This post is pretty much for people who are developing their stories and such. It's not intended to be an aid to break in.. just basically a helper to refine the storytelling abilities. Story is a craft and an art thats more sophisticated than one thinks. Each word is a string and each line is a chord. If it is played correctly, it unleashes a hidden symphony that flows like a river so write a story like its your last breath, your parting gift to the world. I posted on devmaster.net about positive and negative values and how its the meat of all stories which I think will help others to furtherly develop their craft. Here's the link http://www.devmaster.net/forums/showthread.php?p=26781#post26781 Yes, the majority of what I learned did come from the book "STORY: Substance, Structure, style, and the Principles of Screenwriting" By Robert McKee but the focus was more on story than it is on screenwriting. Sorry for sorta advertising that book but it is a very good read. One key to understanding why some stories were highly regarded is to study the masters that came before you. The two games with stories of the highest qualities are Final Fantasy 7 and Planescape: Torment. They both have style and their own forms of presentation which were well executed. Story is not about the events that came before (Backstory), but the series of events that are moving forward. Story is about a person.. enthrusted or self-propelled into a series of events. The reason I say those two is that some people focus too much on backstory and not enough on the present. Good stories are crafted from boundries that are set that inspires innovation and creative choices.. working with what you got. The one thing I believe how good stories are craft.. is about the unfolding.. how the events unfold. Study the craft and your one step closer to mastering it. Hope these few things helps you guys out.

That _Story_ book is an excellent book, I recommend it too.