The very first page is such an interesting and powerful beginning. The idea that in the end, we're a huge collection of stories is a great way to begin, pondering the different stories that we have to tell, as well as what everyone else could tell. However, while telling our stories, we need to remember to write them in a way that keeps people intrigued, as there are many portions of our stories that may not interest everyone else.
I like the example that the author uses to explain why we want to only include the highlights of the stories if the goal is to keep people interested. One way they say to do this is to consider it as a few photographs, rather than 24 frames per second video. By mixing in the interesting portions and leaving out some of the monotonous details, we can write a better and more captivating story. Despite it making for a good story, I question how good of advice this is. These techniques feel like the reasons we see social media being criticized, as we see only the highlights of other peoples' lives, and it makes us forget that they don't always have these incredible moments. It can create a false perception about the person and their life. Although the example is a good one for why we would want to write this way, I wonder what kinds of effects it has in the real world.
They also discuss different ways to explain the plot, and different plot arcs. One of my favorite arcs that we see today is in medias res, where they begin with the middle of the story to create some suspense and interest, before going to the beginning. The first example I can think of that uses this arc is Breaking Bad, where we find Walter White in his underwear in the middle of nowhere. Another way to play with the plot arc is to slow down or speed up certain segments, dependent on how important you or your audience see them.
Walter White
Source: TVOverland
We also look at how the point of view affects the story. Dependent on not only who tells the story, but also what way it's portrayed, such as tone and the mood, the point of view can determine so much as far as how the reader interprets the work. In the story The Three Little Pigs, simply switching to the wolf's point of view can dramatically alter how the story is seen.
Overall, combined with everything else in the chapter, I found it to be a very fun and interesting thing to read. While I may not have to consider all of the information provided while I write my stories in this class, I will likely write them again at some point in the future. I do worry that promoting this type of storytelling, at least for our own personal stories, can create the same issues we see today on social media and how we share our lives, but outside of this critique, I believe it was a very useful article to read.
Each Day is a New Story
Source: QuoteFancy
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