Humans love stories. Maybe that is because for thousands of years, stories were the way information was preserved and passed on to others, to the next generations. Maybe because they create community and collective culture. Maybe because they capture our imagination and speak to our fears and our dreams.
Maybe that’s why you will find a lot of stories in the writing on this site. My reply to Jeremy a few days ago – opens with a story. My post about Frank Miller challenging others and himself – opens with a story. My note about Brian Eno and his playful approach to making ambient music – opens with a story. My piece about violinist Augustin Hadelich and that careful attention to detail that changes the way you experience the world – opens with a story. They are everywhere. And even this post opens with a story about storytelling.
Stories come in all forms and sizes. From short anecdotes to full-blown sagas with a hero going on a journey, fighting monsters, transforming himself and a plethora of characters along the way, ultimately throwing a golden ring into a volcano, defeating evil for good. They say that a good story has to have a who, a what, a where and when, and a why. But some stories also don’t follow that rule and still work well. Some stories also are very obviously a story, like the hero’s journey following a classical story arc with a three-act structure and one of the six basic plots. Others are barely noticeable as a story, like subtle interactions and micro animations embedded in a website’s design. Good storytelling is an art and you can spend a lot of time thinking about your story and the right way to tell it.
Here’s legendary comic book artist Frank Miller (again) on storytelling:
“My methodology has changed over time. It used to be more rigid. I used to really believe there was a way. I was seeking the way to do it. Now I do believe in letting a story nudge you in another direction. Now I believe in trusting the muses more than I used to.[…]
The thing is to come in and think of yourself of being the generator of the story, surely. And saying that these are the pieces of clay, and this is what I wanna do with them. But: to realize that the artistic process is not at its best when it’s an egomaniacal process. And sometimes, the characters talk back. And sometimes, they know more than you do.
And always be aware that there will be just that flash. That thing that happens, where, all of a sudden, you’re in a different story and you realize that ‘no, this isn’t the one I was looking for but this is the one where I wanna be.’
I don’t know, to me it’s sorta like being a space explorer and being ready for things. And knowing the whole job is to figure out what to ignore and what to follow.
I like the mystery of storytelling more than the power I used to see in it.”
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This is post 24 of Blogtober 2025.
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