Tag: story structure

Everyone Loves a Prophet…in Hindsight

Everyone loves a prophet…in hindsight. So why do we ignore the people who see it coming? Why is this such a universal human trope? To mock, criticize, abuse, or even annihilate the one person who sees the truth? Today, I am using the term “prophet” because I want a little more latitude in my examples. …

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The Luck Dragon Phenomenon & Why AI Will Never Understand Humans

Ah, Falkor the Luck Dragon. Entire generations grew up absolutely loving the movie, “The NeverEnding Story” which I find fascinating because, objectively speaking? It is a terribly written movie. Yes, yes I know it was based off a book, but we are specifically referring to the movie today. Though structurally awful, we love it anyway. …

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Why Choice—Not Talent—Drives Great Stories

I’d venture to say that 99% of life is choosing the least crappy decision out of a list of horrible options while gambling the fallout is something we can handle.

Ideally later.

Story Structure: Why Some Stories Fall Apart & Fail to Hook Readers

Story structure is a HUGE deal in all stories. The last couple of posts, I’ve mentioned memoirs and how they can utilize a variety of structures. This said, there are so many variegations for the memoir, that I just can’t do them all justice here. Since I am at least sharp enough to know when …

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Fiction Addiction: How Great Storytellers Put the “Meth” into “Method”

When your fiction is crafted properly, readers will beg for your book to end…and then be depressed when it finally does.