Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
Believe it or not, there’s science behind good story.
The brain’s main function is to interpret information in order to ensure survival. The problem is that the brain is bombarded with far too much information to process quickly. To help deal with the sheer amount of information, the brain uses story.
In essence, we think in story.
We use story to fit information into a narrative; it helps us make decisions and manage expectations. We place ourselves within that narrative, within the protagonist’s point of view.
In essence, story helps us navigate life.
Simulations are not only helpful, they’re key. Without story as a testing ground for our decisions, we find ourselves unable to make quick and clear decisions in the physical or social sense.
Think: How would I avoid a car stalled in the left lane of the highway?
Or even: Which of these photos should I post on Instagram?
But although we know a good story when we read one, it’s likely we can’t articulate exactly why it’s a good story. There’s a reason for this—good stories absorb the reader so completely, we become the protagonist. We feel what the protagonist does. We experience what the protagonist does. We become the protagonist, and when we do, we are blissfully unaware of the mechanics of the story we’re reading.
So how does an author grab a reader and pique the brain’s interest in a story? By placing the reader right in the middle of the unexpected, in the moment where we are curious about the outcome of protagonist’s situation.
It’s not enough to do that: the situation needs context, and when the author provides it, a reader just can’t get enough.
Since our brain has the overwhelming task of filtering out an enormous amount of information that isn’t necessary for survival, our brain will attempt to do that when we read a story. Therefore, our primary goal as writers is to edit out the superfluous information—things that don’t forward the story don’t belong there. Since our brains are trying to find significance in every detail in a story, if there’s a ton of unimportant information in there, it’s exhausting to a reader.
Focus combines the issue facing the protagonist (his goal), the overall theme of the story (what the story reveals about human nature), and the way the protagonist responds to the issue he or she is facing.
Being able to clearly articulate the focus of your story will not only help you write a clear summary, and ultimately, keep your story on the path it should be.
Understand that the plot is the summary is the aggregate of things that happen to the protagonist, and remember that plot is not the same thing as story. Plot furthers story. Story, in effect, is much bigger: it’s about how the protagonist is changed by the events they experience.
And similarly, although theme and tone are related, they’re not the same thing. Theme dictates the tone of the story, which sets the mood for the reader.
Oddly enough, it turns out that emotions are necessary for decisions. Without emotion, the brain in unable to weigh one choice against another. Emotion lends meaning to everything we experience, and, therefore, without emotion, there is no meaningful story.
When the author gives the reader access to the protagonist’s thoughts, the reader feels what the main character is feeling, and he can evaluate the best way to respond to the situation.
This can be done in several ways: first-person point of view, or third-person point of view (objective, limited, or omniscient).
A few cautions: don’t editorialize, don’t move from one character’s point of view to another within the same scene, and don’t use obscure words when you can use common ones.
Guess what? It turns out reading isn’t a passive at all. In fact, your brain responds in exactly the same way whether you’re reading about an event or physically experiencing it.