The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works | John Truby

Mar 7, 2023

Screenwriter John Truby discusses the 14 story genres that categorize everyday life, reflecting on work through creating a memoir, analyzing business as a detective story, horror narrative of layoffs, sales as an action genre, and the romance genre's relation to work.

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INSIGHT

Genres As Life Philosophy

Genres are filters that package life philosophies and teach how to live successfully.
Memoir, fantasy, detective, and love each map to distinct life strategies beyond surface plots.

ANECDOTE

Zelensky As Action Epic

Jon views Volodymyr Zelensky as a master storyteller embodying an action epic during the war in Ukraine.
His clothes, manner, and direct talk position him as a modern-day Churchill leading national fate.

INSIGHT

Two-Track Story Structure

Great stories run two tracks: the desire line and a subterranean interior flaw that drives moral change.
The self-revelation moment ties those tracks and delivers catharsis when the hero morally transforms.

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From an early age, John Truby knew that stories are not just something that happens on a page. Story is all around us. It structures how we interpret events, and even how we decide how to live. For John, story forms explain the way the world works.

John is a screenwriter and the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio in Los Angeles, where he teaches novelists, screenwriters, and TV writers the deep secrets of what makes a great story.

His students have generated more than fifteen billion dollars at the box office, and studios like Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, HBO, and AMC routinely consult John on how to improve the stories they tell.

In this episode, Dart and Jon discuss:
- The 14 story genres that categorize everyday life
- Which genre produces fulfilling work
- Reflecting on your work by creating a memoir
- Business analysis as a detective story
- The horror narrative of layoffs
- Sales as an action genre
- What the romance genre has to do with work
- And other topics...

Jon Truby is a screenwriter, director, screenwriting teacher, author, and Hollywood consultant for studios such as Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, HBO, and AMC. He is the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio and has worked on over 1,000 film scripts over the last 30 years.

Jon created his 22-step outline for storytelling in his first book, The Anatomy of Story, teaching his techniques through global masterclasses to over 50,000 students worldwide since the start of his career. His latest book, The Anatomy of Genres, was released in 2022.

Resources Mentioned:
The Anatomy of Genres, by Jon Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
The Anatomy of Criticism, by Northrop Frye https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Criticism-Essays-Princeton-Classics/dp/0691202567
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers/dp/B09PC69XV3
The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels, by Patrick O’Brian: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Aubrey-Maturin-Novels-volumes/dp/039306011X
Cinema Paradiso (film), 1988
Master and Commander (film), 2003
Shane (film), 1953
Glengarry Glen Ross (play), by David Mamet
World Experience Organization: https://worldxo.org/

Connect with Jon:
www.truby.com
www.anatomyofgenres.com

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.