What's in a good story?

My name is Trevor
I like a good story

Regardless of the source

I enjoy a number of different sources of fiction.

I enjoy playing all manner of board games, but there is a special place in my mind for Warhammer 40,000. I first was introduced to this game through a roundabout fashion. My family had a game that we played called Heroscape. It had a number of different characters that you chose and pit them in battle against the other players’ teams. The set came with a large number of critters, but soon, I wanted more. In particular, one of the larger monsters made reference to a bonus that it gave other orcs, which were absent from the set.

I decided to go out and purchase some more models for the game and if I couldn’t find the right ones, I would get something close and make up the rules myself if I needed to. I went to my local toyshop and unsurprisingly couldn’t find any Heroscape models but I did find a box of Ork Boyz. I purchased these (in an odd moment of serendipity, I purchased them off my future sister in law).

I enjoyed assembling and painting these figures immensely. I decided to make a splash into the pool that was Warhammer 40,000. I purchased the starter set, Battle for Maccrage, and a battle force. The Toyworld that I was at had a decent selection of battle forces. I had a good look at all of them and with my non-existent knowledge of the background or factions that were available to me, I had to decide for myself in what I truly believe was the most honest and fair way possible. I chose the ones that looked the coolest. I chose the Space Wolf battle force and by coincidence, started myself down the pathway of heroics in the 41^st millennium.

I dived into this world without caution. I discovered large bouts of background and character. The Space Wolves are a group of Space Marines who are probably the most arrogant and glory-hungry that defend mankind. They see themselves as superior to all others. I picked up the needed materials and discovered that there was a local Games Workshop in Carindale. I went along and discovered that there was a group of people who were incredibly passionate about this hobby.

It was here that I played my first game. The gentleman that I played against was the perfect opponent; friendly, forgiving and fun. In fact, over the following time as a customer there, we played more than a few games together. Each time we did, the game became a story. We didn’t just play a game, we created stories and events. The different characters we ran developed background and rivalries.

This was where my passion for the hobby began to burn. The powerful stories. The characters that etched their way into my mind. I read all of the novels about one of the Space Wolves, Ragnar Blackmane. I followed on with many different stories from their world. The strange thing about it, is that none of these stories were quite enough. I was always preferring the ones that I created in my games. I found that the simple input that I had gave greater depth. Sure, I wasn’t always describing what was going on in the world around them but I was forging the narrative of my game.

This may be one of the reasons that I have more character models made than anything else. Each of them has a story. When playing games, I, all too often, stick to the traits that embodied these models, sending them into the fray when common sense would have held them back, or perhaps they would stick to the high ground to be better able to survey the battlefield, or they might even only stick around the same group of warriors to help them achieve greatness, to carve out their own saga. This was a habit that my opponents could (and often would) exploit. I still had fun.

It was the stories that truly interested me. The stories of great heroism and tragic falls. I read a lot of Black Library novels (the publishing company associated with this universe) and at first, thought they were the greatest thing ever. They were jam packed with action. The characters were larger than life. The action was only interrupted by ‘we’re not going to make its’, ‘we made its’ and the occasional one liners. They were big pew-pew space battles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

My taste buds for novels changed over time.

I made a friend at university. We met in Chemistry class where I was forever distracting her and we shared a number of laughs. She moved away and then back to Brisbane. When she was back she introduced me to her partner and the two of us hit it off pretty well. At one point, I got to talking about my desire to increase my range of novel reading. He lent me a number of books on the spot. These books were still science fictiony type novels. They ranged from Frank Herbert’s Dune to Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game to Brandon Sanderson’s Legion.

These books introduced me to ‘new’ concepts. Characters who were neither good nor evil. Situations with no right answer, or wrong answer, or sometimes any answer. They were great.

I began to devour books a lot faster. The fact that I had an hour plus trip each way to work helped fuel this habit. I read comedies, drama, fiction, non-fiction. I was known by a few people as book a week Trevor.

I looked back at some of the best books that I have read and realise that I probably enjoy them as much as I do because I am an empathetic person. I could truly imagine Lerris learning that every piece of disorder he created, including deception, caused him physical pain in The Magic of Recluse. I empathise with Motley as he put on his Harlequin facade to hide the extreme concerns he had while trying to persuade Morr to do the right thing in Path of the Incubus. I felt the hopelessness of Anton’s choices in The Night Watch. I sensed Thorslax the Blighted’s fatigue in Blood of Asaheim. I struggled with the moral consequences of the protagonist of The War of the Worlds. And many, many more. In essence, I delved heavily into these books. I walked alongside these characters.

This, however was not the only source of fiction that I have enjoyed.

Some of the greatest video games I have played have been the ones with the greatest storylines.

There you are, you’ve just been told that you are being sent on a special mission to assess whether or not you’ll be the first human recruit in the galactic version of MI6. The mission goes unexpectedly (not really) and horribly (definitely) wrong. The assessor is killed, the artefact you needed to recover is destroyed beyond repair, one of your team members doesn’t make it back, the human colony is destroyed by a race of sentient machines with many of its inhabitants transformed into zombie like husks and you need to go back to explain this disaster to the politicians.

This was the opening level of Mass Effect. Pretty standard stuff for a video game. You’re the hero, something goes wrong and you need to fix it. What makes Mass Effect such a great game (and quite possibly my favourite) is the characters and choices that you have to make.

Every companion you can have has a full story. They all have wants and desires. They won’t always agree with your decisions. They will often voice their concerns. You get somewhat attached to them. Some of them die. Tears may be shed (I did and my eyes will still well up in some scenes). There will be favourites. There will be those that really aren’t. These characters drive the story just as much as the plot and they often give you moral dilemmas.

This was another fantastic thing about this game. Do you let the last queen of an alien race thought extinct go free, given that they nearly destroyed the galaxy, she promises they won’t do it again; or do you commit genocide on them? Would it help if both of your companions give you compelling arguments for different decisions? Too easy. What if you had to decide whether or not to catch a terrorist OR try to disarm the bombs he has planted in the rooms with the people you are trying to rescue? These were just a couple of the decisions that you might encounter in the first of this trilogy.

The game itself is fun, but more importantly, it has a great story. It’s an interactive story. One where you get to make the key decisions instead of the protagonist. The decisions you make impact how the story unfolds. In that, the game lets you think about your decisions and why you are going to make them.

One of the greatest elements of what I believe makes a great story is that it can make you to think, or even rethink something.

From some of the books I have mentioned:

Dune: The contrasts between the two houses, in particular the physicality of Paul Maud-dib and 

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. It also presented future telling as part power, part self fulfilling prophecy.

Ender’s Game: Games are not always just games. What is the cost of victory on the individual? What are the repercussions, both moral, ethical and physical on moulding a child for a specific role?

Legion: What would happen if each of your skills were a separate entity in the world? How would they interact with you and each other?

The Magic of Recluse: Order and Chaos instead of Good and Evil. The concept of balance in the world, ie an equal amount of Order and Chaos, just distributed differently.

Path of the Incubus: What is the cost of personal honour in a world focused on the pursuit of power?

The Night Watch: The illusion of choice when trying to impact the consequences of our decisions.

Blood of Asaheim: Sometimes the bad guys don’t want to fight anymore and the heroes are really the bloodthirsty ones.

The War of the Worlds: What would a person be capable of in the worst possible situations? What would mankind?

As the character Hoid said, “A storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” If a story can make me think, then it’s probably a good story.

Each of the above books and many other stories (movies, games, plays, the list goes on) have left me pondering something. Whether this something was intended by the author or a connection that I made, it doesn’t matter. It has enriched my mind. It has had an impact on my life. It has helped to shape my thinking in some way. Sometimes small, sometimes powerfully.

I want to achieve that.

In grade 12, I wrote a short story in a QCS practice. I put it up on a website on the interwebs. Here’s a link if you’re interested: The Mind's Work. I hadn’t written much for a long time and as a result, my skills got rusty. I have recently started writing more and more. So far, there is almost nothing that I would show anyone. But each time I pen something creatively, I’m getting better. I’m making better choices. I’m throwing characters that I like into situations I don’t. They’ve not always escaped. Sometimes they have but wished that they hadn’t. I’ve written despicable acts of cruelty and unexpected moments of compassion. I will keep writing until I get something I’m happy with. Then I’ll show people, who knows, one day I may get something published somewhere.

Then I’ll write some more.

My name is Trevor
I love good stories
I’m beginning to write some myself