If you’re reading this, you’ve probably caught yourself staring blankly at a completely white page with no idea what to put down. Such is the predicament of many writers of prose, from screenwriters to authors of a novel. There’s no getting around it: it’s really, really hard to write a story that interests people.
But as an unofficial critic when it comes to narrative, there are some important aspects of storytelling that I have come to understand and analyze—aspects that, with the right amount of heart and dedication, can turn an idea into something that’s ready for the small screen, the cinema, or the pages of a book. Understandably, some of my findings may seem debatable; after all, everyone has a different means for creating a story. Nevertheless, they are ideas that I stand behind and offer as suggestions to budding writers.
Simplicity is the best recipe.
The building blocks for any good story lie in the two of the most basic narrative elements: the plot and the characters. What is the setting? What is going on? Who are the principal characters and what is their reason for existing in this setting? What are the connections between the characters?
Answering these questions as thoroughly as possible will set your story on the right track. Your answers will give more context and depth to your initial idea, giving you the hook you need to get the audience’s interest.
Set up a conflict that engages your audience and characters that should be cared about.
After you’ve set up your characters, take it a step further. You’ll want to set up character motivations and put in place the stakes that the characters are up against. For a solid example, look no further than the original “Star Wars.”
The stakes for Luke Skywalker and his friends are pretty high; after all, they’re fighting to stop a tyrannical empire from obliterating planets and seizing control over all sentient life. This would, of course, lend itself well to action-packed scenarios. However, while setting up a large-scale conflict is all well and good, it isn’t quite enough.
The conflicts need to connect to the characters somehow, and that’s where motivations and character development come in. Luke is drawn into the war against the Empire because of the deaths of his aunt and uncle, in addition to his personal desire for adventure and the chance to become a hero like his father before him. Thanks to this clear motivation, in addition to his courageousness and selflessness, Luke becomes a character worth cheering on when the danger ramps up.
Give your story a clear direction.
This brings us to probably the toughest part of storytelling: deciding what central theme or themes should be at play. The best advice I can give is to craft a story around an ideal, principle, or event that you and/or others feel strongly about. It’s all about capturing some humanizing element that draws people into your story.
The Harry Potter books and films are a perfect example of the use of themes. The power of friendship, finding courage in the midst of peril or strife, and other ideas are present throughout each installment. It doesn’t matter that the stories are highly fictionalized; they are made realistic in a sense not only through humanized characters, but by focusing on certain features of the human experience that audiences can understand.
