Hari Patience-Davies

Storytelling coach and co-founder of Patience Davies Consulting. Writer. Reader. Board gamer. Likes to talk on stage. She/her

[Nathan Baugh @nathanbaugh27]

Students at NYU asked the creators of South Park the million-dollar question:

“What makes a good story?”

They gave one of the best explanations of story I’ve heard:

“If we can take the beats of your outline, and the words ‘and then’ belong between those beats… you got something pretty boring.

What should happen between every beat you’ve written down is the words ‘therefore’ or ‘but.’”

They go on to say, “That gives you the causation between each beat, and that makes a story.”

Point 1:

There’s an idea in storytelling called ‘Promise, Progress, Payoff.’

Essentially, a story is a neverending cycle of promises that are paid off over the span of the story.

It’s a cycle of expectation and resolution. Cause and effect. Conflict and progress.

Point 2:

A story isn’t a bunch of random events thrown together.

A story is a series of but / because / therefore moments.

A famous example:

• Harry discovers he's a wizard. Because of this, he goes to learn magic at Hogwarts.
• But then he learns Voldemort wants to kill him and rule the world.
• Therefore, he must find a way to defeat him.

Point 3:

‘And’ implies a simple continuation.

‘But / Therefore’ give prior events meaning through causation.

‘But’ implies conflict. ‘Therefore’ implies progress.

I’m reminded of a Hemingway quote:

“Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.”

Great writing is intentional. It doesn’t wander. It builds upon itself.

***

I hope you enjoyed that! If so, follow @nathanbaugh27 for more ideas and writing like this.

[Letters of Note @LettersOfNote]

On this day in 1861, Charles Darwin was relatable.

[Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 @JujuliaGrace]

The Conservative government dropped the real-terms investment into the NHS to its lowest level *EVER* between 2010-2020 🚨

NHS waiting lists are not the fault of NHS staff 💙

Source from BBC, 2022: https://t.co/KRldkGYcPT

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

Publication day! It’s the 4th year that @Writers_Artists guide has included my article on writing fanfiction. Always a joy to get my hands on the latest copy

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

@islandoforder sounds blissful to me

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Rishi Sunak has claimed that voters are fine with him spending £50,000 a day on this ridiculously large private jet.

If you aren’t fine, RT and tell him to spend his own £720,000,000.

Where is his pay restraint?

Also like if you want him to f** off.

[Professor Kishan Devani BEM @Kishan_Devani]

RT if this is the same for you...

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

At a time when there are massive backlogs in the courts, and so many sexual assaults are not prosecuted, who on earth thought it was a good idea to pursue this one to court? And she got 28 months! She has 4 children. We were in lockdown. Fucking hell. #AbortionIsHealthcare

[Mandu Reid @ManduReid]

Today a woman will be sentenced for taking abortion pills to end her pregnancy during lockdown.

She has pled guilty despite being unaware of how far along her pregnancy was at the time.

She will get a criminal conviction and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
1/2

[Teo van den Broeke @Teovandenbroeke]

I found a child’s violin in the back of a Zipcar in south London yesterday. The customer care people didn’t seem all that concerned so I took it home. I would love to reunite it with its owner if I can. The name tag says Isobel Lopez. Can Twitter help? Please share! #lostviolin

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

This is horrendous

[BPAS @BPAS1968]

Tomorrow, a woman in England will be sentenced for ending her own pregnancy.

The maximum sentence she could receive is up to life imprisonment - the harshest penalty in the world.

We need abortion law reform now.

Report from @HannahAlOthman in today’s @thetimes

[stellacreasy @stellacreasy]

The average prison sentence for a violent offence in England is 18 months. A woman who had an abortion without following correct procedures just got 28 months under an 1868 act- we need urgent reform to make safe access for all women in England, Scotland and wales a human right.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

We couldn’t agree with this more.

Please RT if you do too.

[Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 @JujuliaGrace]

If you oppose NHS privatisation, please RT this and I’ll follow you back! (Twitter tells me that I’ve already followed everyone who RTd my last tweet like this). Ju 💙💙💙

[Conor Collins @conartworks]

I struggle to see how Brits can’t understand there’s more than two genders, but will happy accept at least 16 names for one of these

[Trussell @TrussellUK]

Last year, food banks in our network distributed almost 3 million emergency food parcels.

❗ More than a million of these were for children.
❗ This is the most parcels our network have ever distributed in a year.

We cannot let this continue.

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

I used this in the effective explanations section of my Storytelling for Leader course just this week

[David Cay Johnston @DavidCayJ]

Still my favorite television listing of all time:

[Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 @JujuliaGrace]

If you support the junior doctors going on strike to stand up to this government, retweet this. Let’s send Steve Barclay a message💙

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

@seatsixtyone Thanks! I’ve never done any real rail travel in Europe and this summer I’m taking the family to Italy and back. Probably just a touch anxious about it but your articles are so helpful! Thank you!

[Hari Patience-Davies @Hari_P]

@seatsixtyone hi I’m trying to book Milan to London via the Bernina Express in August but it doesn’t look like there’s any connection between Milan and Tirana this summer. Any advice on alternate routes?

[Rachel 💚 ♿ 🌍 @ChasingGlimmers]

I don’t work for the BBC so I'm free to say what I feel. The language used by Suella Braverman and Priti Patel, about refugees and migrants, is very similar to language used in Germany in the 1930s. It's a fact. RT if you agree.