ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Fractals, Theme, Character, Conflict, Point of View, Scenes and Narrative and plot. Story has become a bit of an inflationary term. In the media, every news item is a news story. The elements of a good story include: characters, a journey, conflict, linked events, a news hook, and a big-picture idea. Characters and their real-life dialogue are also what defines many good plays, David Mamet has written. They are both incredibly important story elements, especially character, as the success of a story hinges largely on its characters. Fractals are self-repeating shapes and patterns of a composite object, where smaller units mimic the shape of the bigger object. Think of fractals as a near-infinite crowd of mini-mes that together form a bigger version of themselves. Without conflict, a story is not a story. Science is buzzing with conflict.
