#84: Henry Lien — Eastern Narrative Structures, Choosing the Right Ideas, and Writing Lessons from George R.R. Martin & Kelly Link

How do cultural values shape narrative structure?This is one of the main questions in author Henry Lien's most recent book, Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling. After leaping headfirst into writing at age 42 and spending some formative time at the Clarion Workshop learning from George R.R. Martin, Kelly Link, and Chuck Palahniuk, Henry developed a fascination with form which eventually led him to kishōtenketsu (East Asian four-act structure).In this episode of Always Choose Orange, Henry and I talk about:The differences between a typical Eastern story and a typical Western storyWhy Disney's version of Mulan strayed from the original source materialHow newer writers can steer clear of cultural appropriationThe use of circular narrative structure in the level design of the Metroid games Website: https://henrylien.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrylienauthor/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryLienAuthor Resources mentioned by Henry:Powers of Ten™ (1977)https://writingtheother.comWriting the Other by Nisi Shawl & Cynthia Ward