Introducing: Narrative Impact
The newsletter about good stories and how we can't get enough of them
Hello There.
I am Lesley, storysmith and mythmaker, player of games, reader of novels, and all-around wild child of Berlin. I use my scientific background to analyze what makes a good story memorable and my years-long research into comparative mythology to realize new narratives for myself. I write in and about my beloved genres of fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction, and I’d love to share my thoughts and words with you.
The writer’s version of the old adage, “If you want something done well you must do it yourself,” is the following — a popularized quote attributed to the late and great Toni Morrison:
Write the book you want to read.
But … how? How do we put that narrative into words, the one calling to us in half-dreams, its elusive whisper dissipating even as you strain to listen? How do you address the lingering sense that something vital was missing from that great character in that great film…but what was it, exactly?
I firmly believe that each and every one of us has a story to tell, and each of us - when we pick up a novel or buy tickets to a movie - is deep-down searching for that one perfect story, the ultimate story, encapsulating some essential internal truth that we yearn to hear validated, externally.
The unparalleled catharsis and joy of encountering a good story that resonates with an internal truth… this is what I call “narrative impact.” This is the through-line of my approach to every piece of art and media I engage with, and to this I dedicate my publication and newsletter.
To be fair, there are as many ultimate stories as there are humans on the planet, but as humans, there are essential commonalities across all of them. Join me here on the search for my ultimate story1, the one I’m yearning to put into words and share with the world.
Along the way, I’ll explain why dramatic turns linger in our minds and how cliffhangers keep us up at night. I’ll unpack the appeal of escapist chosen-one narratives and how that affects all the groups who are never chosen. I’ll apply insights from history, philosophy and physics to the benefit of enriching one’s narrative experience of a film, book, or TV series.
Lastly, just so you know - I am a huge nerd, basically a walking encyclopedia of myths, constellations, queer history, and linguistic oddities. According to my mother, “[I] know things” and my therapist once remarked on learning something unexpected with each session. Unlike my mother and my therapist, though, who have little choice in the matter — and my friends who smile and roll their eyes when I get out my soap box — you can choose whether or not to receive my thoughts on the world, emailed directly to your inbox!
Every two weeks, Narrative Impact will contain one ore more of the following:
Analyses of recurring archetypes in popular media
Applications of the Hero’s Journey framework to favorites…and least-favorites
“Lesley recommends”, a round up of the best stories I manage to find
“Mythological Musings”, a myth retelling and discussion
…other topics TBD
So, yeah, that’s it, I think. Hope to see you around here again. Just keep reading, friends.
The search will never be over, by the way. After I write my next book, a new ultimate story will reveal itself, and I’ll have to chase it next.
Oooh write
the book you want to read, indeed. I started my stuff because I wanted to write the podcast I wanted to listen to. Only, it turns out I have no technical or production skills whatsoever, so print it is. You hooked me with that Morrison quote, and now I’m a new subscriber.