The Story is like...

The ground underneath what all stories are built upon. It is like the Earth. Some parts are good for building upon, because they are a natural foundation upon which a proper architectural foundation was built to reinforce as an ancient story from times long ago. That was all the rage back then because everyone could build their own temporary stories upon them and take them down and move and always trust the ground to not disintegrate underneath them.

As civilization advances we learn new ways to tell our stories, with things like books, stageplays, symphonies, movies, music albums, etc. Those are like the steel beams that make tall buildings, except are universal themes that all the people share beliefs in when they make those stories possible. Someone has the plan, the ability, and the resources to do so but they do not do it alone, it takes a lot of people and their stories to help.

Those parts of the Story which are good for building, which were first built upon long ago by people in caveman times all over the world, are places where lots of other stories are built and they become like cities of a vast and amazing civilization all interconnected. Every single one of those buildings, homes, and workplaces are different not only because of how they look, but because of the people that give them life by living there and decorating them or not decorating them and letting the weeds grow. It’s all good, except in neighborhoods where it is not, but they should probably have a neighborhood lawn service arranged rather than pester the residents to busy themselves. Some people may not have the time for keeping a neat tidy lawn with a state of the art propane grill prominently displayed in a good spot for grilling, even though they can afford to live on the block.

So those are stories—they are civilization, and the Story is like the Earth itself, which is not only the ground upon which they are built, but also the supply of resources used to construct every story with themes, symbols, images, characters, and all the good stuff that makes stories fun and entertaining.

If humanity were spread all throughout the galaxy, that metaphor would be explained differently, and if you want to exercise your creative muscles with a good work out, try to imagine how you may explain it if that were the case. Some people maybe want to lift the big, heavy weights to build large, powerful muscles that can be shown off at the beach to excite the girls when you don’t have a shirt on. If that is you, keep in mind that you still have to be able to talk a decent game, so don’t forget to read a good book every now and then if you go with that approach.

Other people are more concerned about an easy, healthy lifestyle of happy longevity earned with the least amount of effort and activity required. No heavy weights, only the lightest weights necessary and as least frequently as necessary. Walking, not running, eating light and healthy enough to not overdo instead of big and healthy enough because of all the activity your body is doing. “Gotta eat big to get big,” as it is said by those who pump iron.

It’s the same for the easier kind too about being able to talk a good play. There are other ways and motivations too, but I’m sure you get the idea. If you exercise your own creative ability, there is nothing wrong with trying a lot of different stuff, but what is most important is doing what is best for you, and only you can decide what that is.

With the exercise I offered, some people may go hard science fiction while others more fantasy science fiction.

Hard science fiction is when authors want to write about the astrophysics, biochemistry, and rocket science etc. that is real and factually true but applied in fiction in a way that is theoretically possible in real life. They may be sticklers over things like the mass of the two moons a planet has in regard to the diurnal cycles, tides, seasons, and other stuff. You may not even find that stuff in the story, but if you asked them, they maybe could pull out a notebook and show you some equations they did to find out what exactly the mass of those moons is in relation to the planet so the change in tides would make possible some grand and daring sea escapade they imagined.

All of us are passionate about our own stories, so don’t take it personal if someone’s passion for those facts appears to you as a challenge or confrontation. Likewise, don’t assume that a person’s lack of effort to define those facts indicates a lack of effort overall. Maybe what is most important in the story is how a kiss happened and why because of what the themes are, but that kind of thing may be distracting in your story from the themes you chose and why. I don’t think there is anything that causes people to be one way or the other, not even genetics, because it is how we learn, understand, and make decisions as children, then teens, and then adults that makes each of us unique in addition to the experiences we have; experiences with both universal events, like laundry— we all have to do something about it, and random events, like what happened while doing laundry that one time while on an adventure in the Congo.

You can teach a person things and ways and traditions, but… the result of what you say and do in relation to all that your children may see or do is totally beyond your control and not your fault, so don’t panic, but also keep doing the best you reasonably can, which goes for everyone of all ages. Even the littlest most insignificant things can make a very big difference in ways you never could have expected.

That’s the Story. You can put words to it, write it in a novel, but doing that is still just the same thing as the first people did when they lived in caves as a foundation upon it to build from. Except maybe you are not using sticks, rocks, and fire… maybe you are using some aethereal substance of reality that did not yet be known to exist in such a way, and maybe it is just as primitive now as it will be to people 20,000 leagues under the sea.