Trey Parker and Matt Stone have a writing rule they’ve talked about in interviews: when you describe a story to someone, the beats should be connected by “but” or “therefore,” never by “and then.” If you find yourself saying “this happens, and then this happens, and then this happens,” the story is a sequence of events, not a story.
The rule isn’t theirs alone. Causality is what separates story from anecdote, and it’s been called out by every craft writer worth reading. But the language Parker uses is the most useful for a working writer, because it gives you an actual test you can run on your manuscript.
What “and then” sounds like
“And then” is a sequence connector. It says one thing happened, and after that, another thing happened. The two events are next to each other in time. They don’t have to be next to each other in cause.
Janmani found a key. And then she went to the market. And then she met a stranger. And then the stranger gave her a map.
Read that aloud. Nothing is wrong with any individual beat, but the story has no engine. Each event sits next to the previous one without any pressure pulling the reader forward. The reader doesn’t feel like the story is being driven by anything; it’s being arranged.
“And then” stories happen often in picture-book first drafts. The writer knows where the character starts and where they need to end up, so they write the events in between. Each event makes sense on its own. None of them have to make the next one happen.
What “but” and “therefore” sound like
“But” is the obstacle connector. It introduces something that interrupts the plan. “Therefore” is the consequence connector. It says: because of what just happened, this next thing has to follow.
Janmani found a key, but she couldn’t tell what it opened. Therefore she took it to the market to ask someone older. But the only person who knew was a stranger she’d been told never to talk to. Therefore Janmani had to decide whether the key mattered more than the warning.
Same character, similar events, but now each beat is producing the next one. The key creates the trip to the market. The trip to the market creates the conversation with the stranger. The conversation with the stranger creates the choice that the story is really about.
The test
Take a manuscript and write a one-sentence summary of each spread. Read those sentences aloud, in order, inserting “and then” between them.
If “and then” feels natural, the spreads are sequential. They’re happening in order without producing each other. That’s the diagnosis.
Then try the same exercise with “but” or “therefore” between each spread. Pick whichever fits. If a connector doesn’t fit, the causal chain has a break in it. That’s where the revision work is.
What the test checks is structural: does the manuscript have a story, or just a list of events.
Why this matters more in picture books
A 13-spread picture book is a short causal chain. Every spread has to earn its place. If any spread doesn’t push the next one forward, it’s costing 1/13th of the available real estate to do nothing.
In a novel, a writer can afford an “and then” beat now and then because the reader has hundreds of pages of momentum to coast through it. In a picture book, the reader will close the book before the page turn if a spread doesn’t produce a reason to turn.
What “but” beats and “therefore” beats look like in practice
But beats introduce something that complicates the character’s plan. The protagonist tries to get what they want, and something gets in the way. This is where obstacles live. Most picture book middles are made of “but” beats.
Therefore beats show the consequence of the previous beat. The character did something, so now this is true. These are the beats that prove a story is actually happening, that decisions have weight.
A strong picture book usually alternates: a “but” introduces a problem, a “therefore” produces a response, the next “but” introduces a complication of that response, and so on. The chain holds the book together.
When “and then” is fine
Not every connection has to be causal. Some moments earn an “and then” because the writer is intentionally slowing down: a rhythm-beat spread, a sustained mood, a wordless tableau. Those spreads don’t carry causal weight, and they don’t have to.
Use “and then” deliberately. A spread that connects with “and then” should be doing real non-causal work (rhythm, mood, repetition). If the spread connects with “and then” because the writer couldn’t find a “but” or a “therefore,” that’s the spread to revise.
What Pala does with this
“But and therefore” is one of the Moves on Pala’s causality diagnostic. When you ask Pala to diagnose a spread, it tests whether the spread is connected to what came before with a “but” or a “therefore” or whether it’s just sitting next to the previous spread with an “and then.” If the connection is sequential, the Pressure calls it out and the Move offers a way to plant the cause one spread earlier so the turn pays off.