All stories–even those in common conversation have a beginning, a middle and an end. So, let’s examine the beginning.
In most cases, especially in common conversation, the beginning captures a stasis. It is about things going on in an expected way.
“It was Christmas Eve, and I treated myself to a pizza. I ordered it and then got in my car to go pick it up before the restaurant closed for the holiday.”
“On Sunday I did some work, and then I relaxed and enjoyed my time off.”
There is nothing too exciting about these beginnings. They sound like days you might have, and they are the beginning of answers to questions like: “How was your holiday?” or, “How was your weekend?”
But the story really begins when the stasis changes. When something happens. After all, if nothing happens–there is no real story.
And that is true in life. Not every day has an exciting story to it.
“It was Christmas Eve, and I treated myself to a pizza. I ordered it and got in my car to go pick it up before the restaurant closed for the holiday. I just made it in time and I love getting pizza from that place, because it is gluten free.”
Not much there.
“On Sunday I did some work, and then I relaxed and enjoyed my time off. I even took a nap!”
Not much but common conversation.
Of course, in books, movies, and television, stories sometimes start in the middle. But for now, let’s stick with the story in this order.
So, what happens after the beginning to make the story take off?