Editing Screenwriting (section)

=== Michael Welles Schock's Atoms of Storytelling ===
Shock argues that the Golden Key in structuring a film script is something he calls the “story spine.” It is the backbone of storytelling,{{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=35}} and it starts from the beginning of the movie and continues all the way to the very end. He says that every successful story spine contains film elements

# '''The Story Problem:''' Another word for the inciting incident. Examples given include the arrival of the terrorists in ''Die Hard'' or Nemo being kidnapped in ''Finding Nemo''. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=39}}
# '''The Story Goal:''' the very thing that drives the main character. The MC believes that once the goal is achieved, the Story Problem will be solved and life can return to normal. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=41}}
# '''The Path of Action:''' The road the protagonist travels down to achieve the Story Goal. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=43}}
# '''The Main Conflict:''' The force of antagonism the protagonist faces. It could be human, internal, or some other external force. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=47}}
# '''The Stakes:''' The very thing that is at risk for the protagonist should they not achieve their story goal. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=49}} In ''Die Hard'', John McClane’s wife is one of the hostages in the building. If he fails, he, his wife, and the other hostages will die. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=49}}

Shock says that the theory of spine could also be applied to the sequence in the Sequence approach. Each sequence spine is made up of the same five elements of the story spine. {{sfn|SCHOCK|2013|p=59}}