This is Story Fanatic, a collection of articles covering story structure and analysis for
creative writers. Published weekly.
Great stories engage audiences on an emotional level unheard of in lesser mediums of communication. By creating an intimate portrayal of one character struggling to resolve a problem, writers of these great stories insure audience engagement and empathy. The key lies in effectively defining this struggle and focusing it one specific area of conflict.
Understanding how conflict plays out within a complete story allows a writer the opportunity to dive into relatively untouched areas of storytelling. Instead of focusing on the well-worn paths of how a character looks or what they think, the adventurous author takes their Main Character into the realm of deficient psychology. In other words, they write personal journeys of struggle against how a character thinks and comes about conclusions.
Stories that mean something have something important they want to communicate. This message, or purpose, can only be heard when it respects the human mind and its engine for appreciating conflict. This is what it means to naturally structure a story – naturally structure it in such a way that it matches the psychological structures found within the minds of a waiting Audience.
Too many times the focus of story analysis centers on a set of rudimentary, yet familiar beats. By setting their sights on this checklist, many a writer unknowingly falls into writing a very familiar pattern of conflict. Keying in on the type of conflict within the story helps avoid this unfortunate consequence.
Once one begins to look at stories as models of the human mind trying to solve a problem, certain patterns begin repeating. While understanding this pattern in no way shape or form guarantees a successful writing endeavor, it does tend to illuminate the reason why so many films feel the same. Those stories that seem like they’re treading familiar ground? They often are, at a very deep level.
Effective stories grant an audience several different points-of-view on the problem at hand. But due to the inherent “warping” effect different perspectives can have on a subject, it is also essential that a story take into account all the different permutations a story can take. One theory of story provides an Author with the tools necessary to complete this task.
For too long now the world of narrative fiction has relied on a false and antiquated notion: that a story consists of a beginning, a middle and an end. Superficial? Possibly. Misleading? Without a doubt. Successful stories require a deeper understanding of their structure and the function of the elements that sit at the heart of their construction.
For the longest time, the world’s population believed the Earth was flat. They also believed that we sat at the center of the Universe. What was fundamental to their ignorance? A lack of proper context. This same deficiency permeates the world of story structure. However instead of the Flat-Earth Society, fans of meaningful stories find themselves facing off against the Protagonist-Centrist Society.
Most writers write because they have something important to say, something that can’t be communicated in a tweet or an e-mail or a well-meaning blog post. They use character, plot, theme and genre to convince their audience of the message they wish to impart. If instead their purpose is to merely provide an experience or cinematic tone poen then what they are writing is not a story, but rather a tale.
Can a story survive without a well-thought out Main Character Throughline? Not for long. Sure, the promise of the premise might draw in the initial crowds, but the only way to guarantee repeat business is to give the audience something to care about – something to grab a hold of. The Main Character’s most personal issues provide that gateway to empathy so desperately needed for success.