The Vault
Early essays and accounts of a greater understanding of story
Personal Baggage and the Main Character
Defining the difference between point-of-view and narrative function
James R. Hull
Ain't It Cool's Sneak Peek of Pixar's Brave Displays More Ignorance
Critiques based on inadequate understandings of narrative create great distress.
James R. Hull
Why Gross Generalizations in Screenwriting Don't Work
Greater specificity in how we look at story results in a greater understanding of how narrative works.
James R. Hull
You Cannot Avoid Screenplay Structure
Structure is the carrier wave of your story’s message.
James R. Hull
The Confusion between Main Character and Protagonist
Trying once again to educate the masses on the difference between objective and subjective points-of-view
James R. Hull
Michael Hague's Screenplay Structure and Why It Works
Knowing why structure functions clues one in on the importance of structure.
James R. Hull
The Mind of a Main Character
The base operating system of a character
James R. Hull
How Main Characters Approach Problems
Some prefer to take action, others prefer to internalize.
James R. Hull
Development of Character Arc
All growth is not transformative.
James R. Hull
Main Character and Meaning
When it comes to making your narrative mean something, a clear indication of the central character's point-of-view is paramount.
James R. Hull
Character Motivation Defined
Archetypes consist of one Action and one Decision element.
James R. Hull
Archetypes That Make Sense
In a complete story, characters perform a function.
James R. Hull
Archetypes and the Hero's Journey
A better method for appreciating character relationships exists.
James R. Hull
Two Sides of the Same Coin
The cliché of the century finds roots in human psychology.
James R. Hull
What Character Arc Really Means
Some characters grow by maintaining their resolve against all odds.
James R. Hull
Determining the Mind of a Main Character
How a character thinks determines the order of Acts within a story.
James R. Hull
The End Of A Main Character's Arc
Peaceful resolutions come in many different ways, regardless of how reprehensible.
James R. Hull
Untapped Potential
An examination of a missed opportunity for story greatness.
James R. Hull
Of Tragedies and Triumphs
A meaningful ending is one where the Author communicates a complete argument.
James R. Hull
Writing the Personal Tragedy
The combination of success with unresolved emotional states creates this bittersweet narrative.
James R. Hull
Writing the Personal Triumph
The combination of failure and a sense of peace creates this bittersweet narrative.
James R. Hull
How to Write a Tragedy
Mix equal parts objective failure with subjective angst.
James R. Hull
How to End a Movie
Meaningful endings are a result of orchestrating a compelling argument.
James R. Hull
A Case Of The Missing Heart
Visually stunning but lacking heart? It's not just one thing that is wrong, it's two.
James R. Hull
A Story is an Argument
For a narrative to enjoy lasting meaning, an argument must form the foundation of its structure.
James R. Hull
Same Story, Different Title
What do Sean Penn’s _Into the Wild_ and M. Night Shyamalan’s _The Sixth Sense_ have in common? Much more than you would probably think.
James R. Hull
Every Character Should Have An Arc
But not every character needs to change their personal point-of-view.
James R. Hull
The Distance Needed To Write A Meaningful Story
Stories are as long as they need to be to fully explore the argument being made.
James R. Hull
Why You Shouldn't Care How the Dramatica Theory of Story Works
A look under the hood proves to be a tremendous waste of energy.
James R. Hull
The Most Important Event in a Story
The event that creates the original inequity motivates the efforts to bring about resolution.
James R. Hull
A Good Influence Character Makes Things Uncomfortable
Influence Characters challenge the Main Character to deal with their justifications.
James R. Hull
The Dramatic Differences Between the Male and Female Mind
The seemingly crazy ways your partner looks at the world could help you better understand story.
James R. Hull
The Second Most Important Character in a Film
Steadfast characters believe the same thing that drives them should drive everyone.
James R. Hull
Thinking of Your Audience First
Narrative structure isn't always about the story--sometimes it can help an Author better understand their Audience.
James R. Hull
Ratatouille: Why the Film Seems Too Long
Replacing one director with another resulted in competing storyforms--with different levels of scope.
James R. Hull
A Simple Way to Look at the Throughlines of Your Story
A simple question you can ask to determine the thematic issues of your story.
James R. Hull
The Truth about Dramatica and the X-Files
The conspiracy to keep secret the hidden code of narrative structure.
James R. Hull
Actual Proof of a Screenwriter Using Dramatica
The truth is out there. In this episode.
James R. Hull
Steadfast Characters and the Crucial Element
Exploring character arc in characters that don't "change."
James R. Hull
When the Main Character is NOT the Protagonist
Separate the perspective of the Main Character from the function of the Protagonist and open up an entirely new world of storytelling.
James R. Hull
Writing Consistent Plot Points
Break this relationship and your story falls apart.
James R. Hull
The Keys to the Crucial Element of Screenwriting
A way to see character arc without the perspective of time.
James R. Hull
Casino Royale: Rewinding Your Main Character
Compare the end with the beginning to determine Resolve.
James R. Hull
Stories Are Like Birthday Cake
You know how great one tastes, but you probably don't know what goes into it.
James R. Hull
The Prestige: Identifying the Main Character
When defining the structure of your story, who you are looking at and who you are looking from within matters.
James R. Hull
A Way to Build Dramatic Depth
Thinking in terms of Hero only is limiting.
James R. Hull
Why Act Order Is More Important Than Time Spent
Most story paradigms emphasize the amount of time spent on an Act over the more important order in which the Acts appear.
James R. Hull
Determining Your Protagonist’s Goal
In order to clearly define the Goal of your story, define who the Audience roots for and make that side the Protagonist.
James R. Hull
Dramatica Simplified
A simple way to look at the theory's eight essential dynamic story points of narrative.
James R. Hull