Story, not plot

Story, not plot. If you follow the line of inquiry in Robert McKee's brilliant book about the art of screenwriting, Story, then the reason to promote story in the arts is self evident. Hollywood is obsessed with money, celebrity and special effects. If we're very lucky, the youth audience at which most of the industry aims its weapons, will grow jaded with form over content and we can get back to great stories. Stories nurture our spirit and help us to understand ourselves, and the world, perhaps just a little better.

Great stories are still to be found in the cinema, if you know where to look. Great stories still exist in novels and short stories, in the theatre, even in music and dance. Great stories exist in comic books, in popular TV, and increasingly on the web.

As a writer I strive to create good stories. Stories are what we are, in some ways. As a counsellor, usually the first thing a client tells me is their "story", which is often complex, disconnected, without any clear narrative thread. Part of my task, and the task of the counselling relationship, is somehow to make sense of it all. It may not be the plot line (the facts of the story, if you like), but the emotional journey contained within which is the most important thing. And so, if you can reach the heart of a story, its emotional core), whether as a writer or a counsellor, then that is a road worth travelling.