My Observations On Story Telling

I wrote this on a forum and thought I would throw it in here because I can. It's about story telling.




I don't have much writing experience but comics/graphic novels are something I want to do, and therefore I have made a number of observations about story telling. These are things I've learned both by listening to authors and analyzing stories.

First, and I believe most important, are characters. You can have a mediocre story, and if the characters are well developed and the dialogue is believable, you can at least hold your audience' attention. Perhaps even receive their praise!
I first observed this while watching "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (NOT SHYAMALAN'S.) Some might disagree, but I thought the story idea was mediocre and cliche. The use of the four elements, an Asian fantasy world, factions at war, kids saving the day, it's all been done a thousand times. What made the series #1 on my list was, the characters were solid. They started out well-developed, with individual personalities, but on top of that they all transformed as the seasons went on. Watching Aang become a savior, Socka awkwardly become a leader, Zuko become a humble good-guy, Aang and Katara fall in love--those things made me love them. They held me in that cliche world.
(Side note, the idea might have been cliche but the story telling and plot twists were excellent.)

SO! Characters. Huge. I began looking at my other favorite stories and seeing the same thing applied. If we love the characters, we will care what happens to them. If a red shirt dies in Star Trek, no one bats an eye. But when Jean Luc Picard was assimilated into a borg, it became one of the most remembered two episodes in the entire Star Trek franchise. People knew him. People cared.



The next point is about surprises. This is something I read from an author but I can't remember who. :(
He said, think of your favorite story and it will likely have an unexpected and satisfying twist. If not a twist then maybe some hints leading up to a climactic reveal. (The more the merrier, I say!) A character betrays someone, a hero steps in, a plan fails. Whatever the case, it needs to satisfy the audience. If something happens outside a character's nature, the readers might accept it but they might say, "No, it doesn't make sense!" So the surprise should have clues leading up, to suggest the twist or reveal is plausible. Not beyond the realm of possibility.

(spoilers ahead)

• In the remake of the Italian Job, their heist failed, so they had to use their method at the beginning of the movie as a plan B.
• In Psycho, the hotel guy was not only a killer but he also had a split personality.
• In Jaws, they drop hints about the shark's size, until finally the guy, dumbfounded, comes out and says, "We're gonna need a bigger boat." (such an awesome moment.)
• Same with Hitchcock's "Birds". He spends half the movie developing characters and dropping hints that something is wrong with the birds. Finally things spin out of control and the suspense is huge as the lady walks by the jungle gym full of them.

(end spoilers)


I like humor. Even my favorite depressing/serious stories have humor in them. I believe it's a necessity.



Competition and struggle are important. Characters do well with situations to challenge them and goals to work towards. It's a sure way to bring out their personality traits. Sure, if you're great at developing characters, you can have a story about people in a room talking and still captivate the audience. But struggle is generally the easiest way I think, to bring out personality. Challenging the characters' morality is good too. Morality is something the audience can identify with. Play with your character's emotions. Make them feel and the audience will feel with them.


An interesting story is less important than the list above, but obviously it's a good way to get readers to pick your book/movie off the shelf of 100 others. Nerds are suckers for Marvel Team-ups, giant monsters, bears vs. sharks, Hulk vs. Thing. Society follows trends, vampires, zombies, ninjas, pirates, etc. When people hear a plot summary they should want more.
Engaging opening scenes are also good. You want to hook readers from the start.


Consider using contrasts. Hero vs. villain, love mixed with loss, laughter paired with sorrow, opposite beliefs in contention with each other, etc.



I guess that's about all I've got for now. Those are things I try to consider when I write. Mostly it takes practice.

These questions are too big for me

Is the purpose of everything in the long run to glorify God because it is right and just and appropriate?
If so why?
Is it fitting and just because of rules He made or is that just the way things exist?
Either way, why?
Does God ever get bored or antsy? Is Him being glorified truly satisfying and fulfilling to Him?
Is it just us and the realms of the invisible or are there other worlds, other reasons, other stories?
It ties into the questions of does God exist in time? Or is he outside time, or did he create time, or is time even real?
Where did God come from or has never not existed? If he's never not existed then how and why is that the way it is?
If I even had the answers to these questions and if I could understand and comprehend them, would it change the way I live?
Would it change the way I am?
Obviously I don't have power or I would be able to answer these questions, so if I'm powerless why am I here, it all circles back to the start...

A caution to Christians

Sin that's left unattended grows and spreads like a poisonous weed.

If you hold onto your pride, if you blame other people, if you try to hide it, if you make excuses and try to rationalize it, if you harbor it, if you deny its existence and don't admit you have a problem, if you work around it and don't deal with the issues, if you abandon your commitments, if you don't confess your faults, and if you don't kill the sin 100%, then it will get worse and worse.

The longer sin thrives, the easier it becomes for you to commit more sin. The more you make excuses, or cover it up, or deny it, the easier it will be to do those things in the future. Eventually you will twist and contort yourself into a monster. You will be prideful and drive your friends away. You will become hard like stone and nobody will be able to help you change for the better. You will blame everyone else for your problems. Issues will never get resolved. You will break people's hearts. Your kids will learn from your actions and your sin will spread into their lives as they begin to act just like you. Harboring sin will destroy their lives, and that sin in their lives will destroy your grand-children's lives, unless the Lord intervenes.

In the end it will always bite you back. "Your sins will find you out." Nobody wants to be friends with a prideful person. Nobody likes fake people who pretend to have perfectly happy lives. Nobody wants a friend who blames them. Nobody wants a friend who always makes excuses and justifies his/her mistakes. Nobody wants to be around a person who never apologizes or asks for forgiveness. Nobody wants to be with a person who won't follow through with his/her commitments.

Always strive to kill the sin in your lives. Take on the embarrassment, let go of your pride, stop making excuses, admit to your faults, and change who you are. People will love you and respect you. Your children will learn to do right and their children will learn to do right.

And remember--the longer you wait, the easier it will be to keep putting it off.....and the more it will poison you and everyone around you.

Latest Comic - "Saving Planet Zor'rok"

My latest comic.
(It is also available on Facebook, Google+, and Conceptart.org)

"Saving Planet Zor'rok"

I used to really be into "the future" of technology when touch screens were new, keyboards became smooth and silent, and everything started going digital.

However, my opinions have changed over the last year or so. There are some technological advancements I would hate to go back on, mostly ease-of-use (but still customizable) things, such as gmail. And gmail. In fact, I'm not wishing technology would go back in time necessarily, I've just learned that I prefer some things to be less digital and more physical than I used to.

I applaud Wacom tablets and software like Painter and Photoshop, and in many cases they can save a person much pain and suffering. But digital painting will never be the same as the tactile feeling of a pencil in your hand, smudging charcoal around, or seeing each physical brushstroke slowly evolve into an image on a canvas. And digital software can't replace the feeling of scribbling down doodles, ideas, or phrases onto sticky notes or paper scraps, and pinning them to your wall.

I really admire the advances in cellphone and slate technology, but I really would prefer to clack away on a keyboard and click the buttons on a mouse than to poke and swish around a touchscreen. I've daydreamed about owning a kindle, but I never have because I want my books lined up in a shelf where they won't get deleted. I want to see their illustrated covers when I pick them up. I want to let people borrow them if need be. (Though I do wish physical books could have a good search feature.)

I love having all my music organized in a media player so I can access any genre, song, or band at any time, but I still buy CDs because I like the physical presence. I like artwork, I like their names lined up in my shelf, and again I like saying, "Have you heard this? It's awesome. Here, take it with you, go listen to it."

I enjoy technology. I'd just like to appreciate the tactile and tangible things in life and give them the credit they deserve.

"The Whaler" by Thrice

My lover's arms,
they beg me to stay.
But I know the storms,
they will sweep me away.

My daughter's eyes,
they are two tiny seas,
whose water will rise
and then run down her cheeks.

"Father where do you go,
so far out upon the sea,
when are you coming home to me?"
"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

The boat and the blade,
they are all that I know;
the sea calls my name,
and so I must go.

And while they still sleep,
I slip out through the door;
but how can I leave,
with my anchors ashore?

"Father where do you go?
It's farther than I can see,
when are you coming home to me?"
"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

It's not uncommon for people to dislike Christianity because of the way they've seen alleged Christians behave. While this is understandable, it's also foolish and misguided.

If you want to know what Christianity is you should read the four gospels and get to what Christ was like. Then you'll have a legitimate appreciation or dislike of Christianity.

If you base your view of Christianity on people who call themselves Christians but act like wretched people, that's as silly as saying you hate Christianity because of the way Muslims or Buddhists act. Because if people don't look like, act like, represent, or even want to be like Christ, then how are those people Christians? They can call themselves that all they want but if you don't see Christlike behavior in their lives then you are wrong in forming an opinion of Christianity based off of those people.

Look at Christ instead.