Twists keep an audience watching. Theme is what makes them care.
In 1997, Trey Parker and Matt Stone shared a rule that changed how they thought about story structure: if the word "and then" connects your beats, you have a list of events. Replace it with "but" or "therefore," and you have causation. That's the difference between stuff happening and a story.
This workshop takes that rule one step further. Because a story can have perfect causation - twist after twist - and still feel empty. Causation keeps an audience watching. What makes them care is theme. And theme doesn't come from the twists. It comes from your character's flaw.
In this 75-minute live workshop, we'll connect the but/therefore rule directly to the flaw-and-theme framework, map it across the 12 sequences, and write one fully structured 2nd Act sequence together using the WHEN / THEN / UNTIL / BUT / THEREFORE template.
What you'll walk away with:
→ A one-sentence flaw belief and theme statement for your current project
→ A brainstormed list of "opposite of the flaw" obstacles for your 2nd Act
→ One fully written and workshopped 2nd Act sequence statement
→ The 12-sequence map showing how the "therefore" shifts from flaw to theme across the story - something you can use on every script you write
This workshop is for you if you're actively working on a draft, you understand what a character flaw is, and your 2nd Act feels like a series of things that happen rather than a story that's building toward something.
This workshop is not for you if you're looking for an introduction to screenwriting structure. This is 202-level material that builds on a working knowledge of the three-act form.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · 11:00 AM CDT · 75 minutes live · Recording included · $39