I Told You That Story To Tell You This One

I am a story teller. I do it because I can best explain my ideas with examples that use compelling characters and situations.  However, not everything can be explained in a single story.  Sometimes a story needs to be told simply to lay down the groundwork.

Suppose I wanted to explain to a friend that first impressions are not everything and that anything is possible.  I would tell him that George made out with Silvia in the back room.  The problem is that this means nothing.  My friend doesn't know who George or Silvia are, nor which back room I mean, nor what it has to do with anything.

So before that story, I have to tell the story of who they are, the fiery hatred they developed when they first met, and all of the instances that furthered the anger between them.  Then I have to tell the story of when George said one nice thing and Silvia was stunned by it.  I have to tell the story of the first full day when there was no fighting between the two of them.  Only then can I tell the story of finding them making out in the back room at work.

This kind of thing happens all the time.  There is a certain linear progression we need in order for the later part of a story to have any meaning.  It's like giving a punchline without a set-up.  And in either case, it is an example of bad story telling.

Put yourself in the shoes of anybody else.  If you didn't already know everything about your story, would the words you used make sense?  Would they convey what you are wanting to express?  If you have trouble with it, try an organizer or planner of some sort so you can look at it and think about it outside of your head.

Having a clear, comprehensible story is worth all the effort it takes to make, no matter how many stories you have to tell in order to tell the one you want.