Power Stories

There was a moment last year when I first had the feeling that the news media had, in a manner of speaking, jumped the shark -- that some heretofore invisible dividing line between the world of fiction and the world of so-called real life had finally vanished altogether.

That was when I heard an NPR journalist, referring to a statement made by a White House spokesperson, say of the administration, "That's their story line" -- as if what was being put forth by the powers-that-be was not fact, as we used to naively term it, but simply a fictional simulacrum.  The assumption being made was that we, the public, should be in on the gag.

Well, we are by now, things moving as fast as they tend to here in the 2000s.  When Hillary Clinton appears on Saturday Night Live as a willful participant in some writer's satire, is she having a bit of fun, campaigning, making news, or all-of-the-above and who knows what the "story" is?  What's real and for that matter does it matter?

The idea of story as a chosen instrument of influence is certainly nothing new.  The entire legal system's effectiveness is predicated on storytelling; when a jury listens to the arguments put forth by a defense attorney and a prosecutor, they're essentially deciding which story they like better, and thus choose to believe.

Similarly, we as voters are doing pretty much the same thing in the current primary.  Not to go all political on you all of a sudden, but I did want to share with you Paul Waldman's recent article about the current presidential primary campaign from The American Prospect, to make a larger point about the art of storytelling.

In the article, Waldman takes an intriguing look at the "stories" each candidate embodies, and just how important to campaigning the right narrative construct can be.  He makes the point that Obama's popularity is due his having "told far and away the best story... a story perfectly keyed to the current moment in history."

Whether or not you agree with Waldman's politics, his thesis has the ring of truth.  When someone is telling a clear, coherent, easily summarize-able story, one that resonates with your beliefs and values, it makes sense that you'd be moved to identify with them. 

This process puts me in mind of a recent book release, concurrent with an on-line magazine, in which various people, a number of celebrities among them, have compressed the essence of their life stories into six words.  These "six word memoirs" have been collected in the book Not Quite What I Was Planning.  Asked to write the story of their lives in a single six-word sentence, writers famous and obscure came up with gems like these:

Mom died, Dad screwed us over.
- Lesley Kysely

The psychic said I'd be richer.
- Elizabeth Bernstein

Painful nerd kid, happy nerd adult.
- Linda Williamson

Well, I thought it was funny.
- Stephen Colbert

Hey, do try this at home -- it's an amazing exercise.  For my own first shot at a bio, I came up with: Stopped performing, started writing, felt better.   Not definitive, but it'll do. 

Here (under the influence of brevity) is my point: writers, know thy story essence -- and be able to tell it succinctly.  In my most recent workshop, students had a hell of time compressing their screenplay concepts into a simple sentence or two.  It's always a challenge, but suck it up: This is one of the most effective ways there is to define what you're really writing about.

And it's also a great way to get a grip on your characters.  I don't entirely agree with Paul Waldman's take on McCain (i.e. that his campaign lacks a story line), since I think I can sum up his story in a sixer: Old warrior will make you safer.  What sentence would sum up the protagonist in your movie, eh?  And each of the supports?

Have you got your peoples' stories straight?  Think of your meditation on this as the storytelling equivalent of a power nap.  Tried power storytelling, nailed my movie -- that would be one happy story to tell your friends.

Comments

[E.C. Henry]

This post sounds like a slightly different take on, "tips to writing a movie's logline."

What I find most frustating about reading loglines in the TV guide is the fact that by reading a logline, you're not really prepared for the upcoming movie.

My point is that sometimes in effort to be be brief the end result is unclarity and mis-information. I pay far more attention to movie reviews, then cute, "buzz word" loglines when determining which movies get my hard earned buck.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[binnie]

Smart, talented, have insurance, still single!

[jamy]

Too much school, still not married.

(I see a trend of the women's stories!)

Second try: Great boring job, moving to Paris.

That's much better!

[squeeze]

Wow a rom-com between Hillary and Obama. How does it end?

[Marie]

Je ne sais pas comment faire.
Great post, good idea.

[mernitman]

EC: I'm not addressing after-the-fact review/log-line summaries, but the process of how a writer hones in on What the Story is Essentially About. If you hold a gun to the head of your story and say, "Tell me what the point of you is, in one sentence, NOW!" you're liable to get an answer that's clear and informative.

Binnie: Good one.

Jamy: I like where you went with this.

Squeeze: If only we knew! (Meanwhile, pundits are pitching the joyful defeat resolution of a joint ticket...)

Marie: Merci!

[J]

In my grad program, every time a guest speaker comes in, we have to summarize our thesis in a few sentences for them.

It's interesting to see what people THINK their show is about.

After seeing half-year presentations, however

...some of them are gravely misinformed about their own show.