The goal of Shaping True Story Into Screenplay is to empower screenwriters who are spurred on by personal experience and help them make the leap from cathartic expression to true storytelling. With an encouraging and supportive tone, the book guides its readers towards objectivity about their experience. An autobiographical screenplay must move beyond a self-indulgent re-telling, and so this book explains the process of writing one's own story in terms of antagonist and protagonist, beginning, middle and end, dramatic conflict and character motivations. This enables writers to discern the difference between ideas with true dramatic potential and memories best left in the scrapbooks. This book stresses the importance of finding a metaphor to use as a springboard for the development of characters and plot. This emphasis on poetic invention can help the writer craft a more artful script. An inspirational guidebook, Shaping True Story into Screenplay will help you visualize solutions to your screenwriting challenges as it explains how to: Clarify the themes of your true story and use them as a springboard for the development of plot and character Shape the plot into a personalized three-act structure along a focused spine Layer the story with complementary, cohesive subplots Build character arcs from the motivations and conflicts in real life Invent a frame to help propel the story forward Imagine events to create scenes that are metaphors for real events Choose what to leave out in the interest of the story Candace Kearns Read has over twenty years of experience in the film industry as a screenwriter and screenwriting teacher and consultant, and this book provides an in-depth look at the specific challenges of adapting from true story, based on her experience."