I don't know where the quote is from, but I heard that one big name in fiction writing once said: Theme is not what authors put in the books, but what readers find in them.
Wonderful video, I would certainly like to see more of these general writing craft videos. Might I humbly suggest one on handling scene and summary in AI-assisted writing? I think the use of non-realtime 'summary' in fiction is much overlooked, especially with the workflow aimed at creating action beats and turning these into dramatic scenes. Fiction writers tend to use summary to segue into scenes and e.g. relay developments the reader needs to know, but which don't warrant a real-time scene. No summary makes the prose very cardboard imo and read like a lazily novelised screen play, not fiction proper. I've been writing in summary sections in post up until now, mainly out of dissatisfaction with the output as it was, but would be interested in ways of getting the AI prose generation already to consider mixing scene and summary. I've also been experimenting with prompting the AI to blend direct and indirect speech a bit, as this is also something good human writers do, but AI not so much. Keep it up man, very inspiring content!
This is very much appreciated, and I certainly hope you will do more like this. This is one of the reasons I joined Story Hacker Gold, I had hope you would cover these topics.
As someone who knows nothing of actual writing techniques, this type of content has been extremely useful and interesting. Even though I engage more in interactive storytelling through role playing 😊
00:01 🤖 In this video, the speaker covers storytelling fundamentals useful for any storyteller, including AI writers. 01:16 🛡 There are eight essential pillars of storytelling: concept, plot, character, setting, conflict, theme, individual scenes, and voice. 02:02 💼 A story's concept is crucial; it's best summarized by Blake Snider's log line, emphasizing simplicity and conflict. 03:22 📚 Plot, the sequence of events in a story, often follows the three-act structure, involving an inciting incident, rising action, climax, and resolution. 06:48 💡 Characters undergo arcs that change them throughout the story, including positive, negative, or flat arcs. 10:00 🌎 Setting encompasses the story's environment, affecting characters and plot, and should be varied to avoid monotony. 11:44 🎭 Theme communicates the message or takeaway of the story, requiring nuanced exploration without being preachy. 13:03 ⚔ Conflict is essential in driving the story forward, with various types of conflict driving plot progression. 14:07 🎬 Each scene must serve a purpose, featuring conflict and resulting in change, contributing to the overall narrative. 15:51 🗣 Voice refers to the distinctive style of characters' dialogue and thoughts, crucial for character differentiation and engagement. 18:41 📝 "Show, don't tell" is a key principle for effective storytelling, allowing readers to experience events rather than being told about them.
As a discovery, writer, I often don't have anything resembling a log line until my second or third draft. I agree that it's important to narrow in on the concept and hone the story accordingly, but not having a fully articulated concept doesn't necessarily mean that you need to start over. It can just mean that you like to work bottom up instead of top down.
I agree, the biggest challenge for AI is creating authentic characters. Brandilyn Collins 'Getting into Character' is very good at using the ideas of Stanislavsky to creating believable characters - with the focus on their inner values - their motivations, their feelings. Hemingway is great on this. For him, in his letters in 'On Writing' good writing is true writing - in other words, the writing captures the feeling in a situation. The danger with narrative models and AI is that you force characters to say things to fit a narrative setup. And that is not character. That is AI design - and it will create flat characters - to use E.M Forster's description. AI and the prompts used will have to be worded very precisely and skillfully to create believable characters.
I'm a HUGE believer that a quality story with compelling characters is far more important than 'chasing a trend' or trying to write in a popular genre or mimic the current style. The conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that westerns were dead and not coming back. Then Clint Eastwood made “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Suddenly, westerns were relevant again. Then, they were once again declared 'dead,' and Eastwood made “Unforgiven.” Same thing. The COUNTER argument to “Josey Wales” and “Unforgiven,” as well as Jim Butcher's “Codex Alera”, is the name recognition factor. If Clint Eastwood's name and image hadn't been associated with those movies, or Butcher's name on the covers of his books, would they still have been as popular, or even gotten noticed, based on their stories and characters alone? A common argument I have with other more literarily-inclined friends regards quality vs. popularity. Sure, we talk about “50 Shades of Gray” with contempt, but the series has sold well over 150 MILLION copies world-wide, not to mention the movies. A friend of mine HATES both Frank Herbert's “Dune” and Patrick Rothfuss' “Name of the Wind,” but the former is considered one of the foundational works of science fiction, and the latter sold over a million copies alone and has (had) an army of very loyal fans (most of which Rothfuss has alienated by now, but that's a different story). I'm a firm believer that quality wins out in the end, but it's hard to ignore the impact of marketing as well, especially in an information-saturated era like the one we're living in now.
I have learned so much from you Jason. I'm so glad you came out with your membership! I finally know what a "pantser" is --- 🤣🤣🤣 I now have the ball rolling again with my writing AND a more refined plan than I had before. Thanks Jason!
I really enjoyed this video and how you broke down each aspect of the writing process. I have the problem of having an idea and various plots built up, starting the writing process and getting stuck in my direction/how I want everything to progress, even with my outline next to me. I'm actually kinda excited to tackle my stories again!
Thanks so much Jason for all your teachings, I'll really love it if you can flesh out more about each concept and how we can set each up for effective storytelling. THANKS
My fantasy novella is taking place in one inn during one night, but the mood shifts scene by scene. It's a helluva work but I love that story and my publisher is pecking me to finish it faster :D
Jason, I have attempted seven times to get the link for the membership site and have not received it yet after giving you my email address. Please cancel my account.
I'll try to answer your last question in as logic a way as I possibly can. You should make more of these videos Ai WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR ON IT'S OWN. it would be cruel to tell us about Ai none stop knowing we would get stuck with it not being very helpful in making what you write sound compelling. So yes more videos like this please.
I'm sure I've listened to this more than five times since I started. This is the most important video I've ever watched since trying my hands at Ai writing.
![Why 99% Of Stories Are Meaningless - Alan Watt [Founder of L.A. Writers' Lab]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/v4wkx8LBH_s/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't know where the quote is from, but I heard that one big name in fiction writing once said: Theme is not what authors put in the books, but what readers find in them.
Wonderful video, I would certainly like to see more of these general writing craft videos. Might I humbly suggest one on handling scene and summary in AI-assisted writing? I think the use of non-realtime 'summary' in fiction is much overlooked, especially with the workflow aimed at creating action beats and turning these into dramatic scenes. Fiction writers tend to use summary to segue into scenes and e.g. relay developments the reader needs to know, but which don't warrant a real-time scene. No summary makes the prose very cardboard imo and read like a lazily novelised screen play, not fiction proper. I've been writing in summary sections in post up until now, mainly out of dissatisfaction with the output as it was, but would be interested in ways of getting the AI prose generation already to consider mixing scene and summary. I've also been experimenting with prompting the AI to blend direct and indirect speech a bit, as this is also something good human writers do, but AI not so much. Keep it up man, very inspiring content!
I would love more videos about writing. 😊
Thanks so much Jason for all your teachings, I'll really love it if you can flesh out more about each concept and how how can set up eac
This is very much appreciated, and I certainly hope you will do more like this. This is one of the reasons I joined Story Hacker Gold, I had hope you would cover these topics.
yes would love more videos like this! thanks
0:49... "so to start off their are 7 pillars of story telling." 1 second later. " to start off their are 8 pillars of story telling" lol
Thank you. That is great content and I hope there will be more !!!
Would AI work well with the Story Grid structure? Or would it be to much?
Yeah I’ve thought about doing some videos on this.
I would love to see the story grid in this application.
The AI can only write what it thinks you want.
Do whatever, I love it all. Thanks
I hate the phrase "conflict drives plot". Character goals drive plot.
Conflict is everything gets in the way of character goals.
Different ways of saying the same thing, but I'd agree that your phrase is much clearer as to the purpose of the conflict.
As someone who knows nothing of actual writing techniques, this type of content has been extremely useful and interesting.
Even though I engage more in interactive storytelling through role playing 😊
00:01 🤖 In this video, the speaker covers storytelling fundamentals useful for any storyteller, including AI writers.
01:16 🛡 There are eight essential pillars of storytelling: concept, plot, character, setting, conflict, theme, individual scenes, and voice.
02:02 💼 A story's concept is crucial; it's best summarized by Blake Snider's log line, emphasizing simplicity and conflict.
03:22 📚 Plot, the sequence of events in a story, often follows the three-act structure, involving an inciting incident, rising action, climax, and resolution.
06:48 💡 Characters undergo arcs that change them throughout the story, including positive, negative, or flat arcs.
10:00 🌎 Setting encompasses the story's environment, affecting characters and plot, and should be varied to avoid monotony.
11:44 🎭 Theme communicates the message or takeaway of the story, requiring nuanced exploration without being preachy.
13:03 ⚔ Conflict is essential in driving the story forward, with various types of conflict driving plot progression.
14:07 🎬 Each scene must serve a purpose, featuring conflict and resulting in change, contributing to the overall narrative.
15:51 🗣 Voice refers to the distinctive style of characters' dialogue and thoughts, crucial for character differentiation and engagement.
18:41 📝 "Show, don't tell" is a key principle for effective storytelling, allowing readers to experience events rather than being told about them.
Thank you for doing this.
I really enjoyed this as a new writer. Please post more videos like this!
I’ve got one coming in about a week and a half. Stay tuned.
Blake Snyder's Save The Cat is brilliant, but Jessica Brody's Save the Cat writes a novel is explained better
no one shows characters going to the bath room cause theres no conflict..... guess someone has never had tacobell
Great video, Thank you!!!
Great video. Thank you.
More, more videos and deeper dives into the topics pelase :D
As a discovery, writer, I often don't have anything resembling a log line until my second or third draft.
I agree that it's important to narrow in on the concept and hone the story accordingly, but not having a fully articulated concept doesn't necessarily mean that you need to start over. It can just mean that you like to work bottom up instead of top down.
Useful, Jason! Please make more if you want to
I agree, the biggest challenge for AI is creating authentic characters. Brandilyn Collins 'Getting into Character' is very good at using the ideas of Stanislavsky to creating believable characters - with the focus on their inner values - their motivations, their feelings. Hemingway is great on this. For him, in his letters in 'On Writing' good writing is true writing - in other words, the writing captures the feeling in a situation. The danger with narrative models and AI is that you force characters to say things to fit a narrative setup. And that is not character. That is AI design - and it will create flat characters - to use E.M Forster's description. AI and the prompts used will have to be worded very precisely and skillfully to create believable characters.
Thank you for posting this. I'm going to look it up.
Know your characters.
7 no wait, 8 pillars. 😄
More like this, please!
I'm a HUGE believer that a quality story with compelling characters is far more important than 'chasing a trend' or trying to write in a popular genre or mimic the current style. The conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that westerns were dead and not coming back. Then Clint Eastwood made “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Suddenly, westerns were relevant again. Then, they were once again declared 'dead,' and Eastwood made “Unforgiven.” Same thing.
The COUNTER argument to “Josey Wales” and “Unforgiven,” as well as Jim Butcher's “Codex Alera”, is the name recognition factor. If Clint Eastwood's name and image hadn't been associated with those movies, or Butcher's name on the covers of his books, would they still have been as popular, or even gotten noticed, based on their stories and characters alone?
A common argument I have with other more literarily-inclined friends regards quality vs. popularity. Sure, we talk about “50 Shades of Gray” with contempt, but the series has sold well over 150 MILLION copies world-wide, not to mention the movies. A friend of mine HATES both Frank Herbert's “Dune” and Patrick Rothfuss' “Name of the Wind,” but the former is considered one of the foundational works of science fiction, and the latter sold over a million copies alone and has (had) an army of very loyal fans (most of which Rothfuss has alienated by now, but that's a different story).
I'm a firm believer that quality wins out in the end, but it's hard to ignore the impact of marketing as well, especially in an information-saturated era like the one we're living in now.
Yep. Quality is the most important. But you need at least a little marketing to get attention. Especially these days.
I have learned so much from you Jason. I'm so glad you came out with your membership! I finally know what a "pantser" is --- 🤣🤣🤣 I now have the ball rolling again with my writing AND a more refined plan than I had before. Thanks Jason!
Blessings from Jamaica 🇯🇲, you're content is appreciated!
Thank you for the collection of videos you offer to help me at the beginning of my journey to become a successful publisher. Greatly appreciated.
Great video man!
I really enjoyed this video and how you broke down each aspect of the writing process. I have the problem of having an idea and various plots built up, starting the writing process and getting stuck in my direction/how I want everything to progress, even with my outline next to me. I'm actually kinda excited to tackle my stories again!
Thanks so much Jason for all your teachings, I'll really love it if you can flesh out more about each concept and how we can set each up for effective storytelling.
THANKS
Great overview and explanation. How would you apply these principles to nonfiction writing?
Perfect, only 7 pillars of storytelling for me to learn. Perfect, only 8 pillars of storytelling for me to learn.
Thanks so much Jason for all your teachings, I'll really love it if you can flesh out more about each concept and how how can set up eac
My fantasy novella is taking place in one inn during one night, but the mood shifts scene by scene. It's a helluva work but I love that story and my publisher is pecking me to finish it faster :D
Hello from Scotland 🇬🇧 nice to see what I've read in 5 different books condensed into one short video ❤😂
That's a butchers apron a Scottish flag looks like this 🏴.
@@TheMerchantOfTruth Thank you I couldn't find it to use on my post I was beginning to think there wasn't one 🤣
@@bernadetteshields3726 ...well the situation has been rectified, so don't let it happen again 😁.
@@TheMerchantOfTruth ok I promise 😞
Great and helpful presentation, as always. Yes, please keep having videos on story telling. You are a superb teacher!
*I have a problem, I never understand anything you say.*
Jason, I have attempted seven times to get the link for the membership site and have not received it yet after giving you my email address. Please cancel my account.
Send me an email. Jason@storyhacker.ai
I'll try to answer your last question in as logic a way as I possibly can.
You should make more of these videos Ai WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR ON IT'S OWN.
it would be cruel to tell us about Ai none stop knowing we would get stuck with it not being very helpful in making what you write sound compelling.
So yes more videos like this please.
Still watching it
Yes I'm still watching this video, it will be my Bible for the next few days till I figure out my work flow to using Claude.
Thanks for being Claude Stan
I am now one too
And am writing novels.
I'm sure I've listened to this more than five times since I started.
This is the most important video I've ever watched since trying my hands at Ai writing.