Why 'the Elusive Fish?'
Let me tell you a story...
The teacher of a creative writing course was explaining to his students the structure of a story.
"Picture a pool of water in which a stone has been cast. The stone striking the water is the inciting incident. The ripples in the water are the plot. It is the author's job to follow and report on the journey of the ripples."
One student suddenly called out, "Who cares about the ripples! What happened to the fish?"
That. Right there. The elusive fish.
That encapsulates everything regarding the craft of storytelling.
It's not enough to see the surface. One pool is pretty much like the other from the safe vantage of the shore. There's little to learn and less to be felt from the ripples of the water.
The real story lies under the surface. Only by diving down with the stone that has been cast can we hope to find the real story. The story that resonates with the heart and mind of the reader. The story that changes everything. The elusive fish.
