Platte F. Clark
Story is a technology.
Not a talent.
We are entering the deepest sea of sameness in the history of written communication. The only way through it is a story no algorithm can generate.
The Through-Line
Thirty years. One question.
What makes a story change someone?
Nearly 30 books ghostwritten for executives, thought leaders, and public figures. A feature film with Lionsgate. A novel trilogy with Simon & Schuster. Training architecture built for FranklinCovey, VitalSmarts, and global organizations across four continents.
The credential isn't the point. The through-line is: across every format and audience, the stories that changed people worked for the same reasons. And the ones that didn't, failed for the same reasons.
That pattern became a framework. The framework became a book. The book is called The Conviction Engine.
The Framework
Every story that moves someone
runs the same six stages.
Facts
Flow
Meaning
Emotion
Drive
Action
Each stage feeds the next. The chain is only as strong as its weakest stage — and the reader only acts when every one of them fires.
See the whole engineAggregator
Collector of the wisdom of others
Apothegist
Anchors modern best-practices to classical wisdom
Author
Surfaces best-practices from own experience
Academic
Ivory tower with lots of footnotes
Actor
In the trenches learning from the real world
Free Assessment
Get Unstuck
Many thought leaders struggle to turn their insights into a book. Often, they fail to recognize their natural strengths and, as a result, don't lean into them. Take the free assessment to uncover your primary and secondary thought leadership styles, along with tactical advice on how to leverage them.
Take the Free AssessmentThe Work
Proof is in the pattern.
~30
Books Ghostwritten
For executives, thought leaders, and public figures
92%
Critics Score
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Lionsgate, 2024)
250K+
Copies Worldwide
Bad Unicorn trilogy (Simon & Schuster)
4
Continents
Training built for FranklinCovey, VitalSmarts, ZengerFolkman
Books & Film
On the shelf. On the screen.
How We Work Together
Four ways the framework
meets the work.
Ghostwriting
You have a book that could change how your industry thinks. Most ghostwriters will write it. Few will architect it so it actually does that job.
Start a conversation →Screenwriting
Narrative structure that moves audiences isn't theoretical here. From script to screen, story architecture that earns the reaction.
Start a conversation →Narrative Strategy
Your team is full of people whose job is to move others with words. Most of them have never been taught how story actually works. Not the theory. The mechanics.
Start a conversation →Thought Leadership
The leaders who own their category built a framework so specific to their experience that no one else could claim it. I help executives find that framework and turn it into the book, IP, and platform that makes them the obvious choice.
Start a conversation →The Practice Behind the Work
These engagements run through Straw Dogs Development, the boutique studio I run with my team — where you'll find the full practice, the proof, and how we take on projects.
Visit Straw Dogs Development ↗Let's Talk
Your story deserves architecture,
not just assembly.
Whether it's a book, a screenplay, a keynote, or a framework that changes how your organization communicates — it starts with a conversation.
Work with PlatteStay in the Story
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