So the newsletter is going to be different this month. No recommendations. I’m pivoting here and will be talking about something that I have been obsessed with for as long as I can remember, stories. I spent the first half of my life consuming them and the second half studying them and figuring out why some resonate and some do not. Storytelling will be the main focus moving forward. I will of course also keep you up to date with any relevant Josh book news.
In this Newsletter, I’ll be focusing on narrative storytelling. Even if you don’t have any intention to write as a profession or hobby, you are a storyteller. We’re all storytellers. Everyday we relate to others the thing that happened to us or the thing you heard about. We tell stories to entertain. We tell stories to persuade people to our way of thinking. We tell stories to impart knowledge. We tell stories to connect.
My advice is have something to say. What’s the point, what is the story about? As simple as that sounds, it can sometimes be hard to figure out or articulate. If you are able to figure that out from the start, it will make the writing process a great deal easier. Easy? No, but if you know what you’re trying to communicate, it will be clear the parts that don’t belong.
You can certainly just start writing and see where it takes you and hope to discover what you want to say along the way but that’s definitely the long way. You’re going to have a lot more rewriting to do if you don’t know what the point is. And to be clear, the point is not the plot. The plot is how your story communicates the point.
As I write that, I’m not sure that’s clear, so let me give an example. Back to the Future is not about time travel, it’s about having the courage to stand up for yourself. Time travel and all the fun stuff along the way is simply there to make that point.
On the surface, Marty McFly is the epitome of confidence. He’s the perfect role model for his spineless father George. With Marty’s help, George finds the courage to stand up to Biff. When Marty makes it back to the future/his present, life has not been returned to status quo, it is now markedly better for the entire McFly family.
Throughout the Back to the Future series, Marty is provoked into dangerous situations by being called a chicken. At the end of the final movie, Marty is being goaded into drag racing. The old Marty came across as confident, but in truth he needed validation, having to prove himself to any and everyone that challenged his ego.
In the end he shows true courage by not allowing others to dictate his actions. His standing up for himself also saves him and his girlfriend from the car that would have crashed into them if he had raced. Back to the Future is not about time travel, it’s about having the courage to stand up for yourself.
We watch and listen and read stories to tell us how to live. They are examples to us on how things could be. I’m drawn to hopeful stories. They don’t necessarily have to be happy but I do want at least the possibility of hope. I mention this because in the past I have been pessimistic, negative, and cynical. I fight with those feelings. I don’t like them but they are persistent. I think that is why I like hopeful stories. They are examples of how life can be.
So when I write, I choose optimism. When I figure out what it is that I want to say, that then informs everything in the story. I hope you found some value in this because that was the point of me writing it.
I am very curious what your thoughts on this are. You can respond to me at joshdrawscomics@gmail.com. And if you know someone that may find this helpful, I’d be thrilled if you forwarded it to them.
-Josh
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