I have been thinking lately about what makes a good story and why stories matter. A few weeks ago, I was at a writing conference where a speaker named Brian McDonald addressed this topic. He said we tell stories because they contain survival information.
This makes a ton of sense to me, because I think that a key element of a good story – the book you can’t put down, the movie you can’t turn away from – is a sense of danger. And danger stories teach us how to survive.
This is probably an overly simple formula, but I think it holds true for the most part:
Danger + Characters You Care About = A Great Story.
The second part of the formula is as important as the first. The following formula is just as valid:
Danger + Cardboard Characters = I Don’t Care.
This is why I dislike most action movies; the characters are not that interesting. But when fully realized characters are in great danger, I’m at the edge of my seat. And that is why I love good fantasy and science fiction. Because in good sci-fi and fantasy, as in all good literature, the characters seem real. They compel us to care about what happens to them (even if we don’t like them). I particularly love sci-fi and fantasy, because the dangers that characters face can connect with deepest parts of our imagination and get in touch with our most primal fears.
And this brings me to monsters. Because if stories contain survival information, then the monsters and villains of sci-fi and fantasy teach me how to survive my fears. These stories show me that fear’s greatest tactic is deception. If I can identify deceit in the words and actions of Screwtape, Darth Vader, or Coraline’s other mother, I am better able to recognize the tactics of deception in real life.
Monsters also warn us of what we might become. Gollum was once a creature much like a hobbit. Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, Jedi knight. Their stories teach us how to avoid their fate and stay human. They remind us that our decisions determine who we will be.
So if you find me digging into monster stories around Halloween-time, it doesn’t mean I’m going over to the Dark Side; I’m just gathering survival information – and enjoying some well-told tales.
Remember this:
“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
– G.K. Chesterton
Great thoughts. So true. This explains why some of my favorite movies/books have frustrating/tragic endings endings. Not frustration with the writing, but with the way things ended with the character(s) that I got attached to. I tend to enjoy stories that cause me to get involved emotionally. That sounds a bit obvious, but what causes the emotion is the danger/challenge and the characters-I-care-about. Moulin Rouge stands as my favorite movie. It’s one of the few movies that pokes at seemingly everyone of my emotions. It ends tragically, which leaves me sad, yet satisfied. Another favorite movie is Primal Fear. [Spoiler!] Ed Norton’s character has multiple personalities, and because of it, he gets away with murder. The last scene of the movie he reveals that he is quite aware of what he did. He willingly and seamlessly switches back and forth between his personalities to show the attorney that he out smarted him. By that time in the movie, I am so attached to his character(s) that I’m left feeling sick because I’ve been betrayed.
These are great stories because, for me, my emotions aren’t left with a chance to disconnect from the characters and their challenges.