Movies and TV shows

There’s a famous storytelling rule: if you show a gun on the wall in the first act, it better go off in the third. That’s Chekhov’s Gun.

Whether you're writing a novel, screenplay, video game, or short story, one of the most powerful storytelling tools is the character arc

In the world of mystery and crime thrillers, one of the most effective narrative tools is the MacGuffin—an object, person, or event

In action films, directors grab the audience’s attention in the first moments by using a technique called ‘In Medias Res’

In the world of storytelling, few techniques are as powerful—or as risky—as the cliffhanger. Done well, it keeps your audience....

Cold opens—a bold, unannounced jump into the middle of the action. Often structured using the classic literary technique In Medias Res.

When you hear ‘Chekhov’s Gun,’ you probably think of a weapon on the wall that must go off by the end of the story. But in sci-fi and fantasy

While retcon can be a useful narrative device to fix plot holes, introduce new developments, or clarify confusing details,