Narrative First
Subtext
Main Character Throughline, Protagonist
Critiques based on inadequate understandings of narrative create great distress.
Main Character, Protagonist
Greater specificity in how we look at story results in a greater understanding of how narrative truly works.
Antagonist, Story Goal
Structure is the carrier wave of your story’s message.
Acts
Clarifying horrifically bad information.
Knowing why structure functions clues one in on the importance of structure.
The base operating system of a character signals to the Audience why the Main Character behaves a certain way, expecting certain results.
Main Character Throughline, Main Character Problem-Solving Style
Some prefer to take action, others prefer to internalize. Knowing which one clues Authors in on the kind of conflict their Main Charater faces.
Main Character Throughline, Main Character Approach
All growth is not transformative; sometimes a character stands fast to their resolve in order to change the world around them.
Main Character Throughline, Main Character Growth
When it comes to making your narrative mean something, a clear indication of the central character's point-of-view is paramount.
Main Character Throughline, Main Character Resolve
Archetypes consist of one Action and one Decision element.
Archetypes, Motivations
In a complete story, characters perform a function.
Archetypes
A better method for appreciating character relationships exists.
Archetypes, Story Driver, Hero
The cliché of the century finds roots in human psychology.
Influence Character, Main Character Throughline, Relationship Story Throughline
Some characters grow by maintaining their resolve against all odds.
Main Character Resolve, Steadfast Main Character
How a character thinks determines the order of Acts within a story.
Main Character Problem-Solving Style
Peaceful resolutions come in many different ways, regardless of how reprehensible.
Personal Triumph, Story Outcome, Story Judgment
An examination of a missed opportunity for story greatness.
Relationship Story Throughline, Tale
A meaningful ending is one where the Author communicates a complete argument.
Story Judgment, Story Outcome, Main Character Throughline, Objective Story Throughline
The combination of a successful outcome with an unresolved emotional state creates this bittersweet narrative.
Story Outcome, Story Judgment, Personal Tragedy
The combination of a failed outcome with a sense of peace creates this bittersweet narrative.
Story Judgment, Story Outcome, Personal Triumph
Mix equal parts objective failure with subjective angst.
Story Judgment, Story Outcome, Tragedy
Meaningful endings are a result of orchestrating a compelling argument.
Story Outcome, Story Judgment, Triumph
Visually stunning but lacking heart? It's not just one thing that is wrong, it's two.
Relationship Story Throughline
For a narrative to enjoy lasting meaning, an argument must form the foundation of its structure.
Tale
What do Sean Penn’s _Into the Wild_ and M. Night Shyamalan’s _The Sixth Sense_ have in common? Much more than you would probably think.
Main Character Throughline, Main Character Resolve, Story Outcome
But not every character needs to change their personal point-of-view.
Main Character Resolve, Main Character Growth
Stories are as long as they need to be to fully explore the argument being made.
Story Continuum
A look under the hood proves to be a tremendous waste of energy.
The event that creates the original inequity motivates the efforts to bring about resolution.
Influence Characters challenge the Main Character to deal with their justifications.
Influence Character
The seemingly crazy ways your partner looks at the world could help you better understand story.
Steadfast characters believe the same thing that drives them should drive everyone.
Influence Character, Influence Character Resolve, Main Character Resolve
Narrative structure isn't always about the story--sometimes it can help an Author better understand their Audience.
Nature, Essence, Reach, Tendency
Replacing one director with another resulted in competing storyforms--with different levels of scope.
A simple question you can ask to determine the thematic issues of your story.
Four Throughlines
The conspiracy to keep secret the hidden code of narrative structure.
Main Character Throughline
The truth is out there. In this episode.
Acts, Signposts
Exploring character arc in characters that don't "change."
Steadfast Main Character, Crucial Element
Separate the perspective of the Main Character from the function of the Protagonist and open up an entirely new world of storytelling.
Main Character, Protagonist, Hero
Break this relationship and your story falls apart.
Story Driver
A way to see character arc without the perspective of time.
Compare the end with the beginning to determine Resolve.
Main Character Resolve, Backstory, Justification
You know how great one tastes, but you probably don't know what goes into it.
Dramatica, Storyform
When defining the structure of your story, who you are looking at and who you are looking from within matters.
Main Character, Influence Character
Thinking in terms of Hero only is limiting.
Protagonist, Main Character, Hero
Most story paradigms emphasize the amount of time spent on an Act over the more important order in which the Acts appear.
plot progression, story outcome
In order to clearly define the Goal of your story, define who the Audience roots for and make that side the Protagonist.
Protagonist, Story Goal
A simple way to look at the theory's eight essential dynamic story points of narrative.
Main Character Resolve, Main Character Growth, Main Character Approach, Main Character Problem-Solving Style, Story Driver, Story Continuum, Story Outcome, Story Judgment
