What is a Story?
Any sequence of events with a beginning, middle, and an end makes up
a story, but it would not be a very interesting story unless it had a
dramatic twist of some sort so the end could not be anticipated. If it
is sad, then the story is a tragedy. If it is happy then the
story is a comedy.
A 'dramatic twist' is a point where the storyline takes an unexpected
turn, and the reader is not sure what is going to happen next. Here is
a simple storyline being developed:
Storyline 1
I was about to make a cup of tea when I realised I had run out of
milk. Still being in my dressing gown, I could not go out to buy any,
so I went to my neighbour in the next apartment and knocked on the door.
He came and gave me some milk. I returned and had a cup of tea.
This is a story, but not a very interesting one. It has a beginning with
the objective of my wanting a cup of tea. It has a slight dramatic turn
in the middle when I discover I have no milk and have to take action to
resolve it. It ends when I get the milk, and then make my tea.
Storyline 2
I was about to make a cup of tea when I realised I had run out of
milk. Still being in my dressing gown, I could not go out to buy any,
so I went to my neighbour in the next apartment and knocked on the door.
I could hear violent noises in the apartment, but no one came. I knocked
again. A total stranger opened the door. He asked me abruptly what I
wanted, I asked if my neighbour was in, and that I had run out of milk
.The stranger said my friend had gone away and that he was looking after
the flat, and that he didn't have any milk. He then slammed the door.
This story creates another line of thought. It has the same beginning
of my wanting a cup of tea. It has the same twist where I have to go to
my neighbour to get some milk, but there is a new dramatic turn when the
stranger comes to the door and acts in an unfriendly way. The story cannot
end there. It would not be satisfying to say "I then went to another
neighbour and got some milk" because the reader is more interested
in who the stranger was.
The story line can be developed visually:
This diagram simply tells you that the situation needs to be resolved,
and that action has to be taken to resolve it. But there is a 'Decision'
stage in between the Situation and the Action.
The 'Decision' stage is very important, as there may be various options
that are available, and they come before the decision to take action.
The diagram can now be expanded.
So, the story starts out with the objective my wanting to get some milk,
but then the objective changes to my wanting to find out what happened
to my neighbour. A good story has many dramatic twists and turns, and
often has 'counterpoint' stories going on at the same time.
The storyline could end with borrowing milk from my neighbour, but as
there seems to be something odd going on, the storyline changes and becomes:
The 'end action' of the first sequence becomes the starting situation
of the second sequence.
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