Today’s Most Popular Articles
- The False Narrative
- Writing Stories About Hopes and Dreams
- Identifying Your Main Character
- The Four Throughlines in To Kill A Mockingbird
- Spin a Tale, Weave a Story
- Storytelling Tip: Trapped in a Routine
- How do you create a main character who is an antagonist?
- Letting Go of Characters
- Psychology, Personality, Persona & Perception - The 4 P's Revisited
- Narrative Structure, Game Theory and Crowd Control
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Category Archives: Plot
Throughlines and How to Use Them!
Some time ago I write an article that described the difference between the two basic forms of story structure with the following phrase: You spin a tale, but you weave a story. The common expression “spinning a yarn” conjures up … Continue reading
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Four Useful Plot Points
From our StoryWeaver Software: Plot Points There is a multitude of plot points, but among these, four are the most visible: 1. Goal 2. Personal Goals 3. Requirements 4. Consequences THE GOAL The Goal is what the Protagonist is trying … Continue reading
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Four Essential Plot Points
There are many story points relating to your plot, ranging from the the outcome of the quest to the obstacles the characters face along the way. While all story points are important, there are four essential ones that provide the cornerstones … Continue reading
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How to Create Subplots
There are two types of subplots: Those that run parallel and don’t really affect each other dramatically, and those that are dramatically hinged together. An example of parallel subplots can be found in Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” in which … Continue reading
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Writing with a “Collective” Goal
By Melanie Anne Phillips Some writers become so wrapped up in interesting events and bits of action that they forget to have a central unifying goal that gives purpose to all the other events that take place. This creates a … Continue reading
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Plot vs. Exposition
By Melanie Anne Phillips A common misconception is that Plot is the order of events in a story. In fact, the order in which events are unfolded for the reader or audience can be quite different from the order in … Continue reading
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What Chases Your Characters?
By Melanie Anne Phillips A goal is what the characters chase, but what chases the characters? Answer: the Consequences. Consequences double the dramatic tension in a story by providing a negative result if the goal is not achieved. Consequences may be … Continue reading
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Is Your Story Driven by Action or Decision?
By Melanie Anne Phillips Here’s some text I wrote about the difference between an action-driven story and a decision-driven story, excerpted from Dramatica Story Development Software. ***** Some stories are driven by actions. Others are forced along by decisions. All … Continue reading
Be Clear About Requirements for your Story Goal
By Melanie Anne Phillips The achievement of (or failure to achieve) the goal is an important but short moment at the end of a story. So how is interest maintained over the course of the story? By the progress of the … Continue reading
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Never Be Stuck for a Plot Again!
A writer asked today: Dear Melanie, Could you please tell me where can I find some material on western genre plot building. Let me make it much clearer. I have a character Marshal, A saloon girl, Rancher, Preacher, Blacksmith and … Continue reading
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