The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

by John Truby

The best reveals are those where the hero gets information about an opponent. This kind of information intensifies the conflict and has the most effect on the outcome of the plot. 2. The changed desire must be a bend of the original desire, not a break in it. Think of the changed desire as a river that changes course. You don’t want to give your hero an entirely new desire at this point, or you have started a new story. You want to adjust, intensify, and build the original desire line. 3. Each revelation must be explosive and progressively stronger than the one that preceded it. The information should be important, or it won’t pop the story. And each reveal should build on the one before it. When we talk about the plot “thickening,” this is what is actually happening. Think of the revelations as the gears in a car. With each reveal the car (story) picks up speed until at the final one the vehicle is zooming. The audience has no idea how they ended up moving so fast, but they sure are having a good time.