Forget what you’ve been told: don’t start with your protagonist. Embrace your villain nature. Start with their opposition. Start with pressure. Start with the thing that makes story happen.

There are no plot-driven stories. There are no character-driven stories. There are only character-driven plots. Every decision your protagonist makes leaves a trail—that trail is your plot. This essay breaks down how to build characters whose internal needs and external goals collide, generating narrative momentum and emotional depth that readers won’t forget.

Torque is the difference between plot and story. Most writers escalate conflict. But torque bends character. This essay breaks down how it works—and how to structure it.

Scenes don’t carry a story. Sequences do. This lesson breaks down how to structure narrative momentum that escalates and turns—so your story doesn’t just move, it changes.