The Pitch Master Newsletter Cause and Effect: The Story Chain Reaction A story is not just a string of things that happen. A story is a chain reaction. This happens, therefore that happens. A character makes a choice, therefore something changes. A secret is revealed, therefore a relationship blows up. A plan fails, therefore the hero has to try something riskier, scarier, or stupider. That is cause and effect. And when it is working, your story feels inevitable. It pulls the reader or viewer...

The Pitch Master Newsletter The World’s Largest Library Is Hiding in Plain Sight (And Your Books and Screenplays Should Be In It) Imagine a library 100 times larger than the Library of Alexandria. A library with millions of books in every language, stretching back centuries. A library where a reader can search almost any topic and instantly discover a book about it. Cool! That library exists. It’s called Google Books. And if you’re an author or screenwriter, it may be one of the most powerful...

The Pitch Master Newsletter Nothing yanks me out of a story faster than a plot hole. If they’re really stupid, I get mad. And I quit reading or watching. That disconnect doesn’t just “break immersion”, it breaks trust, and it quietly murders your relationship with your reader/viewer. Plot holes can happen anywhere, but they’re most common in mysteries, thrillers, and action stories, where the engine of the story is cause-and-effect. At their core, plot holes are logic problems with motives,...