Hello!

The Structure of Story is now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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After some event or revelation has disrupted a character's plan or equilibrium, and after they've physically, emotionally, and analytically reacted, and after they've had time to debate their options, it's time to take action!

This is the fourth stage of The Disruption Chain. It's the moment where the character solidifies their plan of action and sets out to make it happen.

Let's say we've got our protagonist writing at her desk. Her apartment door opens and a tiger enters (disruption!). First she gets a shot of adrenaline. She's flushed with fear. After she's emotionally reacted, she analytically reacts. She looks around to assess her exit points and to find the closest thing she can wield as a weapon if it comes to that. She quickly debates whether she can make it to the door before the tiger gets to her. Finally she decides to throw her tuna melt sandwich toward the other side of the room as a diversion while she bolts for the exit. She's got a plan and now she's ready to take action.

That was one cycle through The Disruption Chain. The protagonist's equilibrium (writing) is disrupted by a tiger. She goes through the reaction cycle. She then debates her options. She decides on a plan and then takes action.

When a character creates a plan in response to a disruption, there's a new dramatic question raised: "Will the character's new plan succeed?" This creates dramatic tension and keeps the audience engaged.

Actions Reveal Character

When faced with a true dilemma, no choice is without its downsides. Sometimes choosing one outcome may risk or sacrifice something of great value. What a character chooses in these moments of dilemma tells us a lot about who they are and what they truly value.

Let's consider a dilemma where a character and their best friend are scrambling to escape a hungry velociraptor. They're headed toward a blast door that's quickly closing. The raptor's racing toward them. The character's best friend trips and gets his leg stuck in a piece of debris (disruption!). After physically, emotionally, and analytically reacting and considering their options, the character decides they can either continue heading toward the blast door, saving their own life (benefit), and sacrificing their friend (cost). Or they can let the door close and attempt to fight or outwit the raptor, risking their own life (cost), and potentially saving their friend (benefit). What does the character do?

The choice that the character makes here tells us about who this person is and what they value. In the archetypal situation, the hero would risk their life for their friend and the villain would leave their friend behind to save themselves.

What a character chooses to do in the face of a dilemma tells us who they are.

The Structure of Story is now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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After a disruption meaningfully interrupts a character's plan or equilibrium, and after they've had enough time to react physically, emotionally, and analytically, there's an implicit question asked of the character: "Well, what are you going to do now?" This is the third stage in The Disruption Chain.

When it comes to story structure, this is the debate. It happens over and over. When a character is called away to an adventure at the inciting incident, there's a question of whether they'll go. When a character's problem turns from simple to deeply challenging at the midpoint, there's a question of whether they'll keep going. When a character loses everything at the crisis point, there's a question of how they'll recover.

In Finding Nemo, Marlin's son is kidnapped. What do you do now? In Star Wars, Luke discovers a message calling him away on an adventure. What do you do now?

Character-Specific Debate

Every time something unexpected happens to a character, they're faced with a challenge about what to do next. If the disruption is a problem, do they try to avoid it? Do they immediately jump into action to try to fix it? If the disruption is an opportunity, do they hesitate? Do they craft a plan to pursue it immediately?

The answer depends on the type of character. One character may hesitate and shrink away whenever they're faced with a decision. Another may spend hours putting together pro/con lists and weighing all their options. Another character may always charge ahead and follow their gut.

The way a character responds to a disruption also depends on the character's position in their arc. In Casablanca, does Rick choose to be with Ilsa or let Ilsa fly away with Laszlo to help the Allied cause? The answer at the beginning of the story would be different than at the end. Likewise, if Woody were faced with the question of whether to save Buzz from blowing up on a rocket, his answer would be different at the beginning of a story than at the end.

The most compelling dilemmas do not have easy answers. No one choice is obviously better than the other. Does the character do what's right or what's easy? Do they do what they want or do they do what they need in order to live a better life? Which side of the thematic dilemma do they choose?

Does the character need to sacrifice anything if they make one choice over another? Are they choosing between their safety and the safety of a loved one? The decision that a character makes tells us about their value system.

Anticipation

After a character has decided on a plan of action, they may take some time to anticipate the response.

For each option in the debate, the character will use counterfactual simulations to anticipate the consequences of their potential response. In other words, they'll use their imagination to play out what might happen based on their choice.

Anticipation may itself look like a reaction cycle. The character may sit with the emotional weight of any action that they're considering. They may analytically consider the potential results of their potential actions. Some actions are so potentially consequential that they warrant time for reflection. Character anticipation can also serve to induce anticipation in the audience.

Going through the decision-making process is an important part of The Disruption Chain. It's here that the character decides what to do and prepares for action.

💧 What is the earliest memory your OC can recall? Do they know what their first words were or remember where they took their first steps? Do they have any mementos of their childhood they’ve kept such as a stuffed toy or tiny baby clothes?

Relationships

💖 Has your OC ever been in love, be it romantic or platonic or otherwise? Who with and did they ever express their feelings or keep it private? How long did these feelings persist / do they still feel this way?

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

💋 How affectionate are they with their friends? Their family? Their romantic partner(s) (if they have any)? Are they more physical or emotional when it comes to displaying their affection? Why?

🌹 How easy is it for them to connect with others and make friends? On the flip side how easy is it for them to make an enemy of someone? Are they the kind of person who hangs around the food table at a party and never talks to anyone or are they the type who can talk to anyone?

🍒 What kind of things do they expect from their relationships? Does this differ between platonic relationships and romantic ones? Is your OC “demanding” or a door mat? What kinds of things do people expect from them in a relationship?

Preferences

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

🍊 What is your OC’s favourite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes?

What is your OC’s most hated food? Stuff they can’t stand to eat or drink?

🍑 Where is your OC’s favourite place to relax or calm down? Recount a story of their time spent in this place! What makes it so special to them?

Is there anywhere your OC hates to go to? Anywhere that stresses them out or have negative memories of?

🧡 Who is your OC’s favourite person? Why is this person the top of their list and have they actually met them (an idol or rolemodel or celeb can be someone’s favourite after all!).

Who does your OC absolutely hate, the one person who they’d sell to Satan for one corn chip? Why do they loathe this person so?

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Emotions

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC genrally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

🍋 Does your OC act petty and jealous easily? What sort of things make them feel like this and do they experience guilt for getting so worked up? How do they deal with these emotions when they get them? If your OC doesn’t feel like this often, why not?

📀 How easy is it to shock your OC? To confuse them? To lie to them, to manipulate them? How are they with feelings of trust? Can your OC be trusted?

💛 In general, how in control of their emotions is your OC? Do they have a good hold on them or do their emotions control them, not the other way around? What do you think is the reason behind this and is your OC ever concerned about their lack of or good control?

Mental Health

🌳 Compare your OC to themself from 10 years ago. How has their mental state changed since then, how have they aged and grown up? Would they say they’re in a better place than they were back then or do they need help? What advice would they give their younger self? What advice would their younger self give to them now?

🍏 Does your OC have any triggers? What is the history behind these triggers and are they related to any disorders or mental illnesses? In what ways does your OC react to being triggered?

🥝 What does a bad mental health day look like for your OC? Walk us through it with them. What kind of things can help them out of this slump and what kinds of things comfort them when they start to feel like this?

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

💚 Talk about some of the traumatic events in your OC’s life. These events can be ones that have happened to them or a loved one. These events can be minor or major.

History

💧 What is the earliest memory your OC can recall? Do they know what their first words were or remember where they took their first steps? Do they have any mementos of their childhood they’ve kept such as a stuffed toy or tiny baby clothes?

🌠 Who was your OC’s first friend? Do they remember them or are they still friends now? Talk about some of the people your OC has lost contact with over the years. Do they have any regrets about losing these people and would they revist them if they could?

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

🌀 Where is your OC from? Where were they born? Do they still live there, if not why did they move? If they still live in the area how has it changed since their childhood? How many places has your OC lived in and where has been their favourite?

💤 What was your OC like as a baby, a child and as a teen? (if your OC is a teen or a child, what will they be like as an adult?). How have they changed since then? What lessons have they learned and what things about their youth do they miss the most? Do they have any general regrets?

This or That

🍇 Day or Night? Sun or Rain? Summer or Winter?

🛍️ Function or Aesthetic? Skirts or Pants? Heels or Flats?

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

💜 Music or Silence? Swords or Spells? Cities or Nature?

🍆 Tea or Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Sweet or Spicy? Fruits or Vegetables?

Features

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

🎀 Do they wear a specific accessory with a special meaning behind it? What is their usual fashion sense like? What do they wear when they want to be comfortable and what do they wear when they’re going to a fancy party? Or do they just not care?

💗 What would your OC say is their best feature? Why? What do their friends / family / lover(s) / people they know think is their best feature and why?

🌺 Does your OC have any tattoos or other body art? Does their body art have any specific meaning behind it? Do they have any scars? How did they get those scars? Any birthmarks?

The Structure of Story now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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Compelling drama is all about the future. We try to keep the audience focused on what's ahead by raising questions.

The future is uncertain--and rife with emotions. Let's consider a few of the emotions that the audience may experience as we mix anticipation with uncertainty.

The Emotions of Dramatic Questions

Recall that dramatic tension is the push and pull between success and failure. It's created when a character has a goal, that goal meets opposition, and there's something at stake if the character loses. Dramatic tension creates an implicit dramatic question: Will the character win or lose?

Hope

Anytime we let the audience feel that the character is on the verge of some sort of success (particularly when it comes to dramatic tension), the audience will likely feel hope. They'll believe that it's plausible the character actually wins this thing and gets what they want.

The audience is looking forward to something happening.

Fear and Worry

When we let the audience feel that the character is on the verge of failure, on the other hand, we're likely inducing fear. The audience may begin to believe that the character's not actually going to pull this out and doom awaits them.

The audience is not looking forward to something happening.

Suspense

As we'll later discuss, audiences feel suspense when a dramatic question (i.e. a question of whether a character will win or lose) is combined with uncertainty and the feeling that an outcome is imminent.

In other words, the audience feels like something good or bad might happen at any moment. They're not sure what or how things will play out, but they believe there's a chance things could turn out terribly. Suspense is an interesting mix of hope and fear.

The audience is not sure whether something bad will happen or not.

Tension

Audiences feel tense when the outcome of a dramatic question is delayed. In other words, tension is created when a suspenseful moment is stretched.

Let the audience linger in their uncertainty. Let them feel that hope and fear even longer. That's where we get explicit tension.

The audience is not sure *when* dramatic tension will be resolved.

Curiosity

Audiences feel curiosity when there's an implicit or explicit promise that missing information could be interesting. To create curiosity, review our tools for raising an active or passive mystery.

The Emotions of Answers

We've explored a few of the emotions the audience can feel when they're stuck in a moment of uncertainty about the future. But eventually that future must arrive. Eventually we must actually give the audience answers to those dramatic questions.

And in those moments, we get the emotions associated with reaction.

Surprise

Audiences feel surprise when they didn't get what they expected or anticipated. There's an answer to a dramatic question but it's something we didn't see coming.

Disappointment

Audiences feel disappointment when they didn't get what they had hoped for. Sometimes their expectations weren't met. Other times they're disappointed that the character appears to have failed.

Relief

Audiences feel relief when they didn't get what they feared. They may feel this when the bad thing they envisioned didn't occur or the character was successful.

It's important that we understand the tools that allow us to create these emotions as we craft our stories. They'll help us orchestrate a symphony of emotions in the audience.

The Structure of Story now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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Sometimes a story just isn't working. And in that case, we can ask ourselves a few questions. There's nothing groundbreaking in these questions but if you're having troubles, consider the following:

• What does your protagonist want? In other words, what do they think would make them happy?

• What's your protagonist's plan to get what they think will make them happy? If they have no plan to attain it, chances are it's too abstract. The trouble with an abstract goal is that it doesn't generate tension because abstract goals cannot be meaningfully opposed (and thus no uncertainty is generated).

• Who or what will stand in the way of your protagonist getting what they want (whether intentionally or unintentionally)?

• If the opposition to your protagonist's goal is another character, what's their plan to oppose the protagonist? If they don't have a plan, chances are that they don't provide meaningful opposition and thus you may have trouble maintaining conflict throughout the story.

• What happens if your protagonist doesn't get what they want? What thing of value is at stake in their pursuit?

• Have you shown the audience how much the protagonist cares for the thing of value that's at stake?

• Why does the protagonist need to take action toward the thing they want now rather than later? Why can't they just walk away?

• Why are we interested in spending time with your protagonist? They don't need to be "nice" or sympathetic, but they do need to be *interesting*. What makes us want to find out what they're going to do next? (This is where our empathy techniques come in).

• Your protagonist has a belief that once they do, have, or become something, they'll finally be happy. Is that actually true? If not, what will actually bring them happiness? What will trigger this realization?

• What difficult decision will your protagonist need to make at the climax of the story? This may be a choice between what they originally *thought* would bring them happiness and what will *actually* bring them happiness.

• If you're ever having troubles with your plot, chances are that your protagonist's plan isn't clear enough or the plan of your story's opposition (i.e. antagonist) isn't clear enough. Come back to the plans and make sure they're opposed.

i am seven

and my reply is

pink

because i am a girl

and pink

is a princess color.

i am asked about my favorite color.

i am ten

and i like

green

because a boy told me that pink

is lame and girly.

i am asked about my favorite color.

i am thirteen

and i tell them

purple

it is unique and spunky

like i want to be.

i am asked about my favorite color.

i am seventeen

and i just say

red

i do not say

it is bright and angry at the world

as i am

i cannot form the words to express

all of my frustrations

so i paint my lips with

rage.

i am asked about my favorite color.

i am twenty

and it’s pink

i remember the joy

of being a child

i reclaim the freedom

of femininity

because i cannot remember

what my shoulders felt like

before the depression

hung from them.

i am asked about my favorite color.

i am twenty-six

and my answer is

brown

it confuses most people

they don’t see it

they may think of dirt

and dust

and dead things

but it is coffee with friends

and the chocolate chip cookies

my mom used to make.

it is my hair

and my eyes

amber and gold

in the sun

and i love myself

There comes a time when fandom becomes less of an escape from anxiety to being the source of anxiety. Sometimes I need to remind myself what’s important to focus on, and I made this chart to help me with that. 

Welp! This is a very tricky question because there’s really no right or wrong way to do it, but I think it helps to maybe trying to identify the source of your art block. What I typically try to do, is identify my own artblock based on two archetypes: the Skill artblock, or the Creative artblock.

-Skill Artblock is when your eyes have leveled up in their understanding in how they see art, they are always the first to grasp said understanding before anything else. You are able to see mistakes you previously weren’t, you’re able to grasp concepts you had trouble with in the past, and you’re able to decipher how to break things down for easier drawing. Problem is, you’re drawing hand, your muscle memory, has yet to reach enough experience points to put it down on paper. Everything you draw seems wrong in some way or shape or form; it could be how you draw hair, or maybe how you draw hands, the anatomy, the way you paint shadows. Whatever it is, you feel like you’re doing something wrong, and that leads to being unable to get out something satisfying to you in your art, no matter how much you’re actually inspired to make something. 

With this sort of artblock, I think it’s the perfect time to simply create what you want, whatever’s “wrong” with your art be damned. Who cares if that hand is wonky? Draw what you want, let that creativity go crazy! It’s probably a point where you have a fuckton of ideas but can’t seem to get them down on paper in a way you think is correct, so get them down on paper anyway. May as well, right?

-And then there’s the Creative Artblock. This sort of artblock is when you’re satisfied with the way you draw, at least for the most part, but for some reason you can’t think of anything to draw. No headcanons are coming to you, no scenes or instances you think could be interesting, nothing seems good enough in your head. It’s just a dried up well. SO! A good way to combat this sort of artblock is... art studies. It’s a good time to just sit down and do stuff that doesn’t take your brain working hard for creation purposes: if you’re doing a study, it takes away the step where you have to think of what to draw because it’s already in front of you. Just draw what you’re looking at. This is a great way to learn more about your craft and expand on your skill without just sitting on your ass and pouting at that blank blank sheet in front of you. Draw what you see, not what you think.

Ironically, doing this helps balance out the other: if you get a Creative artblock, doing art studies and such helps combat Skill Artblock. In the same breath, putting your ideas to paper despite feeling like something about your art isn’t up to snuff helps with Creative Artblock because you’re drawing what comes to your head, skill level be damned.

-It is very possible to get both at the same time though, and that typically means you’ve reached a point of Burnout. Burnout is something you’d like to try to avoid but sometimes it happens regardless of what you do. If this is what you’re experiencing, the best way I’ve found to combat it is... well. Taking a break. Burnout means you’re exhausted in some way, usually mentally, and trying to push through the burnout honestly just makes it worse in the long run. It might help in that very moment, but when it comes back, it hits harder. 

So take a break. Step away from art entirely if you have to. Do anything else you enjoy: listen to music, play video games, watch a movie; what personally helps me when I get this way is still doing something artful that isn’t actually drawing. That’s why I fuckin love my guitar; I’m learning a different artform, I still get to be creative, but in a completely different way. If you’ve never tried traditional painting, try it! Try sculpting, or knitting, or sewing, or whatever else you’ve always wanted to try but never found the time to. If you wanna try to stay on top of your craft despite unable to engage in it, listen to art tutorials and art advice on youtube, read them, read “Art Of” books and take in the process someone else takes to make their artwork. Rest is good, but active rest is arguably better, since it’s still expanding your understanding and knowledge on something without you making your exhaustion worse.

ok!! i’m not the best at explaining but here’s what i generally think about when i draw teeth. aside from understanding ppl’s teeth are arranged in a curve (think two letter “U”s on top of each other) i also try to remember how many teeth there usually are in a human mouth. from there i tend to stylize pretty heavily while still keeping those two in mind. i hope that helps o/

How to Draw Hands by zephy.fr

I made a tutorial! I hope it is helpful. Some of the styles of eyes are from Studio Ghibli,Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Dangan Ronpa, Fire Emblem, Ace Attorney.

I created a quick walkthrough on my process! You can do the same with any digital art program and brushes you like. As always, learning comes with critical thinking and if you feel this does not apply to you, then no worries! There’s no correct way to do things as long as you achieve the results you want. 

The technique can be customized with different brush types and colours, and can be as simple or heavily rendered as you so desire. I hope it helps a little! I like to do lighting like this in my own work for a sense of atmosphere.