Is the process involved in the analysis of a Dramatica storyform truly objective, or is everyone fooling themselves? Jim answers these questions as well as giving an update on our app, Subtext.

(Note: This episode was recorded April 11, 2018--at that time, Subtext was called the "Narrative First Atomizer")

In addition, we dive into what it feels like when a storyform just clicks into place--when you know you've found the unique set of thematic Storypoints that create the message of the narrative.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Story Development Services from Narrative First. Stop rewriting and finally finish that story with our expert advice.

Show Notes & Links

• Objectivity, At the Wrong Level - Discuss Dramatica online discussion covering the objective analysis involved in discovering the unique storyform of a narrative
• Pretty Woman the complete Storyform, as found in Subtext
• The Throughlines of Pretty Woman a visual representation of this film's Four Throughlines

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

A deep-dive into the two narrative structures driving the classic action/adventure Raiders of the Lost Ark.

While many consider Raiders to be evidence of a "5-Act" or "6-Act" structure, the truth is the presence of two completely different 4-Act structures. Using the Dramatica theory of story, we take a look at these two individual arguments and explain how Kasdan masterfully wove them together to appear as a single "story."

In addition, we discuss updates to our Subtext service (referred to as the "Atomizer" in the podcast), and examine the thematic structure of the Tonya Harding biopic, I, Tonya.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Ark Storyform
• Raiders of the Lost Ark - Raiders Storyform
• I, Tonya Storyform
• Objectivity, But At the Wrong Level a post referred to in the podcast regarding Genre in Dramatica

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

An in-depth look at the narrative thematics driving these two classic films.

For this, our special 64th episode, we explore the storyforms found in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Using the Dramatica theory of story as a basis for our analysis, we find two separate narratives in Empire: one that focuses on psychology as a basis for conflict, and another that takes the expected physics approach.

For Jedi, we find an usual set of narrative thematics that explains why this film stands out from the previous two in terms of shape and feel.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Show Notes & Links

• The Empire Strikes Back - Enemies and Allies Storyform
• The Empire Strikes Back - Romance Storyform
• Return of the Jedi Storyform

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

In this episode, we take a look at the key story events that shift a narrative from one contextual Act to the next. In addition, we discuss what the Dramatica theory of story identifies in a story--namely, the subtext of narrative conflict. If you previously thought subtext was something that could never truly be defined--prepare to learn the truth. Using examples from both The Florida Project and Call Me By Your Name, we offer a first look insight into the reason for re-branding our service with the more appropriate name: Subtext.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for Subtext

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Uncovering the Major Plot Points of a Functioning Story an in-depth article explored in this episode
• The Difference Between Neo and Luke Skywalker why the Hero's Journey explanation is insufficient to truly describe what is going on in these films
• The Florida Project complete analysis on Subtext
• Call Me By Your Name complete analysis on Subtext
• Rethinking an Analysis of The Florida Project complete article explaining the message behind the beauty

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

If you want to make meaning out of the meaningless, if you want to ensure that you don't write a pointless story, a Dramatica® storyform ensures that what you have to say promises purpose and a reason for the audience to listen. With that in mind, we take a look at the differences between The Disaster Artist and Darkest Hour. Guess which one contains a solid narrative?

In addition, we explain why The Accountant seems so jam-packed with story and answer questions about the separation between the Influence Character perspective and the Relationship Story perspective.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for Subtext

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• The Accountant storyform
• *Podcast of The Accountant Dramatica Users Group analysis
• Coco storyform
• The Shape of Water storyform
• Narrative analysis of Darkest Hour
• The Disaster Artist storyform

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

This episode explores the connection between a high score on Rotten Tomatoes, nominations and recognition for great writing, and a complete Dramatica storyform. More than correlation, a solid storyform guarantees favorable critical response.

In addition, I relate my experience of being to predict the specific structural items of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri while watching the film for the first time. Again, another instance of a film recognized for its great writing with a solid and appreciable Dramatica storyform.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for the Narrative First Atomizer here

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Dunkirk an analysis and the message behind unintentional propaganda
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri storyform
• Coco storyform
• The Shape of Water storyform
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in-depth Dramatica analysis
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in-depth Dramatica analysis
• The Shape of Water in-depth Dramatica analysis of this year's Best Picture

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

A look at how you can dramatically improve the quality of your storytelling by thinking of the central relationship as a character. I follow-up with listener email regarding the difference between Wisdom & Enlightenment within the Dramatica theory of story. And I cover the usage of Time and Space in setting the context for a full and complete narrative.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for the Narrative First Atomizer here

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Black Swan analysis & storyform
• her analysis & storyform
• Jane Eyre analysis & storyform
• An analysis & storyform for the entire Harry Potter series
• An analysis & storyform for the entire first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Wrangling the Scope of an Entire Narrative a look at the difference between Time and Space within a narrative

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

In this episode, I cover the importance of connecting the Main Character's problem with the Overall Story problem & a method for constructing the Narrative Argument of your story. The former explains the difference between an OK story and an amazing story; all the great narratives of the past take this approach of pitting subjective vs. objec tive. The latter is helpful in determining the narrative drive of a story and keeping you on track with your story's purpose.

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for the Narrative First Atomizer here

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Seth Godin's new podcast Akimbo inspiring new podcast from the guy who tends to inspire
• Problems of Character Reflected in Story read how to find resonance between the Main Character and the Overall Story throughlines
• Enough Said storyform
• Mother storyform
• Lady Bird storyform
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel storyform
• Dramatica Makes Things Harder it really does
• Building a Narrative Argument read how to construct one of your own using key storypoints from a Dramatica storyform

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

In this episode, we catch up on all things Narrative First from the past three months and kickstart our year of plenty. This includes everything from updates to the Narrative First Atomizer, new Dramatica analyses, the site redesign, building an animated television series, developing a complete story from scratch, and the biggest update to the podcast...

...transcriptions!

You can read the entire transcription of this episode here.

Register for the Narrative First Atomizer here

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Dramatica Theory Book free & online and available to you right now!
• Narrative First Analyses literally hundreds & hundreds of story structure analyses from a Dramatica point-of-view
• Dr. Strangelove analysis satire with no story
• Boardwalk Empire: Season One storyform the first ever Dramatica analysis of an entire season of television
• Columbus storyform beautifully sublime film with a solid story as its foundation
• Narrative Arguments a sneak peek at this new revolutionary feature found within the Narrative First Atomizer
• Storyform Connections a look at a quick & fun way to find stories with similar structures
• The Florida Project an engaging film that almost tells a complete story
• Professor Marston and the Wonder Women an engaging film that tells a complete story with confidence
• The Throughlines of Professor Marston and the Wonder Women a visualization of this film's narrative structure
• Not Your Usual Approach to Developing Stories in-depth article on using the Atomizer to quickly find the structure of your story
• Dramatica: The Journey Towards a Better Understanding of Story a look into the importance of keeping things accurate
• Unravelling the Story Structure of Tangled: The Series discover the narrative thematics that propel this show

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace.

In this, the final--and most epic--episode of Season 2, I finish off the initial development of my story and introduce the various features of the new Narrative First Atomizer.

But first I kick things off with an analysis of Thor:Ragnarök--NOTE: in the episode I inaccurately assess the Story Outcome as Success. Clearly the efforts to reach the Overall Story Goal--Saving Asgard from Ragnarök--fail. Switching this Story Dynamic also changes the Relationship Story Throughline Problem and Solution. The Atomizer link below presents an accurate and updated account of the storyform.

Listener mail paves the way for an extended discussion about the Crucial Elements, particularly in regards to a Steadfast Main Character. I finish off my first pass of The Red Lake by briefly outlining the Main Character, Influence Character, and Relationship Story Throughlines. And finally, I cover all the features of the Narrative First Atomizer--a brand new service that sheds light on the elements of story structure.

Register for the Narrative First Atomizer here

See you next year!

Deliberate Storytelling is a practice whereby the Author creates with intent and purpose. Collaborate with a story expert today and start down the path towards finally writing and finishing your story.

Show Notes & Links

• Thor: Ragnarök analysis in the Atomizer an up-close and detailed look at the story structure of this film
• The Throughlines of Thor: Ragnarök a visual representation of the story's major thematic elements
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople analysis in the Atomizer as promised, the updated storyform for this film
• The Throughlines of Hunt for the Wilderpeople as found in the original Throughline Thursdays feature
• The Crucial Element archives everything you ever wanted to know about this important ingredient of story
• The Red Lake a live link to the outline for this story developed during this and the previous podcast

Narrative First theme by Alex Hull. Hear more on his Soundcloud, Operation Solace. You can hear this episode's opening theme here: World Opening

If it sounds like this episode was recorded before Thanksgiving, that’s because it was. Facilitating the initial release of the Narrative First Atomizer consumed most of my waking days and nights these past two months—but the show must go on.

If nothing else, I️ can’t let The Red Lake go unspoken. Follow along as I️ craft a fully realized narrative framework in less than 20 minutes. Seriously. What started out as a completely random narrative based on the story structure of Aliens and Blade Runner: 2049 became an interesting clash between dwarves and halflings high in the mountains above a dark and crimson red lake.

In addition, I️ answer listener email regarding the difference between Doing and Obtaining and its application towards The Dark Knight. And I️ cover unusual storyforms.

Show Notes & Links

• Grammar.ly a must-have SaaS for writers everywhere
• The Narrative First Atomizer also a must-have SaaS for writers everywhere
• iA Writer the only way to write on iOS. The most recent update delivers a gorgeous new font (they only let you choose between two)
• How Grammarly Quietly Grew Its Way to 6.9 Million Daily Users in 9 Years
• Quip the very best way to collaborate on the Internet
• Breaking Away in the Atomizer get to know this great film at a molecular level
• A Bronx Tale in the Atomizer see for yourself how C’s Issue of Enlightenment collides with Sonny’s issue of Thought
• The Quip document of The Red Lake the foundation for the story invented during this episode