Does this happen in life? Things like this don't happen in life! How does artistic truth differ from reality and where does the line between them lie? Why does a completely fictional dramatic story often seem more true to us than life itself? The famous screenwriter and screenwriting teacher Alexander Talal devotes his book to this topic. Analyzing the phenomenon of mythological perception, the author introduces the reader to the techniques used by the creators of exciting stories, combining and mixing mythical and life elements, “truth” and “lies”. Using the example of famous films and TV series, he shows how these techniques influence the audience and help achieve audience success. The book will be of interest to beginning and experienced screenwriters, prose writers and playwrights, film experts, screenwriting teachers, journalists and PR specialists, as well as anyone interested in the “narrative arts” - cinema, theater, literature.