The Heart of Storytelling is About CHANGE.

In previous blog posts, we discussed the importance of addressing a specific problem so we can meet the listener where they are and make them feel understood.

We also discussed our song's main character's conscious goal/desire.

But of course, solving a problem by reaching what you want is never how it all turns out to be.

There are complications that make it even harder to reach one’s goal.

That’s a complication, but you can still get back on your feet and continue.

But at one point in the story, something happens that throws the character off his set path to reach his goal and puts them at a crossroads.

It’s not only coming as a surprise to him, but it’s completely unexpected.

This unexpected moment is the most important ingredient you need for telling a story.

This is the one that decides if you have a story or if you don’t.

Stories are about what changes from the story's beginning to its end.

This unexpected moment is the catalyst for making change happen.

It’s the one that puts the song's main character in a crossroad dilemma and they are faced with a this-or-that choice before they can continue.

That means, reaching their goal is no one-way path anymore.

They have to make a decision first.

The unexpected moment throws something into the character’s consideration that clearly shows no matter what path they choose, there’s no ideal option.

This moment of grannie being robbed and pushed changes the entire situation, and it throws the main character into a crisis.

There's no moving on unless there's a decision made first.

In our example, the crisis looks like this:

So when it comes to showing that change between the song's beginning and the song's ending, then...

That change can be internal, external, or both.

External refers to their situation, physical state, and place in life.

Internal relates more to a state of mind where they learned an important life lesson. They may have improved their understanding of the world and their social status or even become a better person.

This is especially powerful in character-driven narrative arcs where the progression of your song's storyline happens through the transformation of the song's main character.

And again, that internal or external change happened because of hitting that unexpected turning point that threw the song's main character into a this-or-that crisis where they had to make a real choice with meaningful stakes on the line.

And through that external and/or internal change – which refers to the character's situation and inner values – the story delivers a meaningful message that helps the audience survive, thrive, or derive meaning for their lives.