Folks like Joseph Campbell have studied what make stories compelling. There are structural aspects to great stories, and there are common threads.
The theme is what the story is about. It’s not the plot. It’s what the plot points to.
We’ll tackle the theme in week two when we discuss our values. But for now it’s important to know if we’re writing a story with our lives, our story should have a theme. Our lives are about something.
Usually the greatness of the story relates to the greatness of the thing the hero wants. Braveheart wants freedom for his people. Luke Skywalker wants to stop the Empire. In our time together these will be the visions we choose to pursue.
Compelling goals create momentum. If none of our goals are compelling, it can be hard to muster the willpower to persevere and overcome the obstacles that will inevitably come. In our time together I’ll be asking you to push yourself to think bigger, to create compelling goals.
The hero takes action to get the thing they want. It’s what makes the story have momentum. Our 10 year visions are going to be big. And they won’t happen unless we translate them into smaller objectives and projects. Our 1 and 3 year goals will help us do this.
Most great stories have setbacks. The hero obviously would have preferred to avoid them. But those setbacks are part of what make the climax and resolution of the story fulfilling.
The systems and techniques we put in place will be the tools we use to overcome the obstacles we’ll face and accomplish our goals.
Sometimes we still fail, even with those systems and techniques. Learning to redeem suffering can help us when we suffer setbacks. And when you achieve the vision, there’s a good chance these setbacks will be a big part of what makes the accomplishment meaningful.
We like stories where the hero grows over time. Where they develop character as a result of the trials they endure in pursuit of the thing they want. In our weeks together I’m going to suggest that the development of your character should be one of the key aims of your life vision.
Lastly, great stories have scenes that stick in our minds.
Great scenes are intentionally crafted. The sound. The cinematography. The dialogue. The colors. The setting. The way the characters look at each other.
We’ll be learning how to deliberately create memorable scenes as we tell our stories. While you can’t make the scene unfold the way you want (especially if other people are involved), you can create the conditions to make memorable scenes more likely.