Recipe for Good Storytelling
The stories that have really impacted myself and many other people all seem to have a few components in common. I wanted to explore and discuss these things that I noticed with y’all. I think when we have these points in mind, it will help us create richer, more compelling and more entertaining stories for our audiences
Unique Characters
Characters that are undeniable individuals will always be important for great storytelling. They are the vehicle with which you experience the story. Tommy Shelby from BBC’s Peaky Blinders is one of the most solidly realized characters that I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.
He is an intelligent criminal mastermind set between the times of WW1 and WW2 in England. A veteran of WW1, Tommy is a fearless leader of the Peaky Blinders gang. He ensures the protection and increased wealth of his people and family by taking calculated risks and gambles. He is decisive in his decision making. He is brave and violent, necessary to survive in his lifestyle. But for all these interesting traits, there are downsides and backlash that Tommy and his clan experience. While Tommy often comes out on top, overcoming certain dangers, he sacrifices the peace and safety of his family and friends. He’s undeniable, and its hard not to get caught up in what Tommy has in store for us and his family. Cillian Murphy’s acting also embodies his character so completely, that is impossible to envision the man as anyone else. Watch Peaky Blinders and think about how you can create characters as fully realized as Tommy Shelby
Expansive Worlds
A character will only be as real as the world that they live in. How can you understand a character’s motivation, circumstances and history? You need to stick them into a world where it is understandable for them to fit in it. Even with short stories, games etc, the world should be something that your audience can believably immerse themselves in as much as the character.
Gon Freecs story in Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter X Hunter is one the biggest, best examples of expansive worldbuilding I can think of. We start off small, seeing Gon, motivated to become a Hunter(a specialized group in this world) to find his deadbeat Hunter father who abandoned him when he was a baby. It seems like your standard pedestrian Shonen anime at first, but quickly flips expectations over once Gon’s adventure begins in earnest. As the story goes on we come to find that while Gon is the protagonist in his own story, the world around him is a living breathing thing that does not care or acknowledge his importance at all. We see Gon going through amazing adventure, making friends and gaining power. But the world reminds him and us constantly that people have their own motivations, there are larger things at play beyond Gon’s story, and that Gon is never quite strong enough. The world is big, the characters are varied, and there is still so much ground untouched.
Senses
A good story will have your senses engaged. You may not be able to smell, taste or touch what is happening in the story, but you can most definitely FEEL it. Whether it’s prose fiction where you describe everything in painful detail, or it is a tv show where the character is hyperventilating, a story will engage your senses and your empathy.
Starz’ Spartacus is an awesome sensual experience of a show. A dramatized retelling of the real life historic figure, Spartacus, who led the world’s largest slave rebellion against Rome. The dry oppressive heat and drought of Capua sets the environment and struggles for the local people in this story. The violence and spectacle of gladiator fights. The sexuality. These are aspects of the story that feel very real when we view this iteration. But mostly we can feel and empathize with the very real depiction of the Roman masters and the slaves forced to toil under them. All of it is tied so beautifully together to make Spartacus such a fulfilling and inspiring watch.
Challenges and Consequences
We enjoy stories because we can watch a character grow and transform. A story without challenges or consequences, especially when you have established rules in your worldbuilding, will lose its weight and impact for the audience. We gravitate to stories where we can see something of ourself in them, or where we can be taken away and learn with our characters.
One of the best stories with consequences is the song Milk N’ Honey by Anderson Paak. A young man is fortunate enough to be sucked into a life of pleasure, drugs and luxury. Things seem to be going perfectly for him and he accepts all the blessings without seeing the warning signs. His personality becomes worse, he gives into his worst impulses and by the end of the song, he ends up paying the price only at the same moment that everything comes crashing down around his head
A Satisfying Ending
A good story deserves an ending that is meaningful for everything we’ve experienced. Stories deserve to end without loose ends, dead plots, wasted characters. Endings should tie the message of the story together, so that it’s intention can be understood and digested by the audience eternally. In a time where great shows end badly, or get cancelled before they even hit their stride, we as story tellers need to create competent, complete stories that make sense upon its conclusion.
The Last Kingdom on BBC has one of the best endings I’ve seen on a tv show. We follow Uhtred of Bebbanburg through his childhood and adulthood. We watch him grow, fight, love, make friends and enemies. Uhtred has to overcome challenges of war, status, and manipulative leaders. And through his entire journey Uhtred has steadfastly stuck to his one goal: returning home. Watching Uhtred’s ending is such a cathartic and satisfying thing to witness because every scenario he goes through in the series leads up to its ultimate conclusion. It’s wondeful!
Earnest Storytelling
This is the most important ingredient in our recipe for a great story. Earnestness. Your audience will absolutely feel if you care about the story you’re telling. They will know that you put yourself into your story as best as you could. And you deserve to! So many people ignore their gifts, delay and deny themself the pleasure of being creative, and it is a sad cruel thing to do to oneself. When you tell your story from your heart, it is an enriching gift for people. It is the core of why we tell stories. I commend you if you take the steps to share what you create. And I will do the same as well!