Start with a question about your story #
A compelling premise can still leave a writer unsure what to revise. MythOS connects intentions, participants, choices and consequences so you can examine what an event serves and what the work actually establishes.
MythOS organizes its story model into four levels: intent and context (Level 0), story structure (Level 1), dramatic action (Level 2), and screenplay presentation (Level 3). MythOS focuses on developing stories for movies. Levels 0–2 also help you analyze existing stories, including books; Level 3 develops scenes, lines and shots for the screen.
A running example: The Hobbit #
We’ll use J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to explore how the model works (spoiler alert!). The novel gives us story material to analyze before trying our own screenplay treatments. Bilbo is an inexperienced traveler on a quest with Thorin, the leader of a company reclaiming treasure. In underground tunnels, Bilbo encounters Gollum, a dangerous creature blocking his escape. Bilbo has a chance to kill him but chooses mercy.
Later, Bilbo gives Bard the Arkenstone, a jewel prized by Thorin, as leverage for a settlement over the treasure. Bard speaks for people whose town the dragon destroyed; Thorin sees the act as betrayal.
We’ll follow one reading of the story: courage can include mercy. You may find other readings worth exploring. Later, we’ll try two original screenplay treatments of the same moment. Foundation concepts also uses five short examples to compare how an activity builds, changes and fades.
Follow the learning path #
For a first experience, inspect the built-in Hobbit example. No account or prepared story is required.
For the full framework, begin with Foundation concepts, then nodes and relations, and read the chapters explaining Levels 0, 1 and 2 of the story model. To develop the screenplay, continue into Level 3; to focus on analysis, proceed directly to realization and abstraction.
The four-axis emotion model connects overall tone with local contributions. Later chapters help you judge how the telling supports the feelings you want to evoke in viewers.