Session 1.9 - Story Spine: The Moral of the Story

JavaScript isn't enabled in your browser, so this file can't be opened. Enable and reload.

THE GOAL: Use ALL OF THE IMPROV TOOLS you've played with so far to zero in on the Moral of the Story.
Time commitment: 20 minutes

In Stage One of Improvising Your Crappy First Draft, you'll spend a Session focusing on each of the Story Spine prompts. Let's start with "The Moral of the Story is..."

What can the reader learn from your story? About themselves, about people in general, about the world and how to live in it? Your "moral" doesn't have to be heavy-handed or preachy, but on some level, you need to know what your story means. And once you do, it makes every SINGLE decision in the process of writing your story easier.

Email *

Your name:

Story Spine: The Moral of the Story...

Human beings are hardwired for story. We're programmed to observe the world around us and look for patterns that can help us get what we need (food, shelter, safety, love). The stories we find most compelling are the ones that promise to reveal some useful information about how to navigate the world successfully or ethically.

Even though it comes last in Story Spine, we're starting with The Moral of the Story because it's a touchstone that you will return to again and again to solve the most basic problems of character, plot, and even language.

Writing Goal: Use ALL THE IMPROV GAMES to Figure out The Moral of the Story

This is the biggest decision you'll make in the process of planning your story, but how can you know what the story is about on a deeper level when you haven’t even started telling it yet? Ask yourself, why am I drawn to this story idea in the first place? What is most compelling or exciting about it?

In the following exercises, you'll use FIVE THINGS, ALPHABETICAL LISTS, YES AND, and WORD-AT-A-TIME to suss out your Moral, starting from broad cliches and moving toward the personal and specific.

Example 1: The Godfather

Here are five generic, cliche Morals from The Godfather:

1. Power corrupts.
2. Family comes first.
3. You can't change the system, the system changes you.
4. Blood is thicker than water.
5. Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Writing Exercise 1: FIVE THINGS - List FIVE short, incredibly general cliches/truisms that come to mind given your basic story idea.

Example 2: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Here are five Moral statements phrased as "X will always defeat Y" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:

1. Good behavior will always defeat naughty behavior.
2. Simple humility will always defeat spoiled privilege.
3. Good parenting and a loving family will always defeat indulgent parenting and dysfunctional family dynamics.
4. Moderation will always defeat addiction.
5. A sense of childlike wonder will always beat stodgy adult seriousness.

Writing Exercise 2: FIVE THINGS - List FIVE moral statements that your story (and the way your main character changes over the course of it) could prove. Phrase each one as "X will always defeat Y."

Example 3: Personal Moral Beliefs

Here are some things that I personally believe to be true (unrelated to any particular story) ALPHABETICALLY starting with H.

H - Happiness doesn’t come from external approval or accomplishments, it’s a mindset that you have to cultivate from within.
I - Income inequality is the greatest immediate danger to mankind.
J - Junk mail and excessive packaging and our casual consumption of natural resources is an unsustainable way of living.
K - Killing is something that we are all probably capable of, but we all live in these bubbles of false safety nowadays.
L - Letting go of control and saying Yes to each other more often would make the world a better place.

Writing Exercise 3: ALPHABETICAL LISTS - Forget about your story for a second and just list a bunch of moral statements that you believe to be true. Use the first letter of your name to get started, and list at least 7 morals alphabetically.

What ideas would you love to share with the world through the power of a well-told story? Be clear and specific, moving beyond cliches.

Writing Exercise 4: YES AND - Pick one of the morals from Exercises 1-3 that seems promising and elaborate on it with Yes And. Start with "The moral of the story is..." and let it run for at least two or three sentences.

(e.g. The Godfather: The moral of the story is that one individual can't change the system, the system changes them. YES AND even if you go into a corrupt situation with strong principles and convictions, you will eventually be bent, compromised, and corrupted by the unyielding realities of the system.)

Writing Exercise 5: YES AND - Do another one. Pick one of the morals from Exercises 1-3 that seems promising and elaborate on it with Yes And. Start with "The moral of the story is..." and let it run for at least two or three sentences.

(e.g. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The moral of the story is that sense of childlike wonder will always beat stodgy adult seriousness. YES AND the things that we cling to as markers of success—wealth, privilege, conspicuous consumption, decorum—are overrated and will never lead us to true happiness and connection with other people the way that an uncynical, wide-eyed sense of wonder will.)

Writing Exercise 6: WORD-AT-A-TIME - Craft a final version of your Moral of the Story. Something you can commit to for the long haul (or at least the next 10 sessions).

Start with "The Moral of the Story is..." and go for at least three long sentences.

Beta Tester feedback (optional)

If you have any thoughts or feedback at all about this process, please drop them here! Enthusiasm, complaints, criticisms and suggestions are all encouraged!

A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.

Submit

Clear form

Never submit passwords through Google Forms.

reCAPTCHA

Privacy Terms

This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Forms