<description>&lt;p&gt;And then” isn’t a plot, it’s a queue. In this craft-forward episode, we swap “and then” for the more muscular &lt;strong&gt;because / but / therefore&lt;/strong&gt; and show how tight causality turns scenes into story. You’ll get a clear, jargon-free framework for chaining choices to consequences, plus two case studies that prove the point: a mini-autopsy of &lt;em&gt;Pride &amp;amp; Prejudice &lt;/em&gt;and a contemporary comparison with &lt;em&gt;Knives Out&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In this episode you’ll learn:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why causality (not act labels) is the real backbone of structure&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How to convert event beats into &lt;strong&gt;decision&lt;/strong&gt; beats with costs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Because/But/Therefore&lt;/strong&gt; test to expose sagging “and then” sequences&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A quick &lt;strong&gt;Coincidence Audit&lt;/strong&gt; (allowed to enter a story, never to exit it)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A repeatable &lt;strong&gt;Scene Ledger&lt;/strong&gt;: Goal → Opposition → Outcome → New Problem → Forced Next Action&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
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And then” isn’t a plot, it’s a queue. In this craft-forward episode, we swap “and then” for the more muscular because / but / therefore and show how tight causality turns scenes into story. You’ll get a clear, jargon-free framework for chaining choices to consequences, plus two case studies that prove the point: a mini-autopsy of Pride &amp; Prejudice and a contemporary comparison with Knives Out.In this episode you’ll learn:<ul><li>Why causality (not act labels) is the real backbone of structure</li><li>How to convert event beats into decision beats with costs</li><li>The Because/But/Therefore test to expose sagging “and then” sequences</li><li>A quick Coincidence Audit (allowed to enter a story, never to exit it)</li><li>A repeatable Scene Ledger: Goal → Opposition → Outcome → New Problem → Forced Next Action</li></ul>

Master Fiction Writing

Because > And Then: Building Stories with Causality (feat. Pride & Prejudice + Knives Out)

Because > And Then: Building Stories with Causality (feat. Pride & Prejudice + Knives Out)

Description