Michael Welles Schock - Screenwriting Down to the Atoms: The Absolute Essentials

The question is misleadingly simple. Everyone knows what a story is, but defining the term proves surprisingly difficult. What exactly makes a story a story? What specific traits does a story possess to separate it from things which are clearly not?

At first glance, one might define a story as a series of events involving one or more persons. However, a mere series of events does not constitute a story. This, for instance, is not a story:

I woke up this morning. I showered. I sat in traffic on the way to work. I talked to my boss during lunch. I drove home and made dinner.

Just because events occur in chronological order, it does not necessarily mean those events create a story. Such a narrative will fail to hold an audiences attention for more than the shortest period of time. So, what is the difference between a story and a mere series of events? It all comes down to four basic qualifications. First,

1. A story is about a PROBLEM and the resolution of that problem.

Take a look at the basic ideas behind four well-known stories:

• A jaded expatriate re-encounters the woman who broke his heart ( Casablanca ).
• A mafia family is threatened by its violent rivals ( The Godfather ).
• The children of warring families fall in love (Romeo & Juliet).
• Pigs in poorly-constructed homes are threatened by a Big Bad Wolf (The Three Little Pigs).

What do these ideas have in common? They all involve characters dealing with a PROBLEM.

Stories are all about problems, whether that problem be physical or emotional, intimate or cosmic, concrete or abstract. The return of the old lover, the rivals aggression, the forbidden romance, the Big Bad Wolf; the sudden arrival of these problems trigger characters to take action. Without a problem, a story would never begin. The remainder of the story unfolds as characters take action s to deal with that problem. In Casablanca, Rick spends the story debating whether or not to help his ex-lover. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone takes actions to protect his family. Romeo and Juliet go to great lengths to continue their romance. The Three Little Pigs run for better shelter.

Why are problems so central to storytelling? As learned in the previous chapter (Chapter 2: Its All About the Audience, contained in the full-length version of Atoms ), stories exist as social therapy. They provide the appearance of order and meaning in a chaotic world. By presenting a problem and then the quest for its solution, a story becomes a transformation from chaos to order from an unstable situation into one where everything has been resolved. This in turn gives the audience comfort and reassurance. When the audience sees characters face and defeat a problem, they feel much more confidence in their ability to deal with problems in their own lives. Stories tell us that no matter how bad things may be, no problem is insurmountable. In this way, a problem and its solution give a story its meaning.

1. Stories are about HUMAN BEINGS.

A story cannot exist without characters . To put it a better way, stories are about people. People doing things; speaking, acting, loving, fighting, wanting, needing. A documentary on soil erosion may present a fascinating problem, but it does not contain a story unless it focuses upon a human being dealing with that problem. Stories are reflections on our humanity. They help us better understand ourselves and others by presenting us with people to whom we can relate.

Though some stories contain characters that are not physically human, these characters are human nonetheless. Though the lead may be a bunny rabbit, a robot, or an animate teddy bear, the characters have been anthropomorphized that is, given human traits and behavior. They are simply people in a different form, exhibiting the same emotions, urges, and anxieties as their fully human counterparts. Even live-action franchises starring real animals anthropomorphize their heroes by giving the animals an intelligence and range of emotion far beyond their natural capability. Because of this, audiences are able to connect with non-human characters as well as they can any human being.