It's the same with TV, movies, webcomics and books. If the creator crafted it well and I care what happens to the characters, I'm in. I'm gonna follow that story for the long haul to see how it ends. I have gotten so involved with some TV shows that if I had a whole day free, I binge watched as many episodes in a row that I could, barely taking breaks to eat and go to the bathroom.
Stories are one obsession of mine that I will never give up, because many times, they point to the one true story. It's the story of how Jesus came down to earth and sacrificed his own innocent life for me just so I could spend eternity in joyous communion with him instead of in agony without him.
Still, with all of the reasons I have to love stories, I cannot create them. I've tried, many times, but I don't have the creator's spark that many authors are gifted with. I have friends who are talented storytellers, and who can bring a character to life with a beautiful flourish. But my particular gift is only of a recorder and a philosopher. Creating a life - even a fictional one - is a task of high energy and even higher risk. And then, the author must risk that fictional life by putting it through the various trials that must happen in any story so that it eventually reaches its conclusion.
There are a few different plot diagrams out there, but this one is my favorite. It lists nine different plot elements:
Elements three and five are the specific reasons that I cannot create a story, only interact with it as a viewer or a reader. There must be a conflict and there must be a crisis. This cannot be avoided, or the story ceases to be meaningful.
But, aside from the fact that I cannot create believable characters, I would never be able to put them through the stress that they need to go through to finish a story.
And characters need to go through stresses to develop their character and become the heroes they need to be to bring the story to a satisfying end. It's an accepted reality of storytelling. Why do you think people love watching horror flicks so much? Personally, I can't stand the whole horror genre, but I think part of the attraction the audience has to it is that the main characters endure so much and yet they survive, almost unscathed. I think the audience wants to be just like those main characters.
Still, with all of the reasons I have to love stories, I cannot create them. I've tried, many times, but I don't have the creator's spark that many authors are gifted with. I have friends who are talented storytellers, and who can bring a character to life with a beautiful flourish. But my particular gift is only of a recorder and a philosopher. Creating a life - even a fictional one - is a task of high energy and even higher risk. And then, the author must risk that fictional life by putting it through the various trials that must happen in any story so that it eventually reaches its conclusion.
There are a few different plot diagrams out there, but this one is my favorite. It lists nine different plot elements:
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| This image is from criminalbrief.com. I own nothing. |
But, aside from the fact that I cannot create believable characters, I would never be able to put them through the stress that they need to go through to finish a story.
And characters need to go through stresses to develop their character and become the heroes they need to be to bring the story to a satisfying end. It's an accepted reality of storytelling. Why do you think people love watching horror flicks so much? Personally, I can't stand the whole horror genre, but I think part of the attraction the audience has to it is that the main characters endure so much and yet they survive, almost unscathed. I think the audience wants to be just like those main characters.
And that's where my addiction comes to play. In my preferred genres - sci-fi, fantasy and adventure - I get to watch my favorite characters experience and react to amazing things, and I live vicariously through them. I admire Geordi LaForge's ability to show grace to anyone because of how he was able to overcome the limits of his own disability. I love the wit and sarcasm Jack O'Neill displays as he greets each new and unnerving situation on SG1. These characters have traits that I want to have myself, but by watching them, I feel as though I can be like them.
It's so easy to watch something and be amazed at other people's creations. It's so easy to read something and be moved by it. And it's just so much easier to consume than to create.
How did God do it all? I mean, creating everything out of nothing? Man, the energy that takes. It's mind boggling.
All I'm trying to create here is one blog post every day for a month. I'm not creating a story.
But perhaps I am living one.
Stay tuned for our next episode, coming tomorrow night!
It's so easy to watch something and be amazed at other people's creations. It's so easy to read something and be moved by it. And it's just so much easier to consume than to create.
How did God do it all? I mean, creating everything out of nothing? Man, the energy that takes. It's mind boggling.
All I'm trying to create here is one blog post every day for a month. I'm not creating a story.
But perhaps I am living one.
Stay tuned for our next episode, coming tomorrow night!
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