Making an Event-ful Story
Mastering the art of illustrating the key Events in your story
Subtxt is a gamechanger for writers. What once required a 600-page book and 10+ years of study can now be achieved in weeks with the app alone. But some parts of Subtxt can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure how to use them.
Who is the Obstacle Character?
Obstacle Characters are powerful tools for the storyteller, but it's important to remember that stories are for the audience, not for the characters.
The Obstacle Character is a powerful addition to the storyteller's craft. A perspective often conflated with the Antagonist of a story, the Obstacle Character is the point-of-view responsible for challenging the Main Character to face their personal justifications.
Vice Picks up Canada's Oscar Contender Eternal Spring
When narrative structure meets real-world events
Great news! Variety reports that the documentary Eternal Spring --for which I played a small part in helping craft the narrative--was just picked up by Vice.
The Ultimate Collection of Antagonists Who Are Main Characters
The one who avoids or prevents resolution of the plot is Antagonist, regardless of audience empathy
As a companion to the original blog post The Ultimate Collection of Protagonists Who Act As Obstacle Characters, the following is a list of Main Characters who function as Antagonists within the Objective Story Throughline.
Giving Your Story the Subtxt Treatment
Seeing the whole thing at once, so you can start to make sense of it
It’s hard to pick a favorite feature in Subtxt. The AI, the Premise Builder, the whole app itself? But, in my opinion, that honor should really go to the Treatment, one of the most helpful tools available for writers.
What Happens When AI Knows Story Structure
The future is already here
Joanna Penn, the host of The Creative Penn Podcast, recently interviewed Andrew Mayne, international best-selling author and science communicator at OpenAI. In an episode entitled Writing with Artificial Intelligence with Andrew Mayne the two discuss some of the creative possibilities for storytelling with AI.
Eternally Grateful for Being a Part of Eternal Spring
A beautiful look at the very best of humanity
Earlier this week, my wife Summer and I attended a screening of Jason Loftus' latest documentary, Eternal Spring. Having worked with Jason prior on his first doc, Ask No Questions, I was beyond excited to see what I consider to be one of the most emotional and beautiful works of art finally up on the big screen.
The Difference between Timespace and Spacetime
The impact of their relationship on narrative structure
Subtxt is the only narrative structure application that accounts for either Timespace or Spacetime when it comes to the sequencing of events.
Visualizing the Main Character Dynamics
More than random stabs in the dark
Using Predictive Narrative Intelligence to Write a Story
More than random stabs in the dark
Part of my plans for 2022 involve weaving GPT-3 text generation into Subtxt. You can see current incarnations of this in apps like sudowrite or LitRPGAdventures. The only difference?
The Obstacle Character in The Shape of Water
A reminder of perspective
The Shape of Water has always been particularly problematic to me (I always thought it was a cheap comic-book knock-off of Amelié 😄), so I've always resisted putting it into Subtxt. As I'm going through and updating all the Storyforms, it showed up again, and I knew I had to face it one way or another.
The Coincidence of Opposites and Story Structure
An age-old lecture sheds light on the foundation of a meaningful story
While teaching the latest cohort of AI-Powered Storytelling, I stumbled upon this lecture from Alan Watts that perfectly described the center of every meaningful story. Entitled Coincidence of Opposites, this brief segment is all you really need to know when laying down the foundation of your latest work:
Writing a Dramatic Argument
Clarify the motivating forces behind two points-of-view
When developing a story around a Dramatic Argument, many writers think in terms of opposites...when they should be thinking in terms of dramatic pairs.
Subtxt Podcast Author Wins Big
Writing a podcast that attracts critical acclaim
Writer Daniel Williams, a subscriber to Subtxt, achieved success this year at the New Jersey Webfest 2021.
Subtxt Without the E
Hidden clues located throughout the app--even the title
Subtxt lost some weight during the most recent rollouts. Beyond making it easier to direct everyone to the same short URL for the app (https://subtxt.app), the X plays a significant role in depicting just what Subtxt does to create your stories.
Psychological Projection Operating as a Source of Conflict
Our personal vulnerabilities and probability
The Discuss Dramatica forums pose a question about a Motivation of Projection. With Illustrations of Projection covering everything from "figuring out how someone is likely to be exterminated" to "forecasting someone's future, " one wonders whether psychological projection fits into the mix.
Luke Skywalker and his Motivation of Test
Illustrations of how challenging yourself creates problems
At the bottom of every Main Character's justification for bad behavior rests a Motivation. This Motivation, while seemingly amorphous and given to interpretation, is definitive and recognizable within the context of a Dramatica Storyform.
Searching for Meaning in Searching
An in-depth look at this clear and concise film
The Writers Room in Subtxt is a place where writers interested in better storytelling gather together to learn the ins and outs of developing a meaningful and purposeful story. Hosted by Chief Narrative Officer James Hull, the Room seeks to explain the psychology of story, while simultaneously providing practical advice towards applying those same abstract theoretical concepts.
J. J. Abrams Advocates Writing With Subtxt
How an app could have saved the galaxy
In a recent interview, director J.J.Abrams laments the lack of a plan while filming the Star Wars sequel trilogy;
The Development of a Comprehensive Narrative Framework
Leaving room for collective enhancement
Many writers new to Subtxt, yet familiar with the Dramatica theory of story, run into a disconcerting stumbling block: why are the Plot Progressions for the two applications sometimes different? While reading through The Relationship Between Dramatica and Subtxt helps, there remains a need for clarification. Why do things keep changing?