Explore the hidden mechanisms that make stories work
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.
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👉 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.
Essay An idea I’m proud of. Although my writing here may still have rough bits and need occasional pruning, these are the ones I feel have “stood the test of time.” (See digital gardening.)
Essay An idea I’m proud of. Although my writing here may still have rough bits and need occasional pruning, these are the ones I feel have “stood the test of time.” (See digital gardening.)
Scribble An idea I'm just playing around with. I probably haven’t invested much time in it, and I'm not yet confident in my conclusions. (See digital gardening.)
Note More mature than a scribble, but not yet what digital gardener Maggie Appleton calls an “evergreen” idea. A note may have taken a fair amount of time to develop. I think the idea has merit. (See digital gardening.)
Scribble An idea I'm just playing around with. I probably haven’t invested much time in it, and I'm not yet confident in my conclusions. (See digital gardening.)
Note More mature than a scribble, but not yet what digital gardener Maggie Appleton calls an “evergreen” idea. A note may have taken a fair amount of time to develop. I think the idea has merit. (See digital gardening.)
Note More mature than a scribble, but not yet what digital gardener Maggie Appleton calls an “evergreen” idea. A note may have taken a fair amount of time to develop. I think the idea has merit. (See digital gardening.)