The Periodic Table of Storytelling

Who says information can’t be fun? Granted, James Harris‘ interactive infographic is whimsical, but there is method (and truth) in its colorful madness. Try it out for yourself on his site, Design Through Storytelling.

 

This visual exposes the many clichés of storytelling that are the backbone of most (commercial) scripts. It bundles these tropes and platitudes into categories (from narrative structure via plot devices and archetypal characters to production modes) and then lays them all out in a tongue-in-cheek play on Mendeleev’s periodic table of elements. Each of the elements is clickable, and leads to the related page on the TV Tropes website, where you can find more information, cross-references and examples.