David Corbett - Pre-Conference Class: Deconstructing Chinatown

A Pre-Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference Class
Almost everything you need to know about writing a great crime story can be learned from wisely analyzing this classic film. David Corbett will lead the class in a group analysis of the story to explore such techniques as: Charting the character arcs for the greatest dramatic impact; creating the exterior desire, the inner need and the "crisis of insight" that define a compelling hero; how to orchestrate the opposition from an offscreen villain; the love interest and her role in exposing the hero; employing "four-corner conflict" to create moral complexity; using secondary characters to flesh out major characters; the importance of a symbol system in intensifying your thematic concerns; and more. Student works will also be discussed to explore these same issues to examine how works-in-progress can be dramatically strengthened, thematically deepened, and better structured. (Class time will not permit a full viewing of the film, so students should reacquaint themselves with it before hand.)

This class is part of the pre-conference events leading up to the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference. The class is open to both conference participants and non-particpants, although conference participants receive a discount. To learn more about the conference, please visit this link.