What Makes a Good Story? (Part One)

      More likely than not, you have a favorite novel, movie, or video game that makes you feel like you're teleported in and made a part of that world. It is also likely that one of the many reasons you like it so much is because of the story behind it. For a book, the story is the entirety of the product, but for media like television shows or games, the story might just be part of the package. However, stories often captivate us, but why? What makes a story so good? In this first post in the "What Makes a Good Story?" series (and the first post in this blog), I'll be talking about what I think is the most important part of any story: the theme.

    The theme of the story is the underlying message or subject of the story. If you think about your favorite book, movie, or even game, you can probably think of what theme underlies it. For example, let's look at one of the most popular books of all time: The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. While most people can easily name their favorite characters of the series (mine being Legolas and Samwise), their favorite settings, or their love for how thoroughly detailed the writing is, the real part of what draws people into a book is the theme that it deals with. For The Lord of the Rings, the theme is that there are forces of good and evil battling in the world, but that good will always prevail over evil. This theme not only speaks to truth in the world but also is one that can attract readers due to its relevance and relatability. Everyone struggles with evil, and by going through the journeys of Frodo Baggins we can see how others deal with the problems in their life and overcome them to achieve greatness. Therefore, all good themes for a story should connect with the audience: in other words, the meaning behind the story should be meaningful to those experiencing it.

    To me, part of this meaning for a theme relates to my Christian worldview: usually, some of the biggest themes found in stories come from Biblical examples. For example, the struggle between good and evil, with good winning, is one of the main messages of the Bible. Other themes are there, too, such as the theme of radical change and a worldwide disaster being in the passage of Noah's Ark and David's victory over Goliath exemplifying the theme of an underdog's victory.

    When you are writing a story, or if you are reading one, be sure to look out for the theme now that you know what it is and what it does. Themes can influence our beliefs and affect our worldviews, so be attentive to a story's theme and make sure that you don't start living out negative themes.

    I hoped you enjoyed this first post of the "What Makes a Good Story?" series and the first post of this blog. Be sure to subscribe to the blog if you love all things literary and feel free to leave a comment about your opinions on themes and what you would like to see as a future post. However, please remember to be respectful in the comments section.

The first image in the blog (the book) was found via https://libreshot.com.

"Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by Alan Lee (t5)" by Gwydion M. Williams is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

"Cross" by Sean MacEntee is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/