Bohemian Rhapsody

Yes, I am totally talking about THE Bohemian Rhapsody. Now, I grew up in the '90s, so my introduction to it was through Wayne's World. In that version, you start out with the rocking out and headbanging and it's a joyous good time. But coming back to it, I realize that to listen to the whole song, you got a truly amazing story.

What makes Bohemian Rhapsody so powerful is that it starts out with the tragedy (technically, it starts out with a brief character description in the album version).  "Momma, just killed a man."

Murder is generally a culmination. It's a final resort, an act of either unbridled rage or absolute desperation. We must justify murder in our stories, or at least explain it. Even if it was wrong to do, we need to know what happened to drive a person to take a life.

But in the song, we just start with the murder. This is actually a spectacular example of in medias res. We jump right into the story and consider things that I feel are often overlooked: the remorse that follows the realization of what he's done, the fear of what will happen to him to pay for his crime, understanding how his punishment will also hurt the people who love him.

The story does have a journey, much like any classically-structured story. There is the introduction, where we meet the protagonist and follow his actions. Actions lead into reactions, more characters are brought in, all building up to a climax. And after the final decision is made, there is the denouement where characters settle down and accept their actions and decisions.

There is no doubt that the music adds significantly to the story. We can understand a great deal about the protagonist by the way Freddie sings his lines and the melody that accompanies it. But still, the words are key.

Whether you are writing lyrics or prose, tell a story. And as always, tell an interesting story. Look around, ask questions, dig underneath the common, and find those stories that are often overlooked. Try something daring like making the end of a classic story be the beginning of yours. Or try writing about the life of an ancillary character. It may not seem as bright and amazing, but it will be new, and it could be a smash hit.