A few weeks ago, I posted a poll on linkedin, mastodon and facebook about narrative structure. There was a small response (so not representative). For those that took a moment to ponder and respond (thank you!!!!), there were two (slightly) standout responses.
1. Customising structure to suit
Some folks have an interest in how to customise any narrative structure. Cool. At the same time, Luis Van Slageren asked me if I was open to giving a lightning talk at Technically Games. So, I took the opportunity to address the topic (and squeeze in generating structure techniques, too). I rushed to put the talk together during Melbourne International Games Week, and after 4 hours of playtesting travelled over to the hall and gave the talk. (It turned out Luis meant for me to do next year lol, but we’re both happy it ended up happening immediately!) Thank you to Christine Ager, Luis, the whole team, fellow presenters, and everyone else who came along. Great event – I’ll be back!
👉️ So, I gave a lightning talk on customising narrative structures. It is now online with the others on the Technically Games website & youtube, with illustrations by the ace David Blumenstein!
2. Finding alternative structures
Some folks were also interested in how to find narrative structures other than over-hyped ‘hero’s journey.’ It is great that there is so much awareness now that the ‘hero’s journey,’ ‘3-act structure,’ and so on aren’t the only structures available. THERE ARE SO MANY STRUCTURES (and no structures!) YOU CAN USE! How do folks find them easily, especially as many story gurus don’t want you to know they’re viable? I’ve been researching them for years. I don’t think my methods are easily translatable. While I figure out pathways (let me know methods you find helpful), I’ve put together a special structure page in my public online library.
👉️ I put together a special Structure page in my Liberatory Craft Library. It’s not comprehensive, but I’ll keep adding to it!
👉️ I’ll add as a technique: follow the recommendations and citations of others.
Thank you for your responses! When we pool our interests, we all flourish!