Kurt Vonnegut on the 8 “Shapes” of Stories
Kurt Vonnegut's theory of story shapes theory is the most delightful rejected master's thesis I know. All the great tales of the world can be graphed, he says, revealing the inner life of a society. Watch, enjoy, and consider what shape the stories of 2023 might make. https://t.co/S8MTqd7Kzl
Benjamin Carlsonx.com
I've been fascinated lately by Vonnegut's idea of the emotional arc or 'shape' of stories.
One researcher used natural language processing to show that 85% of 1327 books analyzed fell under one of the following six shapes 👇 https://t.co/eqM7F0Km4l
- Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
- Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
- Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
- Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
- Start as close to the end as possib