Are you watching a ton of Netflix lately? We're probably all watching more TV than we normally do. In simpler times I'm generally too busy with three kids and work to get in much binging, but this season...
I'm thinking a lot about the nature of storytelling lately. It's obvious in the world of scripted programming, and maybe annoyingly cliched in the world of marketing and advertising, but a captivating story is the best way to send a message. The thing is, writing a story is hard. It’s like walking through a dark room looking for a light switch. Once you turn on the lights it all makes sense, but you’re going to stub a toe first. I heard a quote about history once that relates very well to the world of writing. I'll paraphrase as I don't remember it exactly but it's something like...
"The hardest part about trying to understand cultures of the past, is that we know their future."
The same is true for stories. When you're watching Better Call Saul, or Frozen II (for the 100th time) it can be easy to assume they were created by people who had a fully formed idea in their head. That's because you're in their future looking back, but at some point there was a writer pulling her hair out trying to decide how Elsa is going to get from song to song. If you're in the business of telling a story about a product, or writing branded content and it seems impossible remember this. Every great story can act as a narrative for the struggle of the writer.
By now many of us are familiar with the structure of the Hero’s Journey. Super duper briefly: The hero receives a call to action. The hero goes on a quest, meets a mentor, and goes through a series of trials. Ultimately after a period of growth and discovery, the hero returns to where he started, having vanquished the foe or saved the rec center or whatever. You will see this structure in one form or another in stories dating back hundreds of years, and continuing to the latest offering from Disney or Marvel. It doesn’t just apply to super heros though. The next time you watch Star Wars, imagine Luke Skywalker is George Lucas, trying to create an original story that he can sell to a Hollywood studio. Imagine Harry Potter is a writer trying to get a novel published. Imagine Saul is a TV writer trying like hell to follow up on one of the best shows in history. They say “write what you know”. The writer of your favorite novels, movies, and YouTube shows knows all about struggle, and I think that’s a huge factor in their ability to tell a good story.
Looking at your favorite stories in a new light might not break open all your writers block, but for me it helps to think about the journey, and not get too frustrated if I can’t nail down the story arc for a new line of bread.
So take it from a guy who hasn’t written a blog post in three years, but has written a lot of other things that will never see the light of day. Writing is hard, and not just for you. If it seems easy you might be doing it wrong. Slog through. Embrace the struggle. It is the fire that forges good stories.