1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,970 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:14,380 --> 00:00:21,580 Once upon a time when my child and her friends were five, 3 00:00:21,580 --> 00:00:24,820 they said we're going to put on a play. 4 00:00:24,820 --> 00:00:27,350 And we're selling tickets. 5 00:00:27,350 --> 00:00:29,650 They're $0.25 each. 6 00:00:29,650 --> 00:00:30,000 Of course, we had to buy some. 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,049 Of course, we had to buy some. 8 00:00:32,049 --> 00:00:34,680 We sat down to watch the play. 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,380 The play was about breakfast. 10 00:00:37,380 --> 00:00:41,160 And it consisted of would you like some orange juice. 11 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:42,570 Yes, thank you. 12 00:00:42,570 --> 00:00:43,200 Good. 13 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:44,750 Here is your orange juice. 14 00:00:44,750 --> 00:00:46,180 I am having cereal. 15 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:47,740 Would you like some cereal? 16 00:00:47,740 --> 00:00:48,702 Yes. 17 00:00:48,702 --> 00:00:50,410 Would you like some milk for your cereal. 18 00:00:50,410 --> 00:00:52,540 Yes, I will have milk on my cereal. 19 00:00:52,540 --> 00:00:55,790 This went on for a while. 20 00:00:55,790 --> 00:00:59,470 And finally, we said is anything else going to happen. 21 00:00:59,470 --> 00:01:00,000 And they said no. 22 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,470 And they said no. 23 00:01:01,470 --> 00:01:04,569 And we said, in that case, we're leaving, 24 00:01:04,569 --> 00:01:06,790 and we'll come back when something else is 25 00:01:06,790 --> 00:01:08,540 going to happen. 26 00:01:08,540 --> 00:01:11,470 The story needs to have events, and it 27 00:01:11,470 --> 00:01:13,750 needs to have characters. 28 00:01:13,750 --> 00:01:16,960 And any story, even the most elementary stories, 29 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:22,720 which are things like "Aesop's Fables" or jokes. 30 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,810 They have characters, and they have events. 31 00:01:25,810 --> 00:01:30,000 A story needs a break in a pattern to get it going. 32 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,280 A story needs a break in a pattern to get it going. 33 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,420 And breaking the pattern can be, one day, 34 00:01:36,420 --> 00:01:39,730 Mabis, who was an avid gardener, went out 35 00:01:39,730 --> 00:01:43,300 to her rose patch and found a severed hand. 36 00:01:43,300 --> 00:01:48,250 If everything is perfect all the time, there isn't a story. 37 00:01:48,250 --> 00:01:51,590 Life is just wonderful everyday. 38 00:01:51,590 --> 00:01:55,740 And so it doesn't become a story until somebody kidnaps 39 00:01:55,740 --> 00:01:58,240 Rover the dog. 40 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,000 So an event of some kind interrupts the pattern. 41 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,020 So an event of some kind interrupts the pattern. 42 00:02:03,020 --> 00:02:06,689 And with that interruption, the story is kicked off. 43 00:02:06,689 --> 00:02:09,503 [MUSIC PLAYING] 44 00:02:12,317 --> 00:02:14,670 A good plot has to have something happening 45 00:02:14,670 --> 00:02:18,460 in it that is of interest to the reader, 46 00:02:18,460 --> 00:02:20,447 and we hope to the characters. 47 00:02:20,447 --> 00:02:22,280 Or maybe I'll put that the other way around. 48 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,460 That is of interest to the characters, 49 00:02:24,460 --> 00:02:26,410 and we hope to the reader. 50 00:02:26,410 --> 00:02:29,870 Something has to happen. 51 00:02:29,870 --> 00:02:30,000 And that something can be any number of somethings. 52 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,560 And that something can be any number of somethings. 53 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,130 So John and Mary are living happily 54 00:02:37,130 --> 00:02:39,800 in their split-level with two cars. 55 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:46,460 And then, one day, a strange green light is seen in the sky, 56 00:02:46,460 --> 00:02:50,270 and a canister descends to earth right behind their house. 57 00:02:50,270 --> 00:02:53,990 And out of it comes a tentacled monster. 58 00:02:53,990 --> 00:02:56,180 So that's one kind of story. 59 00:02:56,180 --> 00:02:59,540 Threat from without. 60 00:02:59,540 --> 00:03:00,000 John and Mary are living in their split-level bungalow, 61 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,590 John and Mary are living in their split-level bungalow, 62 00:03:03,590 --> 00:03:08,160 but then Mary discovers that John is cheating on her. 63 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,380 That's another kind of story-- 64 00:03:10,380 --> 00:03:12,480 threat from within. 65 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,100 Combine those. 66 00:03:14,100 --> 00:03:17,130 John and Mary are living in their split-level bungalow. 67 00:03:17,130 --> 00:03:21,450 Then, John discovers that Mary is mysteriously absent 68 00:03:21,450 --> 00:03:26,390 during parts of the night and has developed an alarming 69 00:03:26,390 --> 00:03:29,420 tendency to sleep in the bath tub 70 00:03:29,420 --> 00:03:30,000 with all the curtains drawn. 71 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,570 with all the curtains drawn. 72 00:03:32,570 --> 00:03:34,730 What has happened? 73 00:03:34,730 --> 00:03:37,595 What are those strange white fangs that have appeared? 74 00:03:40,580 --> 00:03:45,780 Could it be that Mary is a vampire. 75 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:47,550 Yes! 76 00:03:47,550 --> 00:03:49,680 What is John going to do? 77 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:50,880 And what about the children? 78 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:55,650 Have they inherited this tendency or not? 79 00:03:55,650 --> 00:03:58,480 That's another kind of story. 80 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,000 So, yes, all of these are events. 81 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,740 So, yes, all of these are events. 82 00:04:01,740 --> 00:04:08,310 They're all blood pressure increasing, 83 00:04:08,310 --> 00:04:13,020 suspense building, plot devices to make 84 00:04:13,020 --> 00:04:15,810 us want to know what is going to happen next. 85 00:04:15,810 --> 00:04:18,624 [MUSIC PLAYING] 86 00:04:22,376 --> 00:04:28,180 The building blocks of story in Western civilization 87 00:04:28,180 --> 00:04:30,000 is going to be somewhat different in other cultures, 88 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:30,690 is going to be somewhat different in other cultures, 89 00:04:30,690 --> 00:04:34,360 but they all have their own set of building blocks. 90 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:39,320 That's the toolkit, if you like, the toolkit of stories. 91 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,960 Think of it as a giant LEGO set from which 92 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:48,580 you can build your own structures because the pieces 93 00:04:48,580 --> 00:04:50,110 fit together. 94 00:04:50,110 --> 00:04:53,980 So for Western culture, it's going 95 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:57,070 to be Greek and Roman myths. 96 00:04:57,070 --> 00:05:00,000 It's going to be folk tales, for instance, the Grimm's 97 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,180 It's going to be folk tales, for instance, the Grimm's 98 00:05:01,180 --> 00:05:04,720 collections and people who follow on from that 99 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,570 like Andrew Lang's collection of world fairy tales and folk 100 00:05:09,570 --> 00:05:10,660 tales. 101 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:15,610 And we have recently added in indigenous stories 102 00:05:15,610 --> 00:05:20,080 from North and South America. 103 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,990 And as people move here and there in the world, 104 00:05:22,990 --> 00:05:27,800 African stories have gotten into that mix as well. 105 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,000 So all of these are building blocks of story. 106 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,960 So all of these are building blocks of story. 107 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,480 And the Bible, of course, has some 108 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,090 of the fundamental stories. 109 00:05:37,090 --> 00:05:40,510 I hate to use the word fundamental. 110 00:05:40,510 --> 00:05:43,300 It has some essential stories that people 111 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:47,650 should know because it's almost impossible to read 112 00:05:47,650 --> 00:05:52,540 English literature written before, say, 1940 113 00:05:52,540 --> 00:06:00,000 without encountering biblical references and modes of thought 114 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:00,550 without encountering biblical references and modes of thought 115 00:06:00,550 --> 00:06:02,110 that come from that. 116 00:06:02,110 --> 00:06:06,100 If you are interested in writing and in having 117 00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:09,550 a large toolkit of stories, these 118 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:11,590 are some of the things I suggest you 119 00:06:11,590 --> 00:06:16,960 can look at because those stories have 120 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:22,355 been building blocks for a great many writers before you. 121 00:06:22,355 --> 00:06:25,205 [MUSIC PLAYING] 122 00:06:28,540 --> 00:06:30,000 If you're going to pick up one of these pieces of the toolkit, 123 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,960 If you're going to pick up one of these pieces of the toolkit, 124 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,440 I suggest you just read it. 125 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,860 You're not in a university classroom 126 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:44,740 in which you have to analyze it, study it, come up 127 00:06:44,740 --> 00:06:47,110 with a theory about it, et cetera. 128 00:06:47,110 --> 00:06:50,350 I think for a storyteller, this is the way 129 00:06:50,350 --> 00:06:52,990 these kinds of stories go. 130 00:06:52,990 --> 00:06:56,860 And people make fun of this all the time, of course, 131 00:06:56,860 --> 00:07:00,000 but in order to get the joke, you have to know the original. 132 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,420 but in order to get the joke, you have to know the original. 133 00:07:01,420 --> 00:07:04,030 Cinderella story, for instance, is probably 134 00:07:04,030 --> 00:07:09,190 the oldest extant story that we know about. 135 00:07:09,190 --> 00:07:11,080 It's known in all kinds of cultures. 136 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,800 It has all kinds of variance. 137 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:19,690 But it always ends with the Cinderella figure coming out 138 00:07:19,690 --> 00:07:20,500 on top. 139 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:24,130 If you were going to do a satire of it, 140 00:07:24,130 --> 00:07:26,630 Cinderella would remain sweeping up the ashes, 141 00:07:26,630 --> 00:07:30,000 and one of the bad sisters would go off with the prince. 142 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:30,880 and one of the bad sisters would go off with the prince. 143 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,060 Or in modern day, the prince turns up 144 00:07:34,060 --> 00:07:38,030 and Cinderella basically decides that's not what she wants. 145 00:07:38,030 --> 00:07:40,090 But unless you know the original, 146 00:07:40,090 --> 00:07:44,680 you don't understand why that's an interesting variant. 147 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:49,090 Let us talk about the film, "Maleficent". 148 00:07:49,090 --> 00:07:52,320 It's the Sleeping Beauty story. 149 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,710 In the standard Sleeping Beauty story, 150 00:07:54,710 --> 00:07:58,570 there's an evil witch who appears 151 00:07:58,570 --> 00:08:00,000 at the time of Sleeping Beauty's birth 152 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,360 at the time of Sleeping Beauty's birth 153 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,260 and predicts that she will prick her finger with a thimble 154 00:08:05,260 --> 00:08:08,020 and then sleep for 100 years. 155 00:08:08,020 --> 00:08:12,240 And then, she can only be awoken by true love's kiss. 156 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:14,605 In the standard story, the true love's kiss 157 00:08:14,605 --> 00:08:17,150 is this prince who comes along. 158 00:08:17,150 --> 00:08:19,150 What happens in the "Maleficent" film? 159 00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:25,300 The prince comes along, but he's dud. 160 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:26,430 Nothing happens. 161 00:08:26,430 --> 00:08:28,240 He's too self-centered. 162 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,000 The person who turns out to really love Sleeping Beauty 163 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,110 The person who turns out to really love Sleeping Beauty 164 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:36,580 is her surrogate mother who turns out 165 00:08:36,580 --> 00:08:41,620 to be the initially evil witch who has had a conversion 166 00:08:41,620 --> 00:08:43,039 experience. 167 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:48,170 But if you don't know the original, what's happening? 168 00:08:48,170 --> 00:08:51,250 This is weird you will simply say to yourself. 169 00:08:51,250 --> 00:08:55,150 Now there are, of course, some who brilliantly 170 00:08:55,150 --> 00:08:58,110 have played upon that. 171 00:08:58,110 --> 00:09:00,000 One of them being Samuel Beckett. 172 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:00,650 One of them being Samuel Beckett. 173 00:09:00,650 --> 00:09:02,650 He has a play called "Happy Days" 174 00:09:02,650 --> 00:09:07,440 in which a woman is being increasingly buried by sand. 175 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,620 And in her handbag, there is a gun. 176 00:09:11,620 --> 00:09:14,410 Chekov famously said if you put a gun on the desk 177 00:09:14,410 --> 00:09:17,290 in the first act, it has to go off in the third. 178 00:09:17,290 --> 00:09:20,440 But by the third act, she's so buried in sand, 179 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:22,860 she can't reach the gun. 180 00:09:22,860 --> 00:09:25,330 Though you keep expecting her to get a hold of it 181 00:09:25,330 --> 00:09:28,090 and shoot herself because things are so awful. 182 00:09:28,090 --> 00:09:30,000 But by the end, it's out of reach. 183 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,180 But by the end, it's out of reach. 184 00:09:31,180 --> 00:09:34,090 So if you didn't know about the Chekov comment, 185 00:09:34,090 --> 00:09:36,290 this would make less sense to you. 186 00:09:36,290 --> 00:09:38,740 So I would just say expand your frame of reference 187 00:09:38,740 --> 00:09:42,280 because it will give you a lot more depth 188 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,120 in your thinking about stories.