How to tell a story the right way
Δ Fourth Tip: This is not the Bible
This advice follows a similar thought with the one I shared yesterday.
The bible is filled with repetitions, and as a student of the bible, I can confidently tell you that these repetitions are not useless. They communicate symbolism most times.
However, a movie, play or novel are not the bible so repetitions are rarely needed. If for instance you already told us how someone was insulted or beaten, when this person goes to tell another character what happened to them, there’s no need to recount what we already saw or heard. Simply take us to the point where a way forward, something new is added to what we already saw.
We are not dumb, if you do your job well, we’ll match out the sequence of the events and know why a particular action had to take place. This is usually more enjoyable. This sometimes even aids the creation of suspense.
Whatever you're doing in a story is not for your characters but for your audience. Even your characters are tools you create to be able to speak to your audience. So creatively skip some details in the story and we'll still be able to follow up on the progression.
Please let me know if any of these tips I've been sharing are helpful in any way.
See you tomorrow for my fifth tip.
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Terrific advice, Abraham Adzashoja! This is my favorite part: "If for instance you already told us how someone was insulted or beaten, when this person goes to tell another character what happened to them, there’s no need to recount what we already saw or heard. Simply take us to the point where a way forward, something new is added to what we already saw."
Your tips are helping me, so thanks for sharing them.
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Thanks Maurice! I really appreciate your support so far. You've been persistently encouraging.
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You're welcome. Looking forward to tomorrow's tip.