“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.” - Terry Pratchett
Stories are the one thing that the world cannot get enough of. Stories are told every day in every way. Read a book, watch a movie, talk to people, look at a painting, you are observing a story. A story is the human experience given to each of us as a gift. A gift to make our own. To teach us how to empathize. A gift made to help us learn how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes. A gift to make us feel like we are not alone. And the thing about this gift is that it never stops giving because there is an infinite amount of stories to be told. An infinite amount of lessons to be learned. An infinite amount of perspectives to be viewed.
Don’t you ever look at a person and wonder what their story is? If I am waiting in line with my mom behind someone at the grocery store checkout, I will immediately start to think about their story. Why are they here, right now at this exact moment, buying apples? And why did they buy that bouquet of flowers? Were those for a loved one or just for themselves? Were they “I'm sorry” flowers or just house decor flowers? I notice how they treat the cashier. If they are rude, I wonder why and what got them to this point in their day or lives where they thought they could treat another human being that way. I wonder if they have siblings, where they grew up. I wonder where they just came from and where they are going for the rest of the day. I try to put together their story. And then they leave and I forget everything I had just thought about. But for that moment, I was listening and learning from that stranger in front of me at the grocery store.
“You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend... you’re supposed to be the leading lady of your own life.” - "The Holiday"
Every single person in the world has a story. Every single person in the world is constantly creating, editing, ruining, re-editing, and perfecting their story. And we are the way we are because of the elements that make up our story. In school, we learn that a story has five main elements. We are the authors of our own stories and have the power to create, write and re-write these elements in our lives.
The Characters
You are the protagonist. You are the leading lady, or leading gentleman, or whatever you would like to call it. What type of protagonist are you? Are you the shy introvert who is actually really hilarious when given the chance? Or maybe you are the brave fighter who never gives up. Whoever you are, you are interesting. And you are surrounded by your own cast of characters. You have friends, love interests, and antagonists lurking around every page of your story. All of whom help build you into the person you are.
The Setting
Where a story takes place sets the tone of the characters. Where you live plays a huge role in who you are. From big cities to small towns, the environment you adapt to in your life determines what you are comfortable and accustomed to. And when you move to a different place, you start a new chapter. So why not experience all the settings you can in your life. Make your story interesting by getting accustomed to as many places as possible.
The Plot
Too many people think that their story is not interesting enough to tell. Their plot is too dull. I thought this for a while, there is no huge tragedy that has happened in my life, I don’t have any amazing non-human talents, so how could I be interesting? I thought this way until I started actively participating in my story and realized that by merely existing is what makes someone interesting. Every plot has substance, no matter what it entails.
The Conflict
And with each story, comes conflict. Conflict is the most important part because it is where the characters are challenged to grow. It is where we learn. Although difficult and painful, the conflicts of our lives make up the essence of our lives. It brings us sequels of the different versions of ourselves. Every story needs conflicts just like every life needs challenges.
