This is not new information, but it bears reminding: All stories are, at the source, about people responding to difficulty within their lives. This is something we all know, but as Orwell was quick to point out, “we have now sunk to a depth where restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” I recognized this issue in myself over the last few days. I recognized it in all of the really good stories I’ve been reading and shows I have been watching. The good ones, at their core, are about flawed people. They are not necessarily about fixing those flaws, but more about how those flaws make them human and impact the way they deal with the world around them. Equally important is the realization that these characters–these richly imagined characters–have vibrant lives outside of the story being told and those lives fully impact the story being told. People matter, and they matter most of all in regards to story.
Some Thoughts:
- The more I read and listen and watch, the more I am building towards telling intelligent and engaging stories. I hesitate to say again, because I am not going back to something old I have once been, but becoming the newest iteration of myself as an author.
- And as a father.
- And a partner come husband one day (I imagine)
- And as a friend.
- That being said, I need to become a better human, physically. More vitamins, better eating, more exercise.