Who's Driving?

An interesting aspect of epic adventures often focuses on who’s driving the shared narrative.

As in “who’s story, is it?”

As writers, Stephanie and I are always talking about hero’s, villains and conflicts. On our travels, we meet so many interesting people and we know it’s their stories that inspire us and help us grow as people.

Stephanie Driving on the Eyer Highway

On any given day, when you have a companion (traveling or otherwise) you must accept the undeniable fact that, in a story, someone needs to drive the action (our hero) and the other needs to follow. Each has a vital role to play in the story.

Broadly, I think I tend to be controlling when it comes to driving the narrative action, which can be both good and bad to a quality story. Stephanie tells me she doesn’t experience me this way at all. In fact, quite the contrary. She explains, sitting across from me as I type this, that from the moment she met me that she has felt like an equal partner in the story of us. In storytelling, that’s called dual protagonists. It is rarely used, as it can be challenging to write as it’s multifaceted. But aren’t we? So, I must ask myself: where’s the narrative that I’ve created in my head coming from?

I think to myself, past stuff, I guess. Stuff that at the end of the day is not mine at all and not part of my story.

So, my ongoing narrative that continues to unfold after many years and miles of traveling with a wonderful partner, is that for compelling and provocative adventures (or life for that matter) it’s best to share equally in writer duties – thus achieving a blockbuster story.