I’m thinking about designing a story to write — and then writing it. And so I find myself thinking in terms of the classic hero’s journey.
Fundamentally, you need a hero, a problem and a solution. The rest is all details.
Of course those details matter. For example, it’s not that interesting if the hero doesn’t learn anything. Ultimately it’s not really about what happens, but rather about the character arc.
And of course you need to know who exactly is going on that journey. I remember the first time I saw Ratatouille, and realized that the big character advancement moment was not about Remi.
It was, of all things, about the food critic. That was a character I hadn’t even thought I could like. And yet it was the moment that brought tears to my eyes.
So maybe I shouldn’t assume, going in, that I even know who our hero is. That knowledge might just end up bubbling up from somewhere in my subconscious.
And I am happy to not yet know the answer. Like Yogi Berra said near the end of his life, when his wife asked whether he would prefer to be buried or cremated: “Surprise me.”