Action Pulp!

The Story

By Adam Messer

Once upon a time, in a far away land, lived a simple young man who dreamt of traveling the world and painting what he saw along the way.

How many stories start with humble beginnings?

“Give ‘em what they want and give it to ‘em real good!” – Dr. David Taylor.

My professor Dr. David Taylor was talking about the audience when he said this. It has stuck with me ever since.

We all crave a good story, and we love telling our own stories. As a storyteller, I enjoy stories about people who become the object of some kind of obstacle and overcome through transformation despite having little to no resources or experience at first. Transpiring through the process of their journey and coming out on the other side as the same person, yet different; renewed hope and changed in a fundamental way.

Once you know something, you may forget it, but you will never learn about it again for the first time.

I once heard the audience, or the reader, wants something new and different, but the same familiar story. Tropes, the hero’s journey, the story arc; call it what you will.

Ultimately the story proceeds through from the start, to the middle, and then to the end. Whatever may come.

To say one has an original idea is to say one created the water of the sea, or the stars in the night’s sky. Nothing is new. Nothing is original. Nothing is avant-garde. Everything is washed out and overplayed.

I do not agree with this philosophy because creating art is not simply a system of design, it is an expression of life. The personal lens which the creator uses encompasses their life experiences including a range of pre-determined circumstances based on social, political and economic conditions of the time period of their lives and the medium available to them.

To say nothing is new is one perspective which holds little truth, yet it may be that person’s experience, meaning it is an absolute truth to them.

Storytelling is innate to all human beings, and while they may use a variation of a previous work, an inspiration from one’s work from another creator, their story is as new as any other story.

The nuance of interpretation makes the story new.

The novelty comes when someone masterfully captures a new story using familiar imagery where the audience not only embraces the characters, but also invites them to feel as part of the story. Whether they feel like they are the character, or like they have witnessed the story first hand, the story offers a connection from one person to another.

This is the magic of storytelling. Human connection. Overcoming tragedy. Learning, growing, sharing; life is our own story. One worth telling.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end.