Everything Nat Eliason Learned Writing His First Book
How I Write
The Importance of Promise, Progress, and Payoff in Storytelling
In storytelling, every good story consists of three elements: promise, progress, and payoff. The promise sets the expectations for the reader about what will happen in the story. Progress involves moving closer to the climax and finality of the story. The payoff is the resolution that fulfills the promise made at the beginning of the story. It's crucial to have a strong promise to engage readers as even a mediocre payoff or boring progress can be tolerated, but a weak promise will deter readers from the book.
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