Quantum Storytelling

A while back I posted about Overachievement, the primary concepts being Trusting vs. Training mindset. As you might remember, Trusting is the “Just Do it!” mode, avoiding analysis paralysis, trusting yourself, and just getting things done. Training mindset is your self-improvement, self-evaluation (editing) mode.

Even being aware of the problem, I still find myself stuck in a Training mindset a lot of the time. I’m always trying to improve my stories, characters, and ideas. The problem with this is it’s hard to nail down a ‘done’ state. I’m sure some of you can empathize with that.

Keep in mind, this isn’t solved by the “Just Write!” mantra. I’m even less happy sometimes when I go about it with that attitude, because my perfectionist urges kick in even stronger when I have a sneaking suspicion something is crap — I’m not content with a rush job. And doing work quickly often means I’ll just be throwing more of it away.

It’s the age old battle between quality and quantity. The faster and more I write, the lower the quality is. The slower I write, the better the quality but then I never get done. Are we trapped in a paradox with this situation? Where is the balance?

How do you balance Trusting vs. Training, quality vs. quantity, etc.?

As I’ve been slow churning through ten seasons of Stargate SG-1, I’ve noticed something they do really well and for lack of a better term I’m calling it the Pyramid of Villains. Many of the main villains come from an alien race, a faction called the Goa’uld. Within the Goa’uld are a large number of ’system lords’ that all fight and compete with each other for power. This creates a shifting, dynamic pyramid of villains.

Outside of that race, there are other alien races and enemies who further expand the pyramid of villains. The result? The heroes never have any shortage of enemies, or conflict. What’s interesting is that all the villains within the pyramid scheme have an explanation for how they got there, their alliances (or lack of) with other members of the pyramid, conflicts between factions, etc. When it’s done well, a pyramid of villains should have a history, a background, and examples within the story of the relationships between different members of the pyramid.

Got a pyramid of villains?

A few facts & observations from Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas,

“When he finished editing American Graffitti in February 1972, Lucas went right to work on his idea. He wrote each morning and spent the rest of his time researching fairy tales, mythology, and social psychology.”

Notice the start date for Star Wars was five full years before it was finished in 1977. Intellectual properties take a lot of time, energy, and research to develop. Remember that you’re not just writing a story. You are creating a universe, characters, and unique mythology.

“As usual, George had difficulty getting his ideas on paper; he decided to write a story treatment (an expanded synopsis), rather than a complete screenplay. By May 1973, he had completed a bewildering 13 page-page plot summary.”

Note the 1973 date. It was over a year from the start date that he had a very messy 13 page treatment. Progress on new I.P. can be slow and frustrating. Even guys like Spielberg and Lucas are not immune.

“Star Wars ruled Lucas’s life. He carried a small notebook in which he jotted down names, ideas, plot angles–anything that popped into his head.”

A Moleskine? Carry with you a way to jot ideas wherever you go, no matter what. You never know when and where an idea might strike you.

“He was struggling to create a new universe, a reality that did not exist outside his imagination.”

This statement reveals more than you might think for its simplicity. We often view our work as “writing a book,” or “telling a story,” but the reality is a lot more complicated than that. We are synthesizing new worlds. Until we order the ideas and events, these unique new worlds exist only in our heads. If anyone else is ever to see and understand them, there is a tremendous amount of work to be done to make those ideas not only strong, but relevant and relatable.

“Infusing a fluid, dramatic movie with a moral structure was a task Lucas dreaded. He had dozens of story elements, but no cohesive plot. His characters evolved and adapted like proto-organisms. He couldn’t decide where to begin and where to end Star Wars. Morality was the least of his problems.”

Even the legendary George Lucas had problems in putting together his vision. Our modern society, especially in the United States, is caught up in this myth of the overnight success.

Someone arrives on the scene with an amazing, world-changing piece of work and we all assume it appeared out of nowhere like magic. This is how many have treated the phenomenon of Star Wars — it was just another movie cranked out by the system, from one guy who happened to get lucky? Such a view goes beyond ignorance in my opinion, and into the realm of outright stupidity.

Five years to develop an I.P. is par for the course, and not a walk in the park. Lucas suffered from anxiety and hypertension, to the point of illness. He pulled his hair out. He couldn’t finish treatments and scripts. At times he felt powerless, or even helpless, and blamed himself.

Being only human, he struggled just as we do to organize and clarify our ideas. And he spent years doing it before he could see his vision in its final glory. If we think we are going to skate by suffering any less than he did we are sorely mistaken. This is the price of admission for creating a new intellectual property, and why the barrier is so high.

“Lucas’s first draft screen-play took a year to complete, until May 1974.”

In many of the screenwriting books I’ve read, there are claims plastered throughout that a script can be written in two weeks or a month. Sure it can. As National Novel Writing Month proves, so can a novel. Just about anything can be created in a two week or one month time frame. But it won’t be Star Wars. An I.P. of that magnitude takes time and a lot more heartache.

“Lucas sent Alan Ladd, Jr., a synopsis of his second draft on May 1, 1974.”

“…the second screenplay was finished on January 28, 1975.”

“The third version was delivered August 1, 1975.”

We’re talking an entire year for the second draft. Don’t feel bad if your magnum opus is taking a long time. You have to push forward in spite of the odds, and be prepared to sacrifice the number of years required for hard synthesis.

If you take anything from a book like Skywalking, take at least the knowledge that creators like George Lucas have already walked down the same path and succeeded, so you know it’s possible.

At the very least, you’re not alone.