Meta Story: What Marvel & the Messiah Can Teach Us About Great Storytelling

by Sean Gaffney, Bryan Ballinger (Illustrator)

Overview

This fun-to-read, insightful book will enlighten audiences hoping to expand their view of Story, as well as instruct those learning the art of scriptwriting. Designed for anyone of faith who likes movies, TV shows, or theatre, this book explores the hardwired universal patterns in Story and the effect those elements have on our souls.

Perfect for:

• Christian writers who want to combine their faith with solid instruction on scriptwriting and story structure;

• Students and teachers in an educational setting needing an accessible textbook that is theory-driven yet practical;

• Christians who create story content to deliver a message, such as pastors, speakers, artists, filmmakers, game developers, ministry leaders, and more;

• Anyone who wants to intelligently discuss where they do (or don't) see Christ in culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798992266412
Publisher:	Gaffney Inkwell
Publication date:	04/04/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	454
File size:	3 MB

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword (by Dean Batali)

Preface (by David Gyertson, Ph.D.)

Part One: THE ETERNAL STORY

• Art and Faith
• The Big Idea
• Faith and Art
• Rules, Examples, and More

Part Two: HERO, GOAL, AND OBSTACLE

• Unity
• Central Character - Hero
• Multi-Protagonists
• Goal
• Want versus Need
• Obstacle

Part Three: FIVE PART STORY

• The Three Stories
• The 5 Sentence Story Game
• Five Part Story

Part Four: THE CLASSIC STRUCTURE

• Form Not Formula
• The Classic Three-Act Structure

Part Five: EVENTS - BEGINNING

• Events
• Hook / Teaser
• Balance
• Catalyst
• Final Straw

Part Six: EVENTS - MIDDLE

• Quest Part One
• Midpoint
• Midpoint Escape Offer
• Quest Part Two

Part Seven: EVENTS - END

• Crisis
• Wafer and Post Crisis
• Climax
• New Balance
• Tag
• The Eternal Story Summary
• Five Part and Events

Part Eight: STRUCTURE VARIATIONS

• Story Structure for Series
• Bending the Form
• Structure and Time

Part Nine: CHARACTER

• Character and Plot
• Character Paradox
• Character and Dialogue
• Character and Theme
• Character Counts: The MCU versus DCEU
• Forces of Antagonism
• Fully Developed Supporting Characters

Part Ten: SUBTEXT AND DIALOGUE

• Dialogue Function
• Dialogue as Action
• Character Subtext
• Story Subtext

Part Eleven: SETUPS, IMAGES, AND IDEAS

• Setups and Payoffs
• Images: Delivery and Motifs
• Theme

Part Twelve: REDEMPTIVE STORYTELLING

• Redemptive Storytelling
• Point of View and Genre

Appendices

• Appendix A: The Only Screenwriting Book
• Appendix B: The Number Three
• Appendix C: Improv Game: CROW
• Appendix D: Other Structures
• Appendix E: Functions for Supporting Characters

References

Acknowledgments

About the Illustrator

About the Author

Other works by Sean Gaffney