The DNA of fiction
How stories inherit ideas and pass them on. Browse by genre, concept, and craft, or look up any work.
Genres
The map holds 779 works, 70 traced ideas and 1,747 connections across 35 genres. Each genre grows its own tree as it’s seeded.
Subgenres
Concepts
what’s a premise? →Gods Among Mortals
4 works · 800–2004
Faeries & the Otherworld
4 works · 1600–1902
Artificial Life (Bio-Engineered)
What are the moral responsibilities of a creator towards artificial life, and what defines its humanity?
18 works · 1818–2023
Space Travel & Exploration
What does humanity gain or lose in its quest to explore and conquer the cosmos?
59 works · 1838–2021
Portal Worlds & Crossings
9 works · 800–1997
Multiverse & Parallel Realities
If infinite realities exist, how do our choices matter, and what defines our true self?
22 works · 1884–2022
Time Travel & Paradoxes
If we can change the past or see the future, what are the consequences for free will, causality, and identity?
33 works · 1889–2021
Genetic Engineering & Bioethics
What are the ethical boundaries of altering existing life, and what are the consequences for society and evolution?
27 works · 1896–2021
Alien Invasion
How would humanity react to an overwhelming external threat, and what does it reveal about our own nature?
19 works · 1898–2018
Alien Contact & Civilizations
How do we communicate with, understand, or coexist with truly alien intelligences and cultures?
88 works · 150–2024
Robots & Androids
If a robot is indistinguishable from a human, does the distinction matter for rights or identity?
41 works · 1920–2022
Galactic Empires & Interstellar War
How do vast interstellar civilizations manage power, conflict, and the diversity of species?
32 works · 1928–2024
Post-Human Evolution & Transcendence
What is the ultimate destiny of humanity, and can we evolve beyond our current physical and mental forms?
47 works · 1895–2022
The Invented Region
3 works · 1922–1967
Real Lives Reimagined
How can a historical figure's inner life and motivations be explored through fiction?
6 works · 1880–2009
Telepathy & Psychic Powers
How would psychic abilities fundamentally alter human society, crime, and the nature of power?
23 works · 1935–2017
Artificial Intelligence
Can a machine truly think, feel, or develop consciousness beyond its programming?
51 works · 1920–2023
Cyborgs & Human Augmentation
When does technological augmentation blur the line between human and machine, challenging identity?
20 works · 1897–2020
Environmental Collapse
How does humanity confront the consequences of ecological destruction, and can we adapt or survive a transformed Earth?
41 works · 1950–2024
Magic Systems & Their Costs
5 works · 1900–2007
Invented Worlds & Deep History
How does the creation of a fully realized, internally consistent secondary world with its own history, cultures, and mythologies enable new forms of storytelling?
9 works · 1937–2018
Espionage & Tradecraft
4 works · 1963–1984
Magic Schools & Apprenticeship
3 works · 1968–2007
Containing the Threat
3 works · 1969–1984
Memory Manipulation
If memories can be altered or implanted, how do we define identity and reality?
25 works · 1936–2022
Secrets Buried in History
Can historical settings provide unique challenges and solutions for a mystery?
4 works · 1972–2003
Virtual Reality & Cyberspace
If we can physically inhabit digital worlds, what are the implications for human experience, society, and reality?
36 works · 1950–2024
Consciousness Transfer & Digital Immortality
If consciousness can be transferred or copied, what happens to identity, and does death lose its meaning?
24 works · 1845–2022
Craft
full glossary →Themes
The underlying idea or question a story is really about, beneath its events. A theme is abstract, you state it as an idea, not a thing.
13 elements
Motifs
A concrete image, object, or detail that recurs through a work and gathers meaning as it returns.
12 elements
Tropes
A storytelling convention readers recognize and expect, neutral raw material, neither good nor bad on its own.
14 elements
Clichés
A trope worn smooth by overuse, so it lands as tired rather than satisfying. A status a trope can reach, not a separate device.
9 elements
Archetypes
A recurring character role that carries familiar resonance from one story to the next.
13 elements
Narrative techniques
A method of telling, how a story is constructed and delivered, as opposed to what happens in it.
14 elements
Structures
The architecture of a story, how it is shaped across its full length.
12 elements
Plot devices
A mechanism that drives the plot forward or resolves it.
13 elements