We’ve talked about structure creates tension in a story, the moments between where our hero is and where we would like them to be and how this tension snaps our audience to attention.

It stops that daydreaming we are all so prone to.  (2000 x a day, in case you missed it!) 

This is true even when we know the outcome of the story, like in the Kings Speech and Into the Void – it doesn’t stop us feeling that tension of ‘will they/won’t they’ despite the fact that we know they did! 

We love watching or listening to a hero’s struggle. We love to able root for them, we love it when they reach their goal – that is wonderful moment that we can really take pleasure in!

But…Hero stories only really work if there is a fundamental truth underlying it.  In other words, what can we take from the story and extrapolate outwards that speak to the human experience?

Aesop’s Fables are brilliant example of this – each story has a guiding principle.

What are stories containing guiding principles that might help your clients?

Take Care,