Libro De Guionismo

Invisible Ink A Practical Guide to Building Stories that Resonate
by Brian McDonald (more about this book and author)

Preface—Comments and Foreword
If you put a gun onstage in Act I you must use it by Act III. —Anton Chekhov If there is something wrong with the third act, it’s really in the first act. —Billy Wilder Praise for Brian McDonald and Invisible Ink “Writing stories is hard. Theyare stubborn by nature. No matter how many times you master one, the next story is obligated to conceal its faults with an entirely new disguise. Your only recourse is to keep writing, while concurrently increasing your understanding of this deceivingly simple, yet highly complex, organism we call story. Brian McDonald’s insightful book does just that. Somehow, Brian has found yet another freshand objective way to analyze how great stories function, and emboldens you to face the challenge of scaling whatever story mountain looms before you. If I manage to reach the summit of my next story it will be in no small part due to having readInvisible Ink.” —Andrew Stanton (cowriter Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., and cowriter/director Finding Nemo and WALL-E) “Invisible Inkis a powerful tool for anyone who wants to become a better screenwriter.With elegance and precision, Brian McDonald uses his deep understanding of story and character to pass on essential truths about dramatic writing. Ignore him at your peril.” —Jim Taylor (Academy Award™- winning screenwriter of Sideways andElection) “Brian McDonald knows that underneath a good story are the difficult mechanicsof plot. He offers insights into both the construction needed and the art of hiding that construction.” —Jim Uhls (screenwriter of Fight Club) “Brian McDonald’s Invisible Ink is a wise, fresh, and highly entertaining book on the art of storytelling. I read it hungrily in one sitting, delighted by his careful and illuminating analysis

of my favorite films, novels, television shows, and evencomics. A multitalented creator, McDonald never errs in his critical judgments or the very practical principles he provides for creating well-made stories. I recommend this fine handbook on craft to any writer, apprentice or professional, working in any genre or form.” —Dr. Charles Johnson (National Book Award-winning author of MiddlePassage) “Nobody, in Hollywood or out, understands story betterthan Brian McDonald. Never give a script to Brian to read casually, because he doesn’t know how to do that. He only knows how to make it better—whether you like it or not.” —Mark Handley (screenwriter of Nell) “If you want to write scripts, listen to Brian. The guy knows what he’s talking about. A very well-thought-out, easy-to-follow guide to the thing all we writers love to pretend we don’tslavishly follow—story structure.” —Paul Feig (creator of NBC’s Freaks and Geeks) “Brian unlocks the secrets to making a great screenplay. I only wish I had read it sooner.” —Steve Higgins (producer, Saturday Night Live) Invisible Ink is an uncommonly good guidebook that reveals the unseen workings within great movies, TV, and literature. Brian McDonald, the author of the guidebook, is like a modern daymagician who understands the enchantment that lives within a good story, and fortunately for us, he is ready to share his many secrets. —Joel Hodgson (creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and CinematicTitanic) “Storytelling has been my bread and butter for twenty-five years now, and in that time I’ve sat down with at least a couple of dozen books that swore they could help me with my craft.Invisible Ink is the first one I’ve finished. Brian McDonald understands story like no one else, from the need for and nature of an underlying structure—‘armature’ is his fine and nimble term for it—through the land mine-laden path to fleshing it out. McDonald himself is a screenwriter, but this is by no means a book solely for screenwriters. It’s not about screenwriting; it’s about writing and...