Episode 18: Subverting Expectations
Oren, Chris, and Mike talk about breaking conventions in stories.
Storytelling: Page 28
Three Things That Will Make Your Characters Deeper
Use these tips for making protagonists that your readers will want to read more of.
Four Steps for Making Campaigns Into Written Stories
How your RPG story can make the leap from kitchen table to page.
Ten Movies With Strong Character Arcs
These on-screen protagonists go through big changes by the time the credits roll.
Misattributed Arousal in Fiction
How our brains' emotional confusion can pump up your story's dramatics.
Anatomy of a Fable
The building blocks of these lessons-driven stories.
Four Problems With Multimedia Continuity
How jumping platforms can cause creative stumbles for larger canons.
Avoiding the Planet of Hats
How to spice up and flesh out your worldbuilding without letting the details bog you down.
Episode 15: The Hero’s Journey
Chris, Oren and Mike discuss mythic structure and the wide variety of works that use it.
How to Create Powerful Character Combos
How to get the chemistry crackling between your story's stars.
The Eight Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey
The occupants of this mythic structure often fit one or more of these molds.
Should You Use a Monster or a Villain in Your Story?
How to choose between a big bad and a creepy-crawly horror for your story.
Three Experiments You Shouldn’t Try
Very few have done them before—but that's because they won't work.
Balancing Character Agency
How your characters can drive the story even with their backs to the wall.
Tying Your Plot Together
How to weave your story's strands together into a cohesive whole.
Repairing Unbelievable Story Elements
How to prevent head-scratching events from tearing readers out of the story.
Episode 11: Episodic, Overarching, and Anthology Stories
Mike, Oren and Chris discuss the weaknesses and strengths that come with episodic, overarching, and anthology stories.
Maintaining Belief During Fantastical Stories
How to manage your audience's expectations to keep your story immersive.
Three GM-less Games for Your Roleplaying Group
When you've no leader to follow, check out these systems.
Oren Ashkenazi