I used to think that logic was at the center of our thinking. This does not seem to be the case when you look at people, because people often do things illogically. But as I looked at people and saw them respond to events, it seemed to be the case that though they did not […]
The Story is at the Center of Thinking Read More »
Story structure is important. Each story must follow the structure of a story. To understand what stories are, people have developed story structures that we can use to understand and develop stories. You have probably heard about the three act story. You have probably heard about the five act story. It is less likely that
Seven Point Story Structure Read More »
There are a lot of different ways you can go about planning a story. Some people are pantsers. Some people are plotters. If you are a pantser, I would encourage you to do some plotting. When we go about planning, we have several different ways to go about planning. People have set up several different
The Five Act Story Structure Read More »
Every story has three parts, and these three parts have been known to exist for thousands of yours. These three parts are beginning, a middle, and an end. Aristotle said that these were the three parts of a story, and I think that these three parts are the most basic sections we can break a
The Three Parts of a Story Read More »
What is In Memoriam? In Memoriam, the series that begins with The Ninth Hour, is a passion project of mine. I have seen how powerful long-form storytelling has been in my own life, and this story that started off as an idea for one book begged to be told in the form of multiple books.
In Memoriam: Why I Write and the Power of a Story Read More »
Character change is at the essence of a good story. This week on How to Write Good, Emily Brady of the podcast Plotboilers guests. We talk about two different books, “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry.” We talk about how slow and satisfying the character change
Character Change: The Count of Monte Cristo-Emily Brady Read More »
My family is not one that engages in personal story. When something happens in my family, we instead inform each other about what has happened. Instead of giving each other the information in a story format, we present it as a short summary of what the person needs to know about the situation. In some
Personal Story and Human Connection Read More »
How to write a novel, You run into this problem all over the internet. Many people are looking for the best way to go about writing a book. Author David Stewart guests on this week’s episode of HTWG. David and I discuss such things as the components needed to make a good story, David’s writing
How to Write a Novel: Story Development w/ David Stewart Read More »
Clickbait is annoying, but clickbait has always existed in some form, especially in books. The purpose of a book title is to get you to pick it up. In these week’s episode, I bring you the electrifying topic of book titles. I talk about the purpose of a title, several ways of titling books, and
Clickbait Book Titles: Good Book Titles and Bad Read More »
The shape of stories has been well-explained by Vonnegut in the past. Musical theories have shown the flow of music. Today, I go over how these are related and discuss why music and storytelling are similar and unique in contrast to more traditional forms of art. If you enjoy this episode, here are some others
The Shape of Stories and Music: Connections in Art Read More »
