Part I: Exposition -- Random scenes -- It's improv -- A million miles in a thousand years -- It's all about the story -- Your real life is boring -- Flesh and soul better -- My uncle's funeral and a wedding -- Going to see the guru -- The basic elements of a meaningful life -- How Jason saved his family -- Part II: A character -- Writing the world -- Imperfect is perfect -- The point of life is transformation -- Story application in leadership -- A character is what he does -- A character must save the cat -- A good character listens to his writer -- Something on the page -- Part III: A character who wants something -- How to make yourself change -- An inciting incident -- Facing the resistance -- A good story, hijacked -- Walking among the ruins -- Meeting Bob -- Part IV: A character who wants something and overcomes conflict -- The thing about a crossing -- It's the pain that binds us -- A tree in a story about a forest -- The reason God hasn't fixed you yet -- Great stories have memorable scenes -- Part V: A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it -- The beauty of a tragedy -- No one gets to watch the parade -- Snow falling in Delaware -- Telling a story demands courage.