TAP049: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story with Douglas Vigliotti
Hello, Writers!
In this episode, I chat with Douglas Vigliotti about his book Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story.
I loved talking to him about Aristotle for Novelists because it reminded me of my screenwriting roots, and it was nice to look back on my writing journey. Also, I loved his book because it was short enough to read in one sitting, but still contained timeless principles that I could walk away with and apply to my next book. So, if you haven’t grabbed your copy, I highly recommend you do. The book is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats.
Before we get into the interview, here’s a bit about Doug.
About Douglas Vigliotti
Douglas Vigliotti is the author of four books, including Aristotle for Novelists and Tom Collins: A ‘Slightly Crooked’ Novel, which is available to listen to on Slightly Crooked: Good Stories, Told Well, a podcast that also features his raw and unorthodox poem collection mini heartbreaks (or, little poems about life). He is also the host of Books for Men, a weekly literary podcast to inspire (more) men to read.
Key Discussion Points from the Episode
Below is a list of discussion topics from my chat with Douglas Vigliotti about his new craft book, Aristotle for Novelists.
- Why Douglas Vigliotti wrote Aristotle for Novelists and how it fills a gap in the writing craft space.
- The difference between storytelling principles and writing formulas, and why that matters.
- How Aristotle’s Poetics still influences modern fiction, film, and TV.
- The core structure behind nearly every Western story: a protagonist, a goal, and obstacles.
- Why one plus one equals a half when it comes to repetition in writing.
- How reversals and recognitions create engaging plot twists and deeper meaning.
- The distinction between character-driven vs. plot-driven novels, and where Aristotle stands.
- What makes a tragic plot versus a comedic one.
- Why some characters, like Jack Reacher, don’t need to change to be effective protagonists.
- How Aristotle’s principles can be spotted in everything from The Road to South Park.
- Amelia’s transition from screenwriting to fiction and how structure helped her write novels.
- The modern reader’s preference for pace, and why structure still matters in slow-burn stories.
Concluding Thoughts
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Authorpreneur Podcast, where I spoke with Douglas Vigliotti about about his book Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story. I hope you got a few tips on writing from this interview, or it inspired you to purchase his book.
In the comments section below, or over in the Authorpreneur Podcast Discord Community, let me know whether you have read Aristotle’s Poetics, or what you learned from this episode.
Once again, thank you for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Happy reading and writing, everybody.
With love,
Amelia xx
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I'm Amelia. When I'm not hosting the Authorpreneur Podcast™️ and the Book Nerd Podcasts, I write Mystery Novels under the pen name A. D. Hay. And, I'm the author of Suspicion, the Lawn, and the Candidate.
On this blog, I help new writers to finish their first draft, prepare their manuscripts for professional editing, and when they get stuck in the first draft phase or are confused about the revision process.
Right now, I'm editing and preparing my soon to be published mystery novels, Suspicion, Duplicity, 24 Hours, and Immunity for publication.
