Posted on by Matt Erickson

Donald Miller at Elmbrook

This past Thursday, Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and other notable books, visited Elmbrook. He offered a great message on the power of story based off of some of his experiences in converting Blue Like Jazz to a screenplay. Building off of his attendance at a Robert McKee writing seminar, Don unpacked the four main elements of a ‘successful’ story in close connection with the Christian story:

  • Protagonist – a hero who moves the action along
  • Ambition – a goal toward which the protagonist is moving
  • Conflict – the bumps along the way
  • Resolution – final conclusion of the pursuit of the ambition

I’m really looking forward to Don’s new book, which he is tentatively calling Story. It’s due out in the Fall of 2008 and will likely unpack a bit more of the material from his message.

On a more personal note, Don was a really enjoyable guy to be around. Very down to earth and easy to talk to. It was great to see him really listen to others around him. After spending time with him personally, I appreciate him and his writing even more.

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6 Replies to “Donald Miller at Elmbrook”

  3. I completely agree, Don Miller was great! I wish I could have spent time with him in a different setting as well.

    I thought his message was one of the best if not the best I’ve heard about story. It really got me motivated to both do something exciting with the time God has given me, and to be more creative each day. I left that place PUMPED!

    I can’t wait to read his new book either!

    Reply

  4. I completely agree, Don Miller was great! I wish I could have spent time with him in a different setting as well.

    I thought his message was one of the best if not the best I’ve heard about story. It really got me motivated to both do something exciting with the time God has given me, and to be more creative each day. I left that place PUMPED!

    I can’t wait to read his new book either!

    Reply

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