Parable Presents

Category: Story Structure

  • “Lights for us to see by”: Good and Evil in Fiction

    “Lights for us to see by”: Good and Evil in Fiction

     “There is not a single aspect of the Christian message that is not in part an answer to the question of evil.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, pg. 82, sec. 309  “Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men.  It is a…

  • The End of the Line

    The End of the Line

    Previously on Parable Presents we have discussed story values in terms of positive and negative charges.  Today, let’s talk about taking these story values to the end of the line.  Again, I’m drawing from Robert McKee’s book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting.   In the book, McKee notes that enduring stories take…

  • Character and Characterization

    Character and Characterization

    In this article we explore the differences and relationship between character and characterization. We can think of characterization simply as the outward appearance of a person or, more specifically, as the observable aspects of that person. This may include how he dresses, what he drives, where he chooses to live, what he does for work,…

  • The Gap, An Introduction

    The Gap, An Introduction

    What is the Gap? The Gap is a term I learned from the book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee.1 I refer to this book often as McKee does a great job teaching story craft, beginning with the basic elements of story and building upon them.  While primarily targeted…

  • Value Charges and Changes, Part II

    Note: This article contains spoilers of the movie A KNIGHTS TALE. In this article I provide an example of the changing value charges we discussed in Part I. If you haven’t read it yet, take a look at the first part of this article, entitled: Value Charges and Changes, Part I. I recall watching the…

  • Value Charges and Changes, Part I

    One of the things that fascinates me most about stories is the changes that occur throughout the telling.  To better understand this, let’s look at one of the smallest elements that makes up a story.     In his book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee calls these elements “Story Values,”1 the…