Inner Struggles and Realizations · 12:00am Mar 22nd, 2021
Lithub.com had an intriguing definition of a story in their post, Tell Don’t Show? What Brain Imaging Reveals About Readers.
Which brings us to the question: okay then, what is a story?
A story is about how an unavoidable external problem forces the protagonist to change internally in order to solve it.
A story isn’t about how someone solves a problem. It’s about how the problem causes someone to realize something, internally—something that has been preventing them from solving said problem. It is that inner struggle that has us riveted, not the bombs bursting in air.
And the realization that the protagonist’s inner struggle leads to is what answers the question your audience is always tacitly asking: “Why does this matter to me?”
It is interesting to apply this test to some of your favorite stories. What is the protagonist’s inner struggle that keeps them from solving their problem in the beginning, and what is the internal revelation that allows them to solve it in the end?
For example, Lunatic Fringe by kudzuhaiku seems to focus on Princess Luna’s inner struggle and her quest for the realization that will allow her to solve the issues before her.
What stories do you think present a character's inner struggle and their ultimate realization effectively?
