Nate Listrom
I’m a UX professional investigating the intersection of story theory, neuroscience, and design. Join me as I pursue the art and science of crafting compelling, deeply satisfying stories.
Start here
- 👉 Discover the neuroscience behind emotional payoffs with a 12-part series on peak aesthetic experiences.
- 👉 Examine story structure beyond frameworks like the Hero’s Journey and Snyder’s beat sheet with essays on story structure primitives.
- 👉 Consider fresh perspectives on familiar topics like scenes and sequels, the MICE quotient, red herrings, Deus ex Machina, and more.
Featured
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The map and the mountain: Fifteen core beats of story structure Story structure frameworks are like maps. They need interpretation. In this note, I briefly cover the framework I use and introduce a series on how it works.7 min
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The three underlying functions of inciting incidents When story theorists talk about inciting incidents, they’re often referring to one or more of three distinct story functions: the tipping of the apple cart, the call to adventure, or the decision to cross the threshold.10 min
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Shinichi Suzuki and the three domains of mastery An exploration of the interaction between talent, education, and skill.5 min
Latest
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Sep 2
Good turning points are distinct To create good turning points, first identify specifically what changes and precisely when the change happens. Then write the turn in order to emphasise its distinctiveness.8 min
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Aug 5
Stories are composed of moments and spans Story structure leverages how human memory works. The key, memorable moments are turning points. But the spans that connect them are no less important.5 min
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Jul 1
Turning points are disasters and decisions A look at the 1998 romcom ‘You’ve Got Mail’ shows us that Dwight Swain’s scenes and sequels are an ideal tool for crafting compelling turning points.6 min
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Jun 3
Four observations in response to Nathan Baugh on story twists To write good twists, bury details in a ‘sandwich,’ deliver the payoff just in time, surprise your audience with the method or degree of your payoff, and don’t ‘explain the joke.’6 min
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May 6
Use one scene-sequel cycle each act In a Western Character-event story, the scene-sequel cycle repeats three times on the act level. Using ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ as an example, we examine how that works and how you can use it for your stories.10 min
Level-up your storytelling
Understand how stories work. Spend less time wrangling your stories into shape and more time writing them.