I have talked about what storytelling is in earlier posts, making out rough frames around the area. I have also pointed at some adjacent areas, which can be helpful in distinguishing storytelling as a special branch. I give you my view of the “building blocks” in the series of posts named “Storytelling – building blocks”.
But there is one more set of distinctions I would like to share with you. Especially since those have proven to be of high interest to many of the audiences and groups I have addressed and engaged with on the matter of storytelling.
These two components are essential in your creation of a true Story: Chronology and Causality.
These are really the ones distinguishing a story from other content, and also essential to make the story work at all levels. And so, these are the two “special ingredients” that allow magic to happen.
Chronology you may also explain as “context”, but that drains the meaning a little bit. In a story, things are connected and form a whole, a unity. This is also what makes us remember stories more easily. “It can be a straightforward chronology (in sequential order), reverse chronology, or fragmented (with flashbacks). But there is a timeframe that captures the parts. And the timeframe must adhere to its own inherent logic. When something falls outside of the context, the story – and we as participants – become confused.
The second essential component is Causality – or the dichotomy cause and effect.
Things that happen in a story happen for a reason. Think about it. Even if you tell an everyday story of how you arrived late to the crucial meeting, wearing a black dress jacket instead of your usual sweatshirt – it begins with keys lost. Or mittens broken. Or an uncharged phone. Every detail is sewn together, one thing leading to another, and all leading up to your “Grand Entrance” where you became the laughing stock of the day. A skilled storyteller never misses the opportunity that details carefully embroidered together presents. It gives the audience – or participants, really – a fuller step into the story. But remember the principle – things that happen in a story, happen for a reason.
If we feel that a story feels poorly supported or that the ending doesn’t work, it might be because the causality isn’t strong.
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