South Park, Drama and Character Building

One of the things that new writers (old writers, writers in between) - often forgot is covered, in one pithy little video, with none other than the writers of South Park:

Trey Parker and Matt Stone discuss the elements of story.

In beating out your story the work is often.

Jeff went to the store.

AND THEN

The store was robbed

It could read in a few ways, and it could be interesting. But try again this way.

Jeff went to the store after screwing some guys out of twenty bucks.

THEREFORE

The guys who were screwed out of money needed some drinks. So they went to the same store to rob it - and get another $20.

Yes, you can easily put "therefore" and "but" between the same sequences as "and then", but there's different meanings all the way through.

Remember - don't spend 10 years learning that like the guys from South Park. Then you might have a ridiculously successful show or something.