The Evolution of Story

Feb 3, 2019
2 min read

Imagine standing with a post-caveman critic, surveying a new hieroglyphic painting on a cave wall. It depicts the tribe's latest victorious mastodon hunt. A story beautifully told: struggles arise and heroes emerge. It masterfully drawn with a newly-discovered organic material that will stand against time. These drawing will tell this story for generations. Centuries from now, scientist will examine them, drawing conclusions about what the story says about daily life in the tribe, the things they value, and their traditions.

While you take in this masterpiece of storytelling, your caveman companion says, "These drawings are great, but it was better when Grandpa told the story around the fire ring."

Ancient stories passed along from generation to generation by spoken word, etchings, or drawings are scribed on scrolls. After the printing press the same scrolls are transcribed. Books, magazines, and newspapers are published. Photographs. Nickelodeons. Radio-drama characters are adapted for television. And when all the original story ideas have been taken, Hollywood creates feature films. Now, the rise of podcasts and on-demand, online video. While the medium by which we deliver our stories evolves, still the act of storytelling remains the same. Still:

The critic always says, "You know, I think the book was better."

Each stage of media evolution gives a storyteller a little more control of the story; but strips the listener of the opportunity to fill the gaps with our own imagination. Until radio, the Lone Ranger's voice sounded like the voice in our head. Without the movies, readers created the architecture of Hogwarts page by page. It wasn't until "moving pictures"became "talkies" that we knew Hollywood's starlet had a voice that peeled paint from walls.

We love stories. But even more, we love putting a piece of ourselves in the story.

During the most recent polar vortex event, I spent some time listening to Homecoming, a 12-part podcast serial produced by Gimlet.

Homecoming centers on a caseworker at an experimental facility, her ambitious supervisor, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life — presented in an enigmatic collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. The result is an innovative, immersive audio experience — a mystery unfolding.

6 hours of media content consumed, devoured really, in just two sessions. This must have been how families in the 30s felt as they huddled around the family radio, listening to The Shadow.

Even before listening to the podcast, I knew that Amazon had produced a 10-episode television version of the story starring Julia Roberts. So, after 6 hours of consuming audio content, I immediately started watching the 5 hours of video content. (Don't judge me. It was a polar vortex. I didn't have anything to do for 7 days.)

It was really good. In fact, Homecoming was nominated for a handful of Emmy's.