What’s the story?
“The secret was to trust not in writing but storytelling. Storytelling is not the same as writing, it is only superficially about things like plot, character and narrative. At the deepest level it is entirely about the reader. Stories change things by enabling people to realise for themselves that they are powerful and can do much in the world, and, crucially, that they want to do it.”
- Indra Sinha, The D&DA Copy Book
Is the story meaningful and relatable?
Does it have impact and will it be remembered?
What makes it compelling?
People may memorise facts in the short-term but they remember stories forever. If you have an idea or concept to impart to an audience it is valuable to frame it within a narrative that takes them on a journey so they feel invested in it.
At its simplest, story is just Question, Answer, Question, Answer, and so on. A good way to think of story is like a stone hitting the surface of water. It’s cause and effect. The stone is the cause and that cause must be impactful, compelling, memorable, relatable and meaningful. Then the effect is the ripples that flow out from the impact which forms the structure of the story.
There are many structures for storytelling to follow and actually I would often argue against formulaic storytelling. However, for the purposes of creating a simple narrative, the classic five act dramatic structure is a pretty good form to follow.
Storytelling is a waltz. One Two Three. Start Middle End. Birth Life Death. Each scene, each moment, has a Beginning Middle End. Design your story like a memory. Stories are fragments pieced together that impress upon the senses.