This morning, drama producer, teacher, and author John Yorke gave a breakfast talk at W+K about narrative and story structure — specifically how we use story structure to interpret the world around us. Using plenty of familiar examples — everything from Coriolanus to Jaws, with a side-by-side comparison of Star Wars and Harry Potter for good measure — he showed us how almost all stories take on a similar shape and help us make sense of experiences. Also, there’s usually a shark involved.

For more on how stories work and why we tell them, you can read his book, Into the Woods. A huge thank you to John for stopping by the agency!