Our most popular narrative science articles, videos, and audio programs You can also explore our newest narrative science posts or search the entire library Our Most Popular Narrative Science Topics Dramatica – A New Theory Of Story A Free Online Bookon Narrative Structure Developed and Written byMelanie Anne Phillips& Chris Huntley Read the entire 350 pagebook FREE on our website […]
Now that I’m retired, some of my posts will be short text pieces with no pictures (like this one) that provide sound-bite style glimpses into the working of narrative structure, both in fiction and in the real world – all based on the theory of narrative structure developed by my partner and myself thirty years […]
Story structure is built on fours, not on twos. Though it may seem like conflict is created between two opposing forces, there are two other forces at play as well. Consider a dramatic circuit consisting of four elements: Potential, Resistance, Current, and Power – just like an electrical circuit. Every scene has all four elements and […]
Story structure is built on fours, not on twos. Though it may seem like conflict is created between two opposing forces, there are two other forces at play as well. Consider a dramatic circuit consisting of four elements: Potential, Resistance, Current, and Power – just like an electrical circuit. Every scene has all four elements and […]
Story Structure | What Is Story Structure? In the previous installment of this series we asked the question, “Does Story Structure Exist?” Seems simple enough, but with all the variations in the way stories are assembled – who is in them, what they do, and how all that turns into a message – it isn’t […]
Since 1997, Storymind has supported novelists and screenwriters with hundreds of free original articles and streaming videos on creative writing, story development, story structure, and narrative science. Use the menu to browse our most popular topics, or search for just what you need. May the Muse be with you! Menu Creative Writing Ideas for finding […]
Archetypes represent human qualities we all share, such as Reason, Emotion, Faith, Skepticism, Conscience, and Temptation. Stereotypes represent the different kinds of personalities we encounter in life. In story structure, archetypes, by definition, are characters defined by their plot function, such as the protagonist, who is trying to achieve a goal. The protagonist represents our […]
What is Dramatica? Dramatica is a theory of story that offers both writers and critics a clear view of what story structure is and how it works. Dramatica is also the inspiration behind the line of story development software products that bear its name. The central concept of the Dramatica theory is a notion called […]
Warning – Deep Narrative Theory Ahead… What’s “Ability” have to do with story structure? In this article I’m going to talk about how the Dramatica Theory of Narrative Structure uses the term “ability” as an element of dramatics, and how it applies not only to story narratives and characters but to real people, real life […]
Most writers are not story theorists, and don’t want to be. Still, an understanding of the way stories work can help support a writer’s instincts to make sure a flawed structure won’t get in the way of the creativity. So what is story structure? It is a map of the way people go about solving […]
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