ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how writing an adaptation becomes a process of examining dialogue, visuals, story structure, character, point of view, theme, story, and audience expectations. Also known as: the fundamentals of screenwriting—or, in this case, the fundamentals of adaptation. Characters can be broken up into three fundamental states of being: Active; Passive; and Reactive. Both Aristotle and Freytag identify a point in the middle of the story where the character makes a major change. A common starting point for storytellers is the idea of developing a Spine for the story. Story Shape is an approach to organizing a screenplay that is fundamentally different from the Three-Act Structure and the Hero's Journey. The working definitions of Genre are too vague and contradictory, while the common models for the Three-Act Structure are too strict. In both instances, these ideas—in their current state—are far less helpful to screenwriters than they should be.
