Would we want a story to result in thunderous applause, or a resounding meh?
Campbell came up with a universal formula for storytelling...every great story ever is a variation of a basic theme. Hero’s journey.
He said that there were three factors to every hero:
The story begins with a flawed character whose journey leads to both victory and salvation.
The road to glory is pockmarked with small defeats that keep audiences anxious and alert.
Audiences want to imagine themselves as heroes.
Next up is advice from a hollywood producer, who said that people have certain expectations of a story. Reverse too many expectations, and you get confusion.
Change all the elements, and it’s a parody. The secret? One specific tweak to the list of expectations.
Take a classic western adventure story but set in space, and you have pure awesome sauce.
Next up is advice from the Count.
Not this one, though...even if he would be a lot of fun. The advice comes from Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy; he wrote some stuff you might have heard of.
A story is a vehicle for the delivery of all feelings, from sorrow to ecstasy. Get your students to feel things about your lesson content, and it will stick.
The joy of a roller coaster isn’t the imminent threat of death. It’s the tension between “this thing will make me think I’ll die” and “I know exactly where I’ll disembark alive”
You know what...the tension is already there. Getting them to believe that the ride has an exit is your job.
Now, who do we want to be the hero of the story? Know your students. Incorporate their background into your examples.
Teaching heat transfer? Polynesian firewalking. Coefficient of friction lesson? Greek construction techniques. Anatomy and physiology? Central American tumba muerto painting.
