Hamnet: the perils of the predetermined ending
Writing to a predetermined ending often distorts both character behaviour and narrative causality to get there. Is that what Hamnet does? What’s the story’s argument? [...]
Internal Contradiction Externalised
Sometimes, especially in fables, the divided self is represented by two separate characters. This post extends the argument in Sequences: How they Work and it's accompanying Sample Sequences [...]
Who’s Got the Problem Now?
How to use “Who’s Got the Problem Now?” (and its corollary “Who’s got the Power Now?”) as tools for managing point of view in cinematic storytelling. What’s [...]
We Read Bodies, Not Minds
We read bodies, not minds. Don’t rely on dialogue to express psychological truth; add empathy and projection to your toolbox. Why dialogue is the last [...]
Theory of Mind
Guessing what other people are thinking is an instinctive means of social survival. Co-opt this impulse in your storytelling. Here’s how it works. Humans are [...]
Four Spheres of Conflict
A tool for giving your characters a range of obstacles to overcome, which gives your story more dramatic energy and your characters more depth. To [...]
Three Key Questions
Three key questions can help you shape your story, giving it substance, shape and a satisfying ending. Three Flavours of Narrative Narrative is shaped by one [...]
A Conflict Layer Cake: worked EXAMPLE
Applying the principles in A Conflict Layer Cake to a single story, building dramatic tension and creating meaning through stacked, escalating conflicts. In an oppressive society, [...]
But What if my Mother Found Out?
For stories with depth, don’t keep your character’s choices within your personal fences. Dodge the inner censor. We all have an inner censor—the voice that [...]
A Conflict Layer Cake
To have a substantial second act, your story needs multiple layers of conflict. To have a powerful third act, they need to come together into a single significant external action [...]
