One of my favourite introductions to an academic paper comes from George Miller’s 1956 paper on the number 7:
My problem is that I have been persecuted by an integer. For seven years this number has followed me around, has intruded in my most private data, and has assaulted me from the pages of our most public journals. This number assumes a variety of disguises, being sometimes a little larger and sometimes a little smaller than usual, but never changing so much as to be unrecognizable. The persistence with which this number plagues me is far more than a random accident. There is, to quote a famous senator, a design behind it, some pattern governing its appearances. Either there really is something unusual about the number or else I am suffering from delusions of persecution.
It’s about the limits of our capacity to process information.
They don’t write academic papers like this anymore, but I just love how it draws any (academic) reader into wanting to read the rest of it. In the past month, as I’ve been getting my second novel’s query submission package critiqued, I’ve been thinking again on how/where to start a story, and more broadly, in common narrative structures, Act 1. Although I’ve written in the past about “Where To Start Your Story” and the importance of initial agency, in recent thinking, I’ve come to a new refinement.
Act 1 is primarily a narrative trick to compel a reader to join a story in motion.
Welcome to Scenes With Simon. A monthly newsletter about many things. This month is about storytelling & Act 1’s.
Stories In Motion
Events that draw our attention are out of the ordinary. A tree branch falling on a walk. A sudden boom in the distance. The power suddenly going out.
Most of the sudden disruptions, however, are events that has its ending within it. It ends as soon as it starts.
Out of the ordinary events that already have motion, however, has momentum. It’s a startling change that’s come from somewhere and is going somewhere.
Examples in our real world can be:
A blaring ambulance driving past you, pulling along with it the anxiety and history of the strangers involved.
Neighbours arguing, wondering what led to it, and what would lead out of it.
Hearing music being played in the distance, wondering who it is and who its audience is.
Compelling stories in motion have reasons for us to desire to peer into it. It generates a feeling of: “What’s going on over there?”
In this initial “act 1”, where an interested reader discovers a story, it has to reveal the reasons to join the story in motion. For example, three days after the music was being played, a flyer appears in the neighbourhood, asking for donations, for a teenager to compete in an overseas music competition. The interesting event then ideally leads to ‘buy in’: a desire to see it through. Would they win? How did they get here? Was it against adversity? Who would they be competing against?
Some of these questions might be revealed in act 1, but ultimately, act 1 invites the reader in, showing them the map and then having the story and reader set off on the journey in the map. Act 2 is then about contextualization (and exploration of the map in pursuit of the theme).
Story beat sheets often have ‘inciting incidents’. In the Hero’s Journey it’s the “Call To Adventure” away from the “Ordinary World”. In “Save The Cat”, it’s the “Catalyst”. I’d argue that these beats is not where the motion should start, but where it diverts. The introduction to a story should not start from stasis. Common advice are along the lines of “show the character in their ordinary world”. That is true, but it should be a character with agency in a story in motion.
The Narrative Trick
The narrative trick revolves around what the author reveals or does not reveal. When a story in motion grabs our attention ,it’s because the event/sequence itself is interesting. Our continued engagement is an interest to discover and unearth the details behind it.
Before Act 2, a refined process:
Show characters doing something interesting (agency, motion).
Start drawing a map of what act 2 will promise (themes, wants).
When the catalyst arrives, the diversion in motion must be compelling enough to drive a reader to follow the agency that’s been showcased into an adventure (exploring the map of themes towards the diverted goal).
The reason I say ‘narrative trick’ is that the initial part of the story doesn’t need any backstory or exposition. In fact, hiding it is even better.
An example in finer detail:
“Joe decided to take the other road today because today was the anniversary he’d always wanted to forget.”
vs
“Joe decided to take the other today because today was the anniversary of when he got mugged on his usual walk home.”
The former is a deliberate trick to not reveal the impetus in order to make the narrative more interesting. You can’t obviously do this forever. The reader is astute and won’t stick around unless you eventually explain what’s going on. Just. Not on the first pages.
You just have to show something interesting happening.
By analogy: you (usually) only pull out a map after you’ve already determined there’s something in it you want to explore.
A master at this, is Vince Gilligan.
Look at Breaking Bad’s first scene.
This is a classic ‘in media res’ (where the story starts in the middle of action before flashing back to explain how it got here). Regardless of whether it is ‘in media res’ or not, the point is that it is a highly interesting and fascinating scene. It’s a literal story in motion (driving away), there’s a passed out character next to him. He’s being chased? He confesses? He did something illegal? Why in the hell is he in his underpants?! He has agency!(!)
He loves doing these interesting “in media res” openings. Here’s an example of an episode starting with interesting scenes that the viewer at this point has no idea what it could be about.
But, ‘in media res’, while a fantastic introductory narrative trick, it doesn’t need a return. Take the opening to Star Wars: A New Hope. Kicks off with the title of the story (a “star war”) and a Princess giving a message to a droid. That is an interesting start. A character with agency (Princess Leia) in a story in motion (a war) giving a droid a secret mission?
But, like the advice of an act 2 not necessarily being about conflict, it doesn’t mean that it should be loud. Take one of my favourite low-conflict films, Perfect Days.
It breaks the convention. One of the oft-quoted rules in writing is to not start your movie with your protagonist waking up and brushing their teeth. But, here, it does this to show the desired ordinary-ness of Hirayama’s life. It’s because it is a meditative film on ordinary life. But even if this man was supposed to be depicted as ordinary, it’s still an interesting character: his books, tapes, plants, and life in Japan. The subversion here is that it shows agency in his deliberate choice of living an ‘ordinary’ life.
Another way to frame this ‘narrative trick’ is through another common form of storytelling advice: show, don’t tell. But, it needs a bit of a tweak: show something interesting, don’t tell us why. Not yet, at least. ;)
Act 1’s in Real Life
If anything, the most important takeaway that I believe is necessary in any act 1 is that there needs to be some activity, some motion. Act 1’s in real life are often messy. Things like moving to a new country, starting a new relationship, and trying a new hobby, are all marked by agency, but also by walking down the wrong paths (toward mastery and intuition). Too manicured, in some sense, and an Act 1 can feel like a haunted house on a rail. Too obvious and too smooth. Let it be a little messy like a creative’s studio.
In this issue of Scenes With Simon, there’s a few essays, 5 snippets from the web, and updates on what I’ve been up to!
Snippets From The Web
Dutch Urbanism
The Dutch have a tendency to design unique neighbourhoods/urbanism. I covered Houthaven previously. This month, I discovered Kievitsbuurten.
Foursquare
Great piece by Dennis Crowley on FourSquare. I was a huge FS + Swarm fan back in the day.
Decline of IRL
New great data points just how much our way of socialization has changed.
Best Climates?
I grew up in a Mediterranean climate (Cape Town area). Living in an area now where there is a lot of variability in seasons, I’m torn as to which I enjoy more. I struggle with dark cold winters and extreme humid summers, but I also enjoy how embodied the weather makes me feel. Weather that varies a lot makes you more attuned to nature.
But, the relaxed ease of mid weather, is also so nice. Cape Town being peak average highs of 25 c in the summer to 17 c in the winter is amazing.
Hard to choose.
This tool is pretty great to map out climates according to different needs across the globe.
This House Feels Like Tomb Raider?
Not sure why, but this house reminded of Tomb Raider. 😅
Cognitive Mercantilism
I was wondering why I was getting so many new subscribers and followers in October (hi!) and turns out, it was because I’m downstream from Venkatesh Rao going viral for a new article.
I enjoyed it. Like with the agricultural revolution, what does our world look like when most people aren’t producers of intelligence anymore, but rather, consumers of it?
This does not mean that intelligence becomes irrelevant as a human capacity. Quite the opposite. Just as abundant food supported the emergence of elaborate culinary cultures rather than eliminating interest in cooking, abundant intelligence may stimulate increasingly sophisticated cultures of thought.
…and
The cognitive mercantilist sees a world threatened by an oversupply of intelligence and an impending surplus of useless minds. The AI Malthusian sees a world in which intelligence outruns the capacity of humanity to absorb it, leaving a growing population of economically redundant minds primed for revolutionary explosions.
The cognitive capitalist sees the possibility of an almost limitless expansion of demand, and a world full of minds whose potential has barely begun to be explored.
Regardless of what surplus intelligence will be used for, I still think culture will continue to be bigger pillars that society orients itself around because its pace is limited by people’s attentions.
That or idleness (by Sour by Priyanka Desai).
What I’ve Been Up To
Creating:
✍️ Writing
Novel #2 Query Package Feedback
After sending out about 10 or so queries with only rejections, I wanted to get a better grip on my “query package”: query letter, synopsis, and the first 10-50 pages. So, I sent it off in various forms to get it critiqued by three different freelancers. The feedback has been very helpful. As you can see, I wrote about it above! Busy with edits and hoping to query again in November!
GPU World Short Story
It was nice to use my writing muscles for a new short story that I wrote for the GPU World Short Story competition. I’ll see where I can publish it once they’re done judging!
👨🏻💻 Coding
I updated A Letter Elsewhere a little bit. Made it a bit harder. Still thinking/wondering what to do with the game. I like it, but the daily pace is a lot for me. I’m ultimately making it for me, so I have to also enjoy playing it as much as I’m curating it. Daily curation (even with AI help) does take time. So, I’m thinking of changing it to a more difficult weekly version.
Consuming:
📺 Watching
You Can See Everything
I’m a big Nathan Fielder fan. I adored his new documentary focused on spending time with Elizabeth Holmes before she went to prison.
That being said, while excellent, it felt like it retreated somewhat similar grounds to Nathan’s usual work. What’s the line between performance and the truth? Can you even ask this question if you can’t ever be truly impartial? The audience is always present, after all.
Still. Great film!
Silo S1
Bit of a slow burn, but I adore the premise. I tend to want to know more about how it all actually works/runs, rather than the specific intrigue of the characters themselves. I wonder if the books are more in-depth. Still, quite entertaining.
Slow Horses S6
The season felt a bit clunky, but still continues to be very watchable!
Tony
I enjoyed Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers and had high hopes for this Anthony Bourdain early-life biopic. It was good, but, strangely, I don’t think it’s the story per se being bad, it’s just that it felt it needed a bit more leaning into the ‘sublime’: leaning into lingering scenes, moods, and vibes. That’s what Bourdain is always so good at creating.
Da Vinci Code
Rewatched this. Forgot about how exposition heavy it is/was. At points, almost funny. But, good popcorn movie vibe still.
Heated Rivalry
I knew this show was an enemies-to-lovers gay hockey drama and was looking forward to simply being entertained by the tension and drama, but was very surprised at the end. It holds nothing back in the beginning, but then grows into a great and tender show, exploring unique love. I’m always a sucker for love winning over bigotry. All the actors in this were stellar.
Spiderman: Brand New Day
Good MCU movie. I still struggle for some reason these days with the pace of MCU films. I don’t know why. I keep wanting it to slow down. Some are worse than others. Tom Holland was really good in this.
Pride & Prejudice (1995)
Really enjoyed this. I’d only watched the 2005 film version. No other notes. I’m looking forward to the Jack Lowden + Emma Corrin version later this year. I think there should be more media that gets reinterpreted and remade.
Andor S1
Been rewatching Andor and it hits home more so than I thought. Teared up again at the ending of it. Such a great show.
🕹 Gaming
Feather’s Edge
My friend’s game has a demo up! A fun metroidvania. Go play it!
🏃 Running
Fall weather has made it soooo much nicer to run recently. Damn. Been really enjoying it.
🎶 Listening
Caspian - Far Country
Great post-rock track!
Hudson Freeman - Fell Ass Backwards
I can only at best describe this as country grunge? Not entirely Stephen Wilson Jnr, but more grunge? I just love the opening lyric and vibe.
“Fell ass backwards into God’s strange light”
Brandon Flowers - An American Dream
Love how passionate Brandon Flowers is here.
Plini - The Time Will Pass Anyway
Back on a Plini kick and this track so spectacular. Feels hopeful. Acceptance.
That’s all for October, friends! Hope you get to enjoy a lovely sunset!
Simon
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