The story finds mind space amidst the clutter of data and information like the toddler who finds a space to play even in a crowded train. What is a story?Everyone likes a good story. No one likes information and chunks of data thrown at them. People want that information to be conveyed in a manner that will linger on long after. You heard the story of the hare and the tortoise years back, but the lesson remains fresh. “Slow and steady wins the race”. Chances are that you even remember the drawing that accompanied the story. The story has a way of etching itself in our mind.
Rule 1 of Storytelling: Unexpected
An anecdote is not a story. Many people may narrate an anecdote in a very interesting manner. But that does not make it a story. A story follows a structure. It has rules (Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling, for instance) “A story should have a beginning, middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order” is how Jean-Luc Godard describes the process.
“A story should have a beginning, middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order” – Jean Luc Godard
A story has to be something that is unexpected. What is predictable is never material for a story. That explains why most fairytales end with the line – “and they lived happily ever after”… That line has the silence of a graveyard as far as a storyteller is concerned. All is well in the life of the protagonist until … It is exactly that trigger that sets the protagonist on to a quest. The story is about the quest. The barriers that the protagonist faces are all what makes the story interesting. A story must have an element that is unexpected.
Rule 2: Discover the exotic in the mundane
Stories are all about discovering the mundane in the exotic and the unusual when all of it is predictable. That is why people read about celebrities to discover the ordinariness in their lives. The photograph of a celeb couple going to watch their child perform in the school play appeals to us. The story of two lovers who belong to families or countries that are war with each other also connects with us because that is so unbelievable. That is why it makes for a perfect story.Imagine you have to make an advertisement to announce the launch of a new airline. Your research team has told you that punctuality matters the most to the travelers. They would like to get more leg room and a friendly crew to look after them.
I suppose this is what the brief for any airlines ad would say. How would an advertising agency turn this into a story that would tug at your heart enough to persuade you to give the new airline a chance? What if the country that was launching the airline was Argentina?
Would you create a story that had something to do with someone being in time for a football game (yes, it is Argentina after all). Now watch this ad.
Comments
2 responses to “Anything Normal Is Not A Story”
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What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist other users like its helped me. Great job.
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It is so difficult to achieve the fine balance between giving enough facts when narrating a true story as I am hoping to do , but keep the reader interested and not bore him / herout of mind with fact overload .What keeps the reader interested till the end ??with thrillers it is obvious ,with true stories the human element and the fleshing out of characters is probably the key ,but how do you stucture it ? a beginning ,a middle and the end is the usual format ,but what about changing that order ? Will it make it more interesting or confusing ??Do i just let the story write itself , and not bother about the structure ?
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