Nerd humor, gaming streams, writing, and the occasional serious subject. | CURRENTLY: Drafting Violet Mobius, DitR’s Successor
May 7, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 6: Macrostructure and Microstructure
We’re now approaching the end of our Narratology journey together with Macro and Microstructure, which ought to feel familiar…
Macrostructure is the arrangement of events, while Microstructure is how those events are portrayed.
If you’re even remotely familiar with the various plot structures at your disposal, then you should have a basic overview of Macrostructure.
Only we’re gonna dive deeper!
May 6, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 5: Narrative Discourse and Picking A Story
Why is it you can take the same storyworld from any series and make an infinite amount of stories from them? Answer: Narrative Discourse!
We are now approaching the Syuzhet of the Fabula & Syuzhet model of storytelling, and THIS is how we get the multitude of stories from a single storyworld.
Discourse is made of Metanarrative (Theme), Focalization (POV), Macrostructure (Plot), and Microstructure (Presentation).
May 5, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 4: All about Event Shapes
Today’s thread will focus on the shaping of Kernel Events (events that disrupt the status quo) and Satellite Events (reactions to the change).
First, a basic overview of the typical event shape: 1. All events begin with an Abstract (why should the audience want to see this) and Orientation (where, when, who). 2. A Complication of the orientation. 3. A Reaction. 4. A Resolution and Coda (the scene-ending beat).
May 4, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 3: Building Characters, Casts, and Events
We’re now approaching all the standard stuff most fiction writers get taught, only now, it’ll be through the lens of narratology.
For designing characters, we have the old standby Characterization (the surface) vs. Deep Character (the real personality).
Appearance and surface behavior can vary wildly, but it should stay consistent, they should be motivated to behave that way, and be (somewhat) realistic.
May 3, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 2: Reviving the Dualist Form of Story Structure
From our last part, I said we were taught stories as a singular whole of “plot + theme + characters + setting + text.”
Forget that.
Under this system, you got a singular entity made of a few basic parts, and if you change one, it usually means changing the others; especially the plot. It’s why many of us have to rewrite and revise our stories so many times, while others can create a series that writes itself.
May 2, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
A Story (Structure) Reboot: A thread summarizing Narratology for #storytelling and #writing.
Part 1: Relearning The Basics of Creative Writing and Storytelling
This all started after I watched a bunch of slice-of-life anime, what many western writers would call “plotless,” and yet still tells a compelling story.
What we they learning about storytelling that was different from the rest of us?
