Understanding the Craft of Storytelling - Essays by Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson's A Story 
is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling book cover
A seventh edition of my writing workbook, A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling is available for $2.99 from Amazon Kindle.

This edition offers new, unique tools for creating vibrant story characters, how to outline a novel, and a guide to writing a novel, screenplay, or play.
Essays on the Craft of Writing
About the Author

Index of Essays


essays by Bill Johnson

A photo of Bill Johnson, author of A Story is a Promise and the Spirit of Storytelling.

Understanding What A Story Is
This essay is now available in my writing workbook, A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling.

Foundation Principles of Storytelling *
This essay discusses 15 principles I believe underlie the creation of a dramatic story.
My Percibiendo las bases en una narración essay is now available in Spanish, traducido al Español por Herlinda Martínez at Miracle Theatre/Teatro in Portland, Oregon

Understanding the Process of Storytelling *
The process of constructing a story from idea to premise to movement to plot to fulfillment.
Revised 12/27/98

Premise and Mystery
A scene by scene review of The Usual Suspects that explores what makes this a great film.

What A Plot IS
This essay is available in my writing workbook, A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling.

Stories and Feelings
An essay about how stories function as a journey of feelings for a story's audience.

Viewing Movies to Understand Life's Problems
This essay explores how movies can offer understanding of life's problems. This article first appeared in ScreenTalk, the International Magazine of Screenwriting.

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