aristotle poetics, 7 keys to storytelling

This week, I've found myself revisiting basic, old, and fundamental ideas for storytelling. This brings us to what I wanted to talk about this week: Aristotle's 7 rules for storytelling and why I believe they are still applicable today and how you can use them to massivly improve your own story.

1- PLOT

According to Aristotle, plot is the single most important aspect of a story, in brute terms, it refers to what the story is about. It is what physically happens during the movie. This is why when thinking of the plot, we must only consider the action, what happens, and how it happens. The plot advances only through action. A good plot is a framework or a sandbox where we get to play. So make sure you take full adventage of this, desing a plot where you can besst explore your themes in a fresh new way, forcing your characters wto make dificult choices. The plot we choose for our story will determine what emotions the audience will experience and what themes you explore. So don't just think about it in terms of entertainment but make sure it helps and elevates what you are trying to evoke in the audience, both emotionally and intellectually.

2- CHARACTER

Characters are the drivers of our story, as we said before. Plot is the driving force of our story and a story advances purely by action. And action is carried out by our characters. Not only that, but a well-constructed character allows us to show how they see the world, and in that regard, they are essential for carrying out our themes. Remember, we don't want to preach to the audience. They must be able to figure it out by themselves. As writters characters are the vehicle trough which we explore the world.

Aristotle's thoughts on characters:

• A character must have at least one "good" quality that wins the respect of your readers.

• The qualities of the character must make sense based on their identity.

• The character must be believable.

• The character must have consistent traits.

Make sure to stay consistent with your character's personality, morality, and choices. This does not mean you should avoid character arcs but rather that you maintain consistency. Remember, an audience member will buy anything at the beginning, but then you must keep your part of the bargain. If we present our protagonist as an awkward super genius who spends all his time building robots, by himself. we cannot see him in the next scene walking up all confidently into a party. Respect the initial traits you give him and create an arc where we slowly SEE him change.

3- THEME

I already talked about theme in this article, so if you want more in depth look into it, go check it out this article!

But to summarize, we must remember the importance of the theme is to layer and enrich our stories. It is what lies beyond the surface, giving it its own flavor and allowing you to explore ideas and concepts that enthrall you. Moreover, it gives your story a unique quality as it is filtered through your own experience and view of the world. In my opinion, it's where the soul of the film lies.

4- DICTION

According to Aristotle, Diction encompasses the choice of words and the tone in which our characters speak. In this regard, what is most important is to maintain a level of veracity. If you are writing about a scientist who discovered the atom, you must ensure that both the words spoken and the tone in which they are said are congruent. Otherwise, you risk losing immersion from the viewer. On the other hand, you can play around with it. Maybe you get some more stylization in your dialogue like Quentin Tarantino. But be careful not to stray too far away, or you risk losing the viewer and messing up the tone and veracity of your story.

5- MELODY

When we think of melody, the first thing that comes to mind is a movie score. We often think about they give ambiance to a scene, elevate an emotion, and generally enhance a film. All of those are correct. But I would like to add that the melody of the film is also composed of any and all sounds that are not dialogue. By looking at the sound design of a movie, we can unlock a different level of subtext and storytelling, supplementing image, not only in emotion but in themes. Even when thinking of music, we can think of a motif. A leitmotive is a specific piece of music that accompanies a character. For example, the shark in Jaws has its iconic motif. When we hear the shark’s leitmotive, even if he is not on the screen, we know he is lurking. In this way, we use music to create an expectation and thus tension. As you can see, this expands our understanding of what melody is in a movie.

6- DECOR

Decor is all about the environment, the physical world that your characters live in. It is important to determine what the most interesting setting for your own story should be, as it will determine the way your characters behave and ideally enhance conflict and theme. Think about how this area can serve you as a storyteller to better evoke your themes and emotions. I would urge you to think about how this area can serve you as a storyteller to better evoke your themes and emotions. If you want the audience to feel a sense of grandeur in a revenge story, you might choose to set your story in a coliseum, much like "Gladiator." On the other hand, if you wish to explore similar themes of revenge but in a more personal and contained manner, you might opt for a modern day city setting, and end up with "Oldboy." As you can see, there is no right or wrong setting; it's about choosing the one that allows you to realize your story to its fullest potential.

7- SPECTACLE

Aristotle defines it as the stage appearance of the actors, everything that is seen and heard on stage. However, I think it also relates to our understanding of the word spectacle. It's not about explosions and falling buildings, instead, think of spectacle as those cathartic moments in your film. It could be a quiet family dinner or even just a look. Spectacle can be the moments that make us excited to watch a film, carrying with it a certain catharsis and climax. It's why the audience shows up. But remember that it elevates the feeling, emotions, and excitement; it doesn't create them. That work has to be done prior. If you've ever been at the climax of a movie and felt nothing, it may be because the filmmaker focused too much on spectacle.

As you can see, these seven points of storytelling that Aristotle talked about are as relevant today as they were over 2,000 years ago, So take a look and analyze each point in relation to your story, think about how and were you might improve and I'm sure you will find a way to elevate one or multiple aspects of your story.

And remember, keep creating!