↓

Story Alchemy

The Quest for the Philosopher's Stone of Storytelling

Story Alchemy
Home Menu ↓
Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • About
  • Author’s Note
  • Bibliography
  • Chapters
    • Chapter 1: The Quest (complete)
    • Chapter 2 Out of Chaos: The Prima Materia (complete)
    • Chapter 3 The Plot Pentagon (complete)
    • Chapter 4 Down the Rabbit Hole (complete)
    • Chapter 5 The Dark Realm of the Unconscious (complete)
    • Chapter 6 The Philosopher’s Stone (complete)
    • Chapter 7 Becoming Worthy (complete)
    • Chapter 8 The Iris of Time (complete)
    • Chapter 9 The Land of Story (complete)
    • Chapter 10 Dream Invasion (complete)
    • Chapter 11 The Memory Palace (complete)
    • Chapter 12 The Vampire Novel (complete)
    • Addendum I
    • Addendum II
  • Help for NaNoWriMo
  • Movie Plot Analysis
    • About Time
    • Frozen
    • Firefly: Episodes 1 and 2 (The pilot, titled “Serenity”)
  • Reviews
  • Where to Buy

Author Archives: David Sheppard

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Story Ideas that Won’t Leave You Alone

Posted on September 10, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

On page 15 of Story Alchemy, I make the case for the author having a personal affinity for the story s/he is going to write. Here’s what I say: What is crucial in all this is that the idea must be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

On Writer’s Block

Posted on August 26, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

[The following is a comment I made to the NY Times article titled, “On Not Writing,” by Bill Hayes.] Thank you for this. It’s a great article. I’ve been writing for 43 years, and I’ve only had one time that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

What Is Story?

Posted on July 8, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

Now, just to prove how oblique I really can be, I want to present a little story that appears in Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Someone one named Lauchlan told the story during one of Natalie’s evening story circles in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Are Puzzle-Plots Conflict Driven?

Posted on July 5, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

Okay, this is one of my favorite questions: Where is the conflict if the story is really about solving a puzzle? I’ve written a lot about what story is and isn’t, and I’ve always said that the story doesn’t really start … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

The Conflictinator

Posted on July 2, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

Yes, we’ve all heard of the Terminator and the Governator. Some writers who’ve actually studied craft (and read Novelsmithing) have even heard of the Thematic Character, which might be termed the Thematinator. Now I want to introduce a new character … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

What is Theme?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

If you look up the word “theme” in the Oxford Dictionary of English, it is defined  as: “an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature: love and honour are the pivotal themes of the Hornblower … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

The Hook

Posted on June 11, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

This little essay is about the term used by practically all story theorists, which they call “The Hook.” God in Heaven! I hate that term. And the reason I hate it is that not only is it misleading, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Resolution

Posted on June 7, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

You might wonder why so many people love to tell stories. Yes, some of it is to become famous in Hollywood or to be the next Stephen King, but potential authors with motivations disconnected from the writing process itself will … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Using Mental Images as a Creative Magnet

Posted on May 28, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

Once we have a story going, we can SEE into it, visualize what is happening, but in the beginning, we can have difficulty imagining a character, a setting, or even a specific event. One of the more effective methods of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

New York Times Article on the Memory Palace

Posted on May 22, 2014 by David SheppardMarch 7, 2018

Interesting article in the New York Times concerning the Memory Palace technique for improving memory. I left the comment below, and it was selected by their monitors as the only “NYTimes Pick” among all the comments. Just after leaving the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →
© 2023 - Story Alchemy Proudly powered by WordPress  Weaver II by WP Weaver
↑
 

Loading Comments...