Using the rule of threes.
Most people learn a layer-by-layer method when they first learn to solve the Rubik's Cube. Simply put, you solve the cube like stacking layers of a wedding cake. Solve the first layer, then the middle layer, and then the last layer. Poof. It's solved! Easy as 1,2,3.
You probably know that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Obviously! But, what this really means is that a story must have the following three fundamental elements:
- A conflict
- Character(s) struggling to overcome the problem
- The resolution (either won or lost)
For example:
I must solve this puzzle, but there are 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible ways to further mess it up.
I plan to solve the puzzle one layer at a time. Complications arise. If I try to solve the pieces in the middle layer, I risk messing up the first layer pieces.
My actions bring me to a turning point. I now have two layers solved. Here, the stakes are highest. With every move to solve the remaining pieces, I might have to start over from the beginning. I am fully committed and must risk it all to move forward. I will reach a final resolution.
On the one hand, I may achieve my goal and solve the cube successfully. On the other, I may not, and I chuck it against the wall in frustration. Either way: "The End". The story is resolved.
You'll find these three elements in almost every classic story, from "Romeo and Juliet" to "Cinderella". The amazing thing about Shakespeare is he didn't even have the Rubik's Cube as a guide and yet he still wrote masterful stories.
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I'm pretty sure it was the Rubik's Cube that drove King Lear crazy.
ReplyDeletemood
:D
DeleteShakespeare was clearly a man ahead of his time!