This site offers writers new ideas on the essential elements of storytelling through reviews of popular novels, plays, and screenplays that explore the a story is a promise concept.
Bill Johnson is author of A Story is a Promise, a writing workbook, and web master of www.storyispromise.com. He's a produced playwright, has done film work for hire, and has read manuscript submissions for literary agents and read manuscripts for several traditionally published authors. His plays have been produced around the United States and in Mexico, England, and Dubai. For many years he was office manager of Willamette Writers, a non profit writers group in the Pacific NW, and a board member of the Northwest Playwrights Guild.
--Bill Johnson
Site Awards
Study Web Award
Key Web Resource Award
All material on this web site copyright 1998-2025 Bill Johnson; all rights reserved.
Principles of Storytelling
Foundation Principles of Storytelling
Embedding Story Ideas in Action
Narrative Tension, Creating Compelling Stories
Story Line, Plot Line, the mechanics of telling a story
Storytelling and the Superconscious Mind
Novel Reviews that Explore Story Structure
Environment as Character, Notes on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
Conveying a Character's Journey on the First Page of a Novel
All the Light We Cannot See, Complex Story, Simple Questions
Writing About Class in America, notes on The Great Gatsby
The Outsiders, notes on the popular novel
Notes on the opening page of Game of Thrones and how it sets a story into motion
Movie Reviews that Explore Principles of Storytelling
Arrival, Using a Timeline to Tell a Story
Shawshank Redemption, Writing to a Dramatic Purpose
Premise and Mystery, a review of The Usual Suspects
A review of the structure of Guardians of the Galaxy.
A review of the horror film Polterheist.
Capsule movie reviews that explore principles of storytelling.
Play Reviews that Explore Principles of Creating Drama
Romeo and Juliet, the Power and Passion of Love and Hate, a beat by beat review of Act One
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the Power of Ambiguity
Developing Complex Characters Who Grow and Change, a review of The Heidi Chronicles
Play Productions
Bill
Johnson's exploration of his energy body and techniques for
accessing it are included in this new print edition. It includes
color maps of the energy flow around the face and head. Available
on Amazon,
https://www.amazon.com/Experiences-Energy-Body-Understanding-Together/dp/B0F5P47FK5/