Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Yes, I'm STILL making my way through The Anatomy of Story. Do you remember in the first video when I said I was worried this book might be too smart for me? I think I might have been right.
In this video I attempt chapter 4, which is on creating a moral argument. This was the most challenging chapter to date, partly because I struggle with the black-and-white language around morality and immorality, but also because I wasn't sure whether the immoral actions your hero takes should be related to the overall moral argument, or whether they can be immoral actions in general.
For example, if the moral argument is around self knowledge, and the moral choice your hero needs to make is between coming clean about who she is versus catching a killer, does stealing or hiding evidence count as an immoral action? While those actions are immoral, they aren't directly related to self knowledge... as you can see, I'm struggling!
Liked this video? Subscribe at youtube.com/channel/UCcuMeK6Go50kkc1DtGW1qwQ?sub_confirmation=1
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENTS:
- How do you find your books' moral arguments?
- Does the moral choice need to be directly related to the theme line?
- Should the immoral actions be related to the moral argument, or can they just be generally immoral?
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 - An intro to the experiment
00:28 - What is the moral argument?
01:03 - The book ideas
03:04 - The moral argument process
04:10 - The theme line
08:23 - The hero's moral choice
13:17 - Characters as variation on the theme
14:53 - Story structure and moral argument
17:04 - The Incredibles moral argument!
21:45 - Questions about immoral actions
28:41 - The Anatomy of Story is HARD! 😭
30:38 - DID Mystery moral argument
33:51 - Fantasy hot mess is still a hot mess
42:02 - Closing thoughts
OTHER VIDEOS IN THE SERIES:
- The Anatomy of Story Premise video - youtube.com/watch?v=Ongj-xLr4L8
- The Anatomy of Story Structure video - youtube.com/watch?v=F61vAtsNkrk
- The Anatomy of Story Character video - youtube.com/watch?v=eYQIigK6TUE
FIND ME ONLINE:
Instagram: instagram.com/jp.writes
Website: jpwrites.co
Nanowrimo: nanowrimo.org/participants/jpwrites
#anatomyofstory #moralargument #writing
Yes, I'm STILL making my way through The Anatomy of Story. Do you remember in the first video when I said I was worried this book might be too smart for me? I think I might have been right.
In this video I attempt chapter 4, which is on creating a moral argument. This was the most challenging chapter to date, partly because I struggle with the black-and-white language around morality and immorality, but also because I wasn't sure whether the immoral actions your hero takes should be related to the overall moral argument, or whether they can be immoral actions in general.
For example, if the moral argument is around self knowledge, and the moral choice your hero needs to make is between coming clean about who she is versus catching a killer, does stealing or hiding evidence count as an immoral action? While those actions are immoral, they aren't directly related to self knowledge... as you can see, I'm struggling!
Liked this video? Subscribe at youtube.com/channel/UCcuMeK6Go50kkc1DtGW1qwQ?sub_confirmation=1
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENTS:
- How do you find your books' moral arguments?
- Does the moral choice need to be directly related to the theme line?
- Should the immoral actions be related to the moral argument, or can they just be generally immoral?
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 - An intro to the experiment
00:28 - What is the moral argument?
01:03 - The book ideas
03:04 - The moral argument process
04:10 - The theme line
08:23 - The hero's moral choice
13:17 - Characters as variation on the theme
14:53 - Story structure and moral argument
17:04 - The Incredibles moral argument!
21:45 - Questions about immoral actions
28:41 - The Anatomy of Story is HARD! 😭
30:38 - DID Mystery moral argument
33:51 - Fantasy hot mess is still a hot mess
42:02 - Closing thoughts
OTHER VIDEOS IN THE SERIES:
- The Anatomy of Story Premise video - youtube.com/watch?v=Ongj-xLr4L8
- The Anatomy of Story Structure video - youtube.com/watch?v=F61vAtsNkrk
- The Anatomy of Story Character video - youtube.com/watch?v=eYQIigK6TUE
FIND ME ONLINE:
Instagram: instagram.com/jp.writes
Website: jpwrites.co
Nanowrimo: nanowrimo.org/participants/jpwrites
#anatomyofstory #moralargument #writing
