a rich exploration into the world of narrative。 。。。more
posthuman
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