Redefining "Story Audit"
The four elements of story
8/28/2024•Story Audit
The Screener
The term "story audit" is usually used in a commercial context, like an audit of a business's brand story. On Story Soapbox, my Story Audits analyze four major elements that I believe to be the foundation to any good story, and give us a framework to learn from stories that are great and identify weak areas in stories that aren't.
If you look up ‘audit’ in the dictionary, one of its definitions is, “a methodical examination and review”. My friends and family know that this is exactly what I do when I walk out of a theater, watch a new show, or finish a book.
Much like how ACGT builds the base of every DNA molecule, my Story Audits cover four major elements that center every story. The combination of the four elements differentiate between a mediocre story and a great one. The four elements are:
- Plot + Character
- Conflict + Connection to Audiences
- Setting
- Takeaway
Plot + Character – What is the story about?
Think about a time you've talked with a coworker, family member or friend, having just seen a really good movie (or a really bad one). Just before you can word-vomit your opinion on how the main character wasn’t smart because she could’ve stabbed the killer with the conveniently placed kitchen knife but instead chose to chuck a blender at his head, you’ll, more often than not, get stopped with “Oh, what’s the movie about?” right after you blurt out the title.
The plot and characters are what the story is about – they're the story's foundation. Plot and characters hook audiences to sit and listen to the story.
Common Questions
- Is the story exploring new plots and characters we haven't seen before? Is the story adding new, interesting elements to tropes, stereotypes or established characters?
- Are the characters active in their story? Is the plot allowing characters to become active?
Conflict + Connection – Why should we care?
Followed by the plot and characters, a story needs — conflict! It's the heart of a story and gets audiences to listen from start to finish. Does good triumph over evil? Can the father overcome his fear of the unknown to find his son? Conflict adds a layer of complexity and agency to the story's characters. Internal or external, without conflict, stories become flat.
But it’s not just the existence of conflict that makes a story effective. The conflict must connect to audiences in some way, For example, a movie made for high schoolers that focuses on whether a teacher can save their marriage won't engage an average 15-year-old. Balancing a unique conflict and audience connection elevates the plot and characters.
Common Questions
- Is the conflict believable within the story and resolvable by the end of the story?
- Does the conflict resonate with a specific or universal audience?
"According to Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure, we see the hero in his ordinary world so we recognize the difference when he enters the special world of the story. The ordinary world generally conjures a mood, image, or metaphor that suggests a theme and gives the reader a frame of reference for the rest of the story." [1]
Setting – What does the story want us to feel?
From the beginning of a book or the first shot of the movie, stories begin with the setting. The setting anchors the audience's feelings and emotions in the world of the characters and signals the changes that the main character(s) might undergo. Using an array of world-building tools (score, animation, cinematography, costuming, stanzas, iambic pentameter, etc.), setting works to influence the audience's emotion.
Common Questions
- Is the setting fleshed out enough to bring the story to life while grounding it in its own reality?
- Does the medium use tools (i.e., score, animation, cinematography, etc.) to create its desired atmosphere?
Takeaway – How did the story make us feel?
Writers, critics, artists, and executives all have their own personalized metrics on how to measure a good or great story. But “guilty-pleasure movies” have just as much of a place in our hearts as award-winning films. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the film is a box office flop or has a low score on Rotten Tomatoes – what matters is if you liked it.
I love Arachnophobia (1990). It’s cheesy and reminds me of late summer movie nights with my dad. Even if Blake Snyder didn’t think it was a hit.
Common Questions
- Did I like the concept? Did I have fun with the story?
- How was the overall medium experience?
Sources
- Peterson, Deb. “What Is the Ordinary World in the Hero's Journey.” ThoughtCo., https://www.thoughtco.com/ordinary-world-in-the-heros-journey-31350. 27 August 2024.
