I’m
super bummed the Olympics are over. I think I enjoyed them more than I ever
have.
I
had a “writerly” thought as I watched. One of my favorite things about the
Olympics is the personal stories of the athletes. And I noticed that the media was
very smart about how they told these stories. I realized this is the key to doing backstory right.
The
first step I noticed is they give us a dramatic situation. What is more
dramatic then the Olympics? Not much :) We are immediately hooked into the
drama of who will win and who will lose.
Then they give us the
backstory. At this point we care because we already want them to win. And after the backstory we really want them to win.
So
easy formula. Make us care about the character first, then give us the
backstory! I know this is story tellin 101, but it is still a nice reminder.
Lay
it on me…what did you learn from the Olympics?
-Angie
