“Unlocking the Secrets of Storytelling: How ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Inspires Writers to Craft Timeless Narratives”
Snuggle up with some hot cocoa and a blanket, and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart, for great lessons in storytelling:
1) it’s all in the details
2) contrast will bring your story to life
3) endings can swing many ways
4) characters with character will take you far
First, details. Probably the most salient details in the film are Zuzu’s petals. Zuzu is George Bailey’s youngest child. She holds a rose at one point. The rose loses a few of its petals and George puts them in his pocket. When George is looking at life without himself, he reaches into his pocket, and discovers the petals are gone. The angel advises that they aren’t there because he wasn’t born; therefore, Zuzu was never born, etc. But, when the angel reverses things, and George is back to “being in the narrative,” he discovers that the petals are still in his pocket. These specific, tiny details drive the story, and give the main character important knowledge about his position in the universe. Use details wisely, and they can be a shorthand way of explaining things to the characters and readers.
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