Let me quote this; "...but perhaps nothing as important than your instincts." That's *IT*. You can have all the knowledge or the skills in the world - the only resource anyone can hold and control is imagination. Not thinking, not even reasoning. It's a reflex created by the mind. Creativity is by definition instinctive. As a child, we're all growing with and along it... the sum of anyone's present has an origin - past experience(s).

I've never thought of theory or the various methodologies as anything other than scaffolding on which to hang one's ideas. At some point, the scaffolding has to be pulled away and whatever's left behind has to stand on it's own.

I agree - set it and forget it. Learn that stuff, but then put it out of your mind completely until or unless you are analyzing a part of your story - then you may check your story against story paradigms you have learned But remember this: story theory is instinctual and hard-wired for humans. Somebody just wrote it down and called it fancy stuff :)

A good way to make sure you're not using too much theory is to use too many theories. When I outlined the script I'm in a second draft on now, I went through the story using the Hero's Journey, using the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, using Scott's Narrative Throughline, and even did a gloss using some of Robert McKee's squares. Each tweaked it a little, but the overall effect was to get the story out. With that patchwork scaffolding to tell the story, the characters showed me how they needed to depart from it.

Excellent point, the "book learnin' " scaffolds, frames, outlines before the actual writing. This conundrum caused me to worry there was a fundamental lack in my first draft writing process. Who do I listen to Blake/Campbell/etc. or BERNIE, (65) the Prison Guard who wants a dramatic entrance on page 98? *sigh of relief* I'll go with Bernie. Great post and replies--thanks for answering my question, Scott and GITS!