Podcasts by Narrative First: where story is always king
All episodes
The Problem with Reverse-Engineering Dramatica from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.459226
Our first blogcast episode! Here we explore the problems with opening the hood of the Dramatica story engine and why you're better served taking what the application gives you on trust...and the...
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Finding Your True Self Through Writing from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.450745
Continuing last week's article on generating story ideas, we take a look at how to get up close and personal with your deepest intentions. Using a tool known as the Playground Exercises, we disc...
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Making Things Uncomfortable for Your Main Character from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.440441
Main Characters don't grow on their own--they need someone to come along who sees the world in a completely different light. They need an Influence Character. In this episode we take a look back...
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Batman vs. Superman vs. Deadpool from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.433750
In this episode we take a look at two blockbuster comic book movies...without actual stories. Why then did one do better than the other? Also, a recap on last week's Zootopia analysis a...
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Transforming Real Life Into A Story and Disney's Moana from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.423063
After a brief interlude for follow-up, we cover an effective technique for turning events in the real world into a full functional complete story. Understanding the deep thematic elements of you...
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Does Your Main Character Build Resistance or Facilitate Flow? from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.413812
In this episode we cover the tendency of the Main Character's personal problems to either build-up dramatic resistance or facilitate a greater flow throughout the story. In addition, we analyze ...
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An Introduction to Scene Construction with Dramatica from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.402572
In this episode we begin our discussion of deep thematic scene structure through the lens of the Dramatica theory of story. Typically we don't get this deep into the theory--at the Scene level t...
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Captain Fantastic and Creating a Story from Scratch for Nanowrimo from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.393460
In this episode we show how you can come up with a compelling and meaningful story in less than two hours using Dramatica's powerful brainstorming tools. We also dive into a deep analysis of the...
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The Crucial Element to Telling a Great Story from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.384273
In this, our final episode of the 2016 season, we discuss the most important part of any story--the intersection of the objective and subjective points-of-view. We also discuss our analysis of <...
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The Best Picture of 2016 Doesn't Have a Story from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.380686
Welcome back!
In this, our first episode of the second season of the Narrative First Podcast, we catch up on all things story structure & story analysis including a look into the Osca...
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Arrival&The Zero-Sum Game from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.376196
In this episode we make the connection between Arrival and the holistic approach to story structure offered by the Dramatica theory of story. Why speculate about how your story will end when you...
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Narrative Science and the Dawning of the Singularity from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.365600
Ready to have complete stories beamed directly into your nervous system? Fear not, Narrative First and Dramatica will be there to help make the transition a smooth and painless procedure.
James Bond is NOT the Antagonist from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.361133
No matter how hard you try to twist it, James Bond will always be the Protagonist--as long as you accurately account for the drive towards resolution. One of the first things a writer learns whe...
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Discovering Dramatica and the Genesis of Narrative First: Part Two from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.352772
In this second part of our two part series, we continue our introduction to the development of the Dramatica theory of story and Narrative First. Join us as we unearth the top 16 articles on sto...
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Run With Me from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.347379
Experience writing with us.
What happened to the Narrative First podcast? We've actually been writing on several different projects. One a big budget animated feature, th...
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Moonlight: Writing the Personal Story Through Propaganda from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.337701
The second season of story structure and story analysis begins! In this episode, I catch you up on the latest changes to the site and discuss why Moonlight won Best Picture.
In t...
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The Civil War Over Captain America: Civil War from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.303510
In this podcast, I go into a deep thematic analysis of Logan and Dunkirk, and then begin the first in a series of conversations surrounding Captain America: Civil War....
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Everything You've Been Told About Story is Wrong from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.297298
This week I take a gander at Okja and discuss the reasons why many swayed by this film's message ultimately reverted to their old ways. Propaganda fades--complete stories last. With tha...
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Robert McKee and Syd Field Hate Dramatica from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.291002
Why do established story gurus find it necessary to prevent progress? The base instinct for survival sometimes overrides rational thought--in this case, it leads one guru to bully theorists thro...
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The Same Story: Aliens and Blade Runner: 2049 from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.283407
While some maintain that all stories carry the same structure (they don't), these two films actually do share the same exact storyform.
After answering questions about the difference betw...
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Story Structure Senioritis from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.277687
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 night...
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The Relationship Story Throughline Is Not An Argument from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.263805
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 betwe...
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The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.256147
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
Raiders of the Lost Ark and Multiple Storyforms from 2023-12-13T16:55:26.252670
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&q...
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When It All Finally Clicks Into Place from 2018-12-24T00:08
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.<...
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Demystifying the Plot Points of a Complete Story from 2018-05-25T19:33
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 sto...
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Making Meaning Out of the Meaningless from 2018-04-26T18:57
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 ...
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The 2018 Academy Awards from 2018-03-28T15:10
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 st...
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Connecting the Main Character to the Overall Story from 2018-02-28T16:27
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...
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2018: The Year of Abundance from 2018-02-20T16:52
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...
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The Narrative First Atomizer from 2017-12-20T18:18
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 ...
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How to Outline Your Story Using the Plot Sequence Report from 2017-11-17T20:36
A great story employs its own unique approach to narrative structure. The Plot Sequence Report found in Dramatica grants writers an insight into their story's foundation.
Some contend tha...
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The Power of Implied Story Points from 2017-10-25T14:30
A guy stuck in a well, The Sixth Sense, and Blade Runner:2049 top the list for this week's in-depth story structure podcast. Everything from inequities and perspectives to Thro...
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Handling Subplots with the Dramatica Storyform from 2017-10-18T14:30
In this episode, I wrap up the Dramatica Users Group analysis of Jon Favreau's Jungle Book and then relate some helpful tips when it comes to weaving subplots into your narrative. In ad...
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The Right Way to Use Dramatica from 2017-10-10T14:30
Roll back to the original terminology in order to gain more objectivity in your analysis and writing. That's the best way I know how to supercharge your understanding of Dramatica. In this episo...
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Your Story is Schrödinger's Cat from 2017-09-26T14:30
In this episode, we take a look at Quantum Theory and how it helps to explain how an Author projects a story into existence. You'll want to put on your thinking caps for this one as we ...
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The Fugitive: When a Situation Isn't A Situation from 2017-09-19T15:15
The return of Throughline Thursdays, an unexpected analysis of The Prestige, and an explanation of the difference between a problematic Situation and problematic Activities.
Dram...
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Get Out and Breaking Structure for Shock Value from 2017-09-12T14:30
This week I discuss a method for Authors to connect the Characters in the story with the mechanics of Plot by crossing over through the family of Thematic Issues congruent with their story's mea...
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The Final Word on Captain America: Civil War from 2017-08-29T05:46
Wrapping up the month long discussion on this superhero epic, I explain the purpose of an Influence Character perspective within the context of a complete story. I also dive into an extensive an...
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Figuring Out the Throughlines of a Complete Narrative from 2017-08-22T14:54
Continuing the series on Identifying the Key Story Points of a Narrative, I explain a method for singling out the various perspectives within a complete story. For each Throughline, conflict ap...
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Protagonists and Antagonists, Bad Guys and Good Guys from 2017-08-15T15:18
In this episode, I continue the discussion surrounding Captain America: Civil War focusing this time on the Protagonist and Antagonist of a complete narrative. The visual planning tool ...
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The Final Word on Generating Dramatic Tension in Your Story from 2017-06-21T21:22
In addition to wrapping up the events of last month, we showcase two interviews--one with a writer new to Dramatica and the other, with a writer who discovered Dramatica.
Dramatic...
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Discovering Dramatica and the Genesis of Narrative First: Part One from 2017-04-15T06:14
In this episode, we offer an introduction to the development of the Dramatica theory of story and Narrative First. In addition, we dive into our unique collection of Vault articles written durin...
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What Story Structure Looks Like To Your Characters from 2017-03-25T02:37
It's one thing to play God when writing a story, but wouldn't it be great if you could see what the major plot points in your story look like from the point-of-view of your characters? Well, now...
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The Most Boring Storyform in the Entire World from 2017-03-17T03:18
In this episode we cover the world's most familiar--and therefore, drabbest and dreariest--story structure. A popular message out of America in the mid to late 20th century, this storyform speak...
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Finding Your Own Unique Voice When Writing for Nanowrimo from 2016-11-23T01:11
In this episode, we show you how to take that burning desire within your heart to be heard and apply it to a concrete and solid story structure. The Dramatica storyform is a powerful and effecti...
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Finding Inspiration for Nanowrimo Within a Great Story from 2016-11-18T06:19
In this episode, we learn how to use the storyform from an inspiring narrative to help define the structure of your own. But first, a roundup of this month's Dramatica analysis of Spotlight<...
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Trolls, Hacksaw Ridge,&Brainstorming a Brand New Genre from 2016-11-11T06:07
In this episode we create a brand new category of story by combining Gist Collections from two different Genres. In addition, we take a look at Dreamworks' animated film Trolls and Mel ...
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Discovering the Hidden Narrative Code Within a Great Story from 2016-10-28T04:19
In this episode we take you step-by-step through a deep thematic analysis of The Dark Horse--a tremendous independent film out of New Zealand.
Remember, you can always Listen
How to Analyze a Narrative with Dramatica from 2016-10-21T04:37
In this episode not only do we cover how to successfully analyze a story with Dramatica, but we also look into four different kinds of scenes found in the psycho-technological thriller Ex Ma...
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Ex Machina Mea Culpa from 2016-10-14T05:39
Our original analysis of Ex Machina relied on subjective interpretation and proved faulty. This updated analysis clears up those issues by taking an objective point-of-view of the film'...
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Getting Personal with Your Storytelling from 2016-09-28T02:49
This week we shorten things up a bit and take a look at one story point: the Main Character Approach. Does your Main Character prefer to solve problems externally or internally? The answer creat...
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The Essential Ingredients of Every Complete Story from 2016-09-21T00:04
In order to wind up the dramatic potential for a story, an Author must answer eight essential questions. In this episode, we cover the first two ingredients of an effective narrative.
Sto...
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The True Nature of Story from 2016-09-15T05:35
In this episode, we wrap up our exploration of the Audience Appreciations found in Dramatica by discovering the true nature of the purpose of narrative. This is a big one you won't want to miss....
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Defining the Feeling of Tension in Your Story from 2016-08-31T04:11
In this episode we take a look at the Audience Appreciation known as Essence and search for a new way to define it that is easy to understand for writers new to Dramatica. In addition, we have f...
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Predicting Who Will Listen to Your Story from 2016-08-24T01:04
After follow-up, we dive into an analysis of Hell or High Water, the new Western from Sicario writer Taylor Sheridan. F...
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Using Dramatica to Assess Narratives in the Real World from 2016-08-17T01:37
We're very excited to announce that we hired our first two employees here at Narrative First! The explosion in requests for our services over the summer kicked our plans into high gear. We look ...
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9 Steps Towards Telling Your Story from 2016-08-10T00:34
Download the action guide for this week's episode!
Following up last week's conversation regarding what i...
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Star Trek: The Case for Writing a Screenplay with Dramatica from 2016-07-27T01:08
In this episode we explore the Dramatica theory of story and how its ability to predict the intuition of a writer could possibly be the sole remaining piece of magic left on the planet. We then ...
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The Difference Between Star Trek and Star Wars from 2016-07-20T01:52
In this episode we look at the differences between Star Trek and Star Wars from a Dramatica point-of-view; looking at the structural differences in their narratives. We also ex...
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Supercharging the Conflict in Your Story from 2016-07-13T20:15
In this episode, we offer some insight into how to really use Dramatica to increase the level on conflict in every story. Also, an analysis of the Angry Birds movie, and follow-up!
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Zootopia and Batman Begins from 2016-06-28T19:37
New format here for the Narrative First Podcast: a sort of rough-draft of ideas and thoughts on story and story structure. This week's analysis will cover Zooptopia--which had a bit of a story s...
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How to End Writer's Block Forever from 2016-05-26T03:39
How do you end writer's block forever? Know what it is you want to say and learn to use a tool that keeps you on the straight & narrow as you write that first draft. In addition, we take a d...
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Discovering the Story You Never Knew from 2016-05-14T02:30
In addition to taking a deep dive into Ryan Cooler's Creed, we also take another look at the Narrative First Playground Exercises--a strong and resilient system for looking at narrative makes it...
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The Power of the Playgrounds from 2016-04-25T22:02
In this episode we cover an introduction to the Playground Exercises--a fun and effective way to quickly produce richly thematic storylines.
Links discussed: