Tag Archives: storytelling

The Odyssey odyssey, part 11

Posted on 10 October 2018 by Paul Vitols

Here’s the latest installment of the spine-chilling tale of the creation and production of my 1990s TV series The Odyssey. If you want to start at the beginning, go here. Otherwise, read on! And if you have questions or observations, … Continue reading →

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and the winner is . . .

Posted on 6 October 2018 by Paul Vitols

Last Saturday night Kimmie and I finished watching my 1970s Film Festival. We have been watching my catalogue of top films, breaking them down by decade, and within each decade I’ve arranged the movies in alphabetical order (I always look … Continue reading →

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developing a story

Posted on 6 April 2018 by Paul Vitols

Once you’ve worked out what story is, it’s time to figure out how to write one. This part－developing a story－isn’t easy; for some of us, it can take longer than the natural human lifespan. But now, more than ever before, … Continue reading →

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what does story mean, anyway?

Posted on 30 March 2018 by Paul Vitols

Storytelling became something of a dirty word in the 20th century, at least among writers of serious fiction. It was seen as the concern of lesser, commercial writers. I’m not sure things are changing even now, but in this serious writer’s … Continue reading →

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researching virtue and vice

Posted on 31 December 2017 by Paul Vitols

If I have a sudden desire to investigate or study something, I try to act on it. I trust that the desire is coming from a good place, even if I don’t know exactly where that is or why it … Continue reading →

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“I Have No Mouth . . .”

Posted on 31 March 2017 by Paul Vitols

I was a breech birth. Since then, I’ve done everything in life bass ackwards. A recent and relevant example of this is my education as a writer. Instead of first learning the craft of writing, and then studying up on … Continue reading →

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The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker: the templates for personal growth

Posted on 7 November 2015 by Paul Vitols

The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker My rating: 4 of 5 stars This massive, in-depth work presents a unified theory of the art of storytelling based on Jungian psychology. As I recall, this was another … Continue reading →

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The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, & Sue Viders: “people power” for writers

Posted on 10 October 2015 by Paul Vitols

The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden My rating: 4 of 5 stars This apparently self-published handbook of character archetypes adds a powerful tool to the writer’s kit. As I recall, this … Continue reading →

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the short story: small fry of the literary world?

Posted on 4 October 2015 by Paul Vitols

I love literature. I love reading. I especially love reading good fiction (even as I especially dislike reading bad fiction). Why then, in my life, have I been ambivalent about the short story as a literary genre? As a child … Continue reading →

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how astrology works, part 5: holding the mirror up to nature

Posted on 9 May 2015 by Paul Vitols

In my last post I discussed the 4 levels of meaning in a story, as established (so I believe) by the grammarians of the ancient library of Alexandria. If you’re curious about how all this relates to astrology, stick with … Continue reading →

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