Storytelling Science

My eyes scan the page, eager to start the story. But by the time I reach the bottom I’m not even sure what  I’ve just read, my mind had totally spaced out. What’s going on here? Who’s talking? Where are we? Maybe it gets better on the next page? Three chapters in I still can’t get into it. I toss the book aside and pick up another, reading the opening lines.

“The black pickup trick flies through the red light, heading straight for us. My blood freezes in my veins. I want to scream, to warn Grandma, who sits next to me, in the driver’s seat—but my voice doesn’t work. He’ll hit us. He’ll hit us. Those words repeat in my mind like a chant, getting louder and louder as the black blur gets closer and closer. I cringe, turning my back to the door and covering my face. I hear the loudest crash. It sounds like a bomb. My head whiplashes and slams into something hard behind me, and pain explodes through my body. The world goes dark.” 100 Days of Sunlight, Page 1, Abbie Emmons.

I finish the novel hours later barely having moved from my initial position. But why? Why did I hate the first novel but love the second? They were in the same genre. I love reading. I’m not that picky when it comes to the books I read— at least, not usually. So what made the difference between the first book and the second?

This is the question I will be answering today. Why do we love some books but despise others? Why do we re-watch some movies over and over but cringe just hearing the title of others?

The truth is, we love stories. Whether you enjoy it through film, novels, non-fiction, etc, “story is an offer your brain can’t refuse.” Cron, 2016. It’s the way we were created. But we don’t love all stories.

And today I am going to show you why by explaining to you what story is, comparing Character-Driven Stories to Plot-Driven Stories, revealing to you what you are subconsciously looking for on that first page, and revealing to you the importance of theme in story.

First up, what is story?

There are a lot of ways I could try and explain story to you. I used to think Story is the thing that night after night keeps me up because I'm so invested that I continuously promise myself one more page, after this chapter, once this scene wraps up. Until what do you know, it’s three in the morning and I’m staring dumbfounded at the back cover, wondering how I finished a 300 page novel in 6 hours. Without moving from my bed.

But that’s not truly what story IS. That’s just what a good story DOES.

“A story is designed, from beginning to end, to answer a single overarching question.” Cron, Wired for Story.

Will Romeo and Juliet run off together? Will Alice make it back home? Will Cinderella marry the prince?

When you really break it down to the simplest form possible, story is merely a string of connections between cause and effect. It’s when the author takes little bits of data, ideas and inspiration, weaving them together to make a logical and enjoyable whole. However, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t matter how skillfully written that string of connections is, because “Story is not the talent of the author. It is not the character voice, plot, or prose. Though these do all play a part. Story is an internal struggle. [It] is about what the protagonist must learn, overcome,  internally deal with in order to solve the external problem the plot poses.” Cron, 2016.

So basically, story doesn’t have to be 300 pages of expertly worded sentences, each one more beautifully eloquent than the last the way Jane Austen’s work is. Story does not have to have the in-depth descriptive world building of J.R Tolkien, or even the fun narrations of C.S Lewis’s children’s novels. All story has to be is a form of clear communication revealing to us the transformative journey of the protagonist.

Because, contrary to popular belief, “we don’t turn to story to escape reality,” rather, “we turn to story to learn how to navigate reality.” Cron, 2016, page 16.

“The brain craves certainty.” Says Lisa Cron. 2016.

No matter your personality, to some extent, you like to have a plan. We have an entire channel and app on our phones dedicated to the weather so we know what to wear and how to plan our week. We have all these things to help us make good expectations. But truly, none of us know for sure. And because we can never be sure, we waste a lot of time wondering “what if.” Which is why we turn to story, because story is born on the words “What If” and then launches into detailed accounts of how things may be handled.

“Story is what we turn to with the subconscious question of: “What is this going to teach me that will help me prosper and grow?” Cron, 2016.

“Story is not about the plot, or even what happens in it. Stories are about how we, rather than the world around us, change. They grab us when they allow us to experience how it would feel to navigate the plot. Thus story, as we’ll see throughout, is an internal journey, not an external one.” 

So, to dumb it down, “At its most basic, a story is about how someone grapples with a problem they can’t avoid, and how they change in the process.” Cron, 2016.

But wait! If all story can be dumbed down to that, why do we hate some stories and love others? Clearly it has something to do with the skill of the writer, right? Because if all story has the same components, then the differing factor must be the talent of the author.

Wrong. It is not the talent of how the author writes the book, screenplay, etc, it is the way in which the characters are portrayed, whether through writing alone, or with the help of the actors.

Characters are what make or break the story for us. There are two kinds of story— all different kinds of genres, but only two types. Chracter-Driven or Plot-Driven. These words Character and Plot are also synonymous with Internal and External. And are where we are going to be spending the majority of our time today.

Character vs Plot.

First off, what am I even talking about when I say that? Let me explain. In an article published by selfpublishing.com, author Hannah Lee Kidder says, “In a plot-driven story, the focus is more in the THINGS that a character deals with, while a character-driven story focuses on WHY the character deals with those things in the WAY they do.” 2023, Plot-Driven vs Character-Driven Stories [7 Examples Included].

In a plot-driven story it is all about the external events, whether it be a war, the death of a loved one, constant attacks, etc. Action movies, are a great example of plot-driven Stories. Not all action movies, a few have been made that have good character development and internal conflict, but most. A specific example to dive into is the book Jurassic Park and The Jurassic Park/World movie franchise. Specially the newest movie, Jurassic World Dominion. A movie where it is all about the external events.

However, external at they may be, clearly there is an audience for movies like this, or else there wouldn’t be so many. And yes, there is an audience for these movies and it consists of my sister. Why? Because these movies are entertaining.

When you watch a movie like Jurassic Park, your brain’s mirror neurons are constantly firing off signals that make your body react the way you would if you were actually living the events of the plot.

If you’ve ever sat through one of these kinds of movies in the theater and been able to tear your eyes from the screen and observe the other viewers, you would see kids curled up against their parents or older siblings, some movie watchers will be shielding their eyes, others sitting straight and defiant.

As Lisa Cron points out, many “‘pull their elbows and scrunch up their knees, balling up to protect their vital organs.’ It’s hard to watch their reaction without laughing. Clearly these are smart people who have seen a movie before. Why on earth would they think that they have to protect themselves from what’s happening on the screen? The answer is, they’re not thinking at all. They’re experiencing it as if it were happening to them… ‘their brains are instructing their bodies to do all the things they’d do if they are actually under amoral attack.’” 2016, Page 14.

Mirror Neurons do just what their name suggests, they mirror the events of whatever you are watching, what’s happing to the characters, back at you so you feel as though you are living it, as though it were happening to you. And they explain the lure of plot-driven stories.

As long as the story keeps “the perilous high intensity survival scenes coming, our fight or flight instinct kicks in with the characters, and you have our attention. BUT only for however long the brain is entertained.” Emmons, 2023, Plot Vs Character (What’s the difference and Which is better?)

So yes, “Plot Driven stories may be entertaining, they may get people to turn the next page or watch the next episode, but they will not impact lives. They will actually be quickly forgotten.” Emmons, 2023, Plot Vs Character (What’s the difference and Which is better?)

Because, as author Abbie Emmons puts it, “Plot does not equal story! Plot cannot drive a story. Plot can only entertain for as long as the action lasts.” Emmons, 2023, Plot Vs Character (What’s the difference and Which is better?)

Once the action sequence is over, our mirror neurons settle down and everything else is boring again because we have no idea why any of what’s happening matters because we don’t know the characters.

It’s the Characters that make us care. It’s the characters that keep us invested. It’s the characters through which we feel an impact. If there’s no sense of importance or impact on the characters, there is no impact on the audience.

And this is why, nine times out of ten, character-driven stories are better than plot.

Each and every character in each and every book, no matter the genre, should have “a deep desire that drives their motives, [that determines their decisions], and a conflicting fear that holds them back.” Emmons, 2023, Plot Vs Character (What’s the difference and Which is better?) Because this is how people operate. We all have a desire, and a fear that prevents us from reaching for it. We make decisions off of the level of pain either choice would cause us because this is how our brain is wired, for survival. It’s this method of decision making that relates us to the characters. And trust me,

“Plot is 100x more entertaining and riveting when we first get to know, relate to, and care for the characters. If you don’t care about the characters, the action is only perilous due to your mirror neurons firing and putting you in the situation.” Emmons, 2023, Plot Vs Character (What’s the difference and Which is better?)

But, don’t misunderstand me here. We still need a plot. We still need external events. Because it’s the external events that facilitate the story, the plot is what forces the protagonist out of their comfort zone until they have no choice other than to confront and deal with the issue holding them back from achieving their goal. You could be reading about the most compelling characters in the world, but if nothing happens to change up their life and force them outside their comfort zone, then they are never going to experience much of an inner struggle or change as a character, and thus there will be no story. We still need plot, we just don’t want plot to be the driver of the story. The characters are the driver, the plot is the vehicle, the road is the story and the destination is the “The End” following the transformative journey.

In other words, “Good storytelling is all about finding the balance between plot and characters. Without external conflict, your characters don’t change. But without internal conflict, your plot is meaningless.” Abbie Emmons, How Disney Hacks Your Brain

So basically, “Story flows directly from how the protagonist is making sense of what’s happening, how she struggles with, evaluates, and weighs what matters most to her. Story is about how things that happen in the plot affect the protagonist and how he/she changes as a result.” Lisa Cron, 2016, Page 3.

Now, let us get into the hook.

The hook is the opening scene that grabs your attention and well, hooks you on the rest of the story. Because of this it is arguably the most crucial part of any book as it is the thing that determines whether or not the audience will continue on with the story.

“The average adult has an attention span of 5 minutes. Down from a decade ago when it was 12 minutes.” Abbie Emmons, 2021, How Disney Hacks Your Brain. This means that a book has to grab our attention in under five minutes, and make us care about the character and what is happening to them, otherwise we are likely going to put it down and forget about it.

So, what determines a good hook from a bad one? What are we looking for? What grabs our attention? Why do some stories take us prisoner on sentence one and others don’t?

Let’s start off with what you are looking for. According to Lisa Cron, “When readers open a book up to the first page, they are subconsciously looking for three things.

1. Whose story is this?

2. What’s happening here?

3. What’s at stake?”

Lisa Cron, 2012.

Once again, we see that audiences don’t care about the genre, or the writing style. Although both of those may play a part in them choosing to open the book up. No, the thing that determines a good hook from a bad one, a good story from a bad one, is the CHARACTERS. Specifically, the internal conflict of the characters. When you pick up a book, you are subconsciously looking for a story you enjoy and can also relate to. And the number one thing everyone in the world can relate to is internal conflict. This concept of internal conflict is when desire meets fear. “You, right now, have a desire. An ambition. A Goal. But you also have a fear that hold you back from going after it.” Abbie Emmons

It’s this inner struggle that we call internal conflict, and it is the way in which you relate to characters in any book. This is what hooks you on a story.

If the author can get the internal conflict right, you won’t care what genre of book you are reading because you will be so deeply invested in the lives of the characters. Believe me, I know. I used to hate fantasy. I was always a more historical fiction or contemporary kind of girl. And then a friend gave me a fantasy book recommendation that was character-driven and packed full of strong internal conflict. There was also action and battles making for a quick, fast paced read that mattered to me. I ended up reading the entire book in one night and falling in love with the series, which I read in under a month. A series written in what used to be my least favorite genre.

It doesn’t matter what genre you are reading,  if the characters are relatable due to internal conflict, you will be hooked on it. Because the internal conflict gives us the why we are always searching for.

“We are always looking for the why beneath what’s happing on the surface.” “It is said that people can go forty days without food, three days without water, and about thirty-five seconds without finding meaning in something.” Cron, 2012.

Now, having an internal hook does not always mean it will be a great story. Sometimes the hook is amazing, but then after that the characters go flat and become punching bags for the plot. No one likes to read this. It gets repetitive and annoying. It’s flat and boring. If you do finish the book, you are likely to forget about most of it within a month— don’t waste your time.

Hooks can be external when done right. You might read a book that starts off with someone dying, lying, being kidnapped, getting nominated class president, etc, depending on the genre you are reading. And that is fine. If done right all of those can grab our attention, especially the more perilous ones because our mirror neurons will be firing off from page one. HOWEVER, we need to quickly see why being kidnapped, for example, matters to the character otherwise it won’t matter to us and we will lose interest once the stakes lower.

Remember, the average adult has an attention span of 5 minutes. So, the first sentence doesn’t have to be internal conflict, but that internal conflict does need to appear within the first 5 minutes of the novel. This is called the 5-Minute Rule and it is one the animators of the Disney movies live by.

Today we will be case studying the example of Tangled. The movie starts off with a mini backstory conflict about the sick queen, fearful kingdom, creepy Mother Gothel, and the story of the flower which gives Rapunzel her magic hair. THEN, the main story starts when the newborn princess is kidnapped by Mother Gothel because of her magic hair which allows the woman to stay young. All of this happens in just over three minutes. Next, we fast-forward to young Rapunzel asking to go outside but being told it is dangerous, still she watches the lanterns every year and then starts singing about her boring life of routine and wanting her real life to begin, aka wanting to go outside and see the lanterns. We get the first mention of going outside at just past three minutes, and her song ends nearly 6 minutes into the film. External Hook, followed by Internal Conflict all within the first five minutes.

You can go through almost any animated Disney movie and see the same. Finding Nemo, Frozen, Ratatouille, the list goes on and on. Why? Because this method of hook works! It is what we crave, something interesting followed by why it matters. It keeps us invested.

When we clearly see why it matters to the characters we start to care about them, and thus what matters to them matters to us. This is because of two things.

First is Oxytocin a chemical in your brain, often called the love hormone. “Oxytocin is the empathetic process of establishing… positive interpersonal behavior, modulating trust in social interactions… affects establishment of social bonds.” PNAS

Basically it helps you make friends with those you feel a connection with. Thus, as you see who the characters are and begin to relate to them, you start to feel as though you are friends with them. When you are friends with someone, the things that matter to them also matter to you.

The second reason we connect so deeply is because when you read, watch, experience a well told-story,  you being to feel as though you are actually experiencing it because your brain tells you that you are.

If you were to listen to facts on a power point about World War II, the data processing center in your brain would be activated. You would start to subconsciously sift through the facts and data being presented to you and would decode the words into meaning, deciding for yourself what matters and what doesn’t. But, when you hear a story about World War II, not only are the language processing parts activated, but the sensory center is activated making you feel as though you are actually experiencing it.

A study was done to compare the brain activity of a person telling a story to the person listening and the results were the following. “In agreement with previous work, the story evoked highly reliable activity in many brain areas across all listeners. Communication is a shared activity resulting in a transfer of information across brains. The findings shown here indicate that during successful communication, speakers’ and listeners’ brains exhibit joint, temporally coupled, response patterns.”

To dumb it down, these neuroscientists found that when listening to a well-told story, the exact same areas of the brain light up on an MRI in both the storyteller and listener. Your brain, as the listener, mirrors the brain of the storyteller.

“Stories grab us. They take us in, transport us, and allow us to live vicariously and visually through another’s experience.” Which is why if the writer wants their story to have an impact on the audience, it must be character-driven. “Because it’s the CHARACTERS who are going on a journey to realize the truth about something” the truth that the author wants you the reader to know. If the story matters to the characters, it will matter to you and therefore will hook you and transport you into its sway.

Speaking of impact, stories are amazing and entertaining. The brain loves stories because “they make us feel like part of something bigger than ourselves.” “Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” — Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human.

Stories are a constant in our lives, even if we don’t realize it. “Personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations.” Leo Widrich, 2012, The Science of Storytelling: What Listening to a Story Does to Our Brain. Our brains are wired for story, it’s how we’re made. We can never get enough of them. But we also have to be on guard against them, because they are also powerful. As are the people who write them.

In fact, “Writers are some of the most influential people in the world [because they] have the ability to influence any person’s worldview no matter what their current one is.” Joshua Sword, Why Writers are The Most Influential People in the World.

For the Christian author this is great news, we can help influence the way our readers see the world and can help show them life through a positive light. However, for Christian Readers that means we have to be on constant guard and use the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is good for us to read and what isn’t. Because the ideas we read in any story can be subconsciously planted in our minds without our knowing. “Lives hang on the stories written. Stories save lives all the time. Even Jesus wielded the power of fiction to change lives.” Joshua Sword, Why Writers are The Most Influential People in the World.

So, knowing how influential they can be, choose your story carefully. Studying the theme is a great place to start. “Theme is the summation of a [story’s] abstract meaning” and “is the general abstraction in relation to which the events serve as concretes.”

In short, “theme answers these questions:

1. What does the story tell us about what it means to be human?

2 What does it say about how humans react to circumstances beyond their control?”

Scott McConnell, 2019, Storytelling and The Importance of Theme.

The point the author is trying to make and stick to is often revealed by the theme, so look up the theme of and see what kind of message the author was trying to portray, then look up reviews and see through what kind of content they portrayed that theme. This will tell you a lot about the kind of person the author is and the way in which they are trying to influence their audience. Every meaningful story will have a theme, so if you can’t seem to find one for a story then it probably doesn’t actually matter and is just a bunch of clutter-y words telling a pointless story.

Great stories have universal themes that dramatize value-laden principles of life applicable to everyone.

In conclusion, today we delved into the brain science behind story. We discussed what story is, why we love some and hate others (due to the differences between Character and Plot-Driven stories), we case studied hooks to see what captures our attention most effectively, and we learned the importance of theme and how( by diving into it) we can guard ourselves against content that may not be pleasing to the Lord.

As for the question I was answering, why do we love some books but despise others? Why do we re-watch some movies over and over but cringe just hearing the title of others? It’s a one word answer. True, there are a lot of components to it. But only one word. Characters. Characters and their internal conflict are the things that determine whether we love or hate any given story.

I was a high school freshman when I wrote this essay. I was just beginning to think I wanted to be an author when I “grew up” and had begun to spend my downtime researching about how to become “good” one. I think, deep down, I was praying there was a secret code I could discover to crack the system and guarantee I wouldn’t be another person doing her best in a profession considered a “starving art that most don’t make money off of” (thanks, Google, for really humbling a 15-year-old in her aspirations.

Anyways, when our second semester research paper came around and I was told to choose a science topic and come up with 100 quote cards of information and sources on the topic, and to then use those cards to write a 15-page paper, I panicked. Figuring I would do astronomy, the only science-y topic I could think of that I figured wouldn’t be absolute torture to research.

(If it isn’t obvious, while I loved science as a child, Junior High and High School, with their thick textbooks and overwhelming amounts of information and test questions, not to mention dissections, pretty much ruined the subject for me— at least academically.)

When I told my mom this (aka when I complained to her for the thousandth time about how “I don’t want to waste my time researching some stupid topic and writing a 15 page essay on it that no one is going to read”) she asked me why I didn’t write it on everything I had been learning about writing. “But, is that allowed?” I had asked. She just laughed and told me, “Jenna, we homeschool, I’m the teacher more than the director of the classroom setting at co-op.” After that my science project became my favorite part of the semester. For the most part, all of the hard work was already done. I just had to go back and cite my sources!

And thus, this extremely long and, honestly, not the most coherently written essay took shape.

And the principles remain the same today. So I figured, why not prove 15-year-old me wrong and post it for others to read? Maybe they will find it helpful.

Also, it is worth noting that every source mentioned is one I have used countless times and I highly recommend their work. Abbie Emmons especially deserves recognition - she was the first person (other than my biased family) that made believe I could one day write something with meaning. She, through her YouTube Channel, held my hand in the very beginning and showed me the ropes to this whole writing gig. Her channel and blog will forever be a source of inspiration, and I continue to read and love every work she ever has (and ever will) publish. So go check them out!