A few days ago I tweeted about a talk that Lost creator J.J. Abrams gave at the TED 2007 Conference. Now, you might be asking, “Why are you writing about a two year old conference. I mean…seriously?”
First, because it’s one of the best talks I’ve come across on what makes stories work from someone who’s doing it. And he does it in 18 minutes. Here you have a guy who tells stories that millions of people tune into every week religiously. They want to know what the island is on Lost or what the Pattern on Fringe is. People devote entire websites to unraveling and dissecting the mystery because they. have. to. know.
And second, because the point he makes in his talk is the same one I tried to get at in a post I wrote last week. And that is, mystery is better than knowledge. Questions make stories. We want to know, but the not knowing is what drives us to tune in or turn the page. Like with Lost, each question leads to a new question and we never quite find satisfaction. And we love it.
There are some key lessons in here like knowing what not to reveal is as important as what to reveal, and mystery is oftentimes far better than knowledge. And, my favorite, the best stories are the ones with layers that aren’t always what they seem to be.
If you’re a storyteller, take the 18 minutes you’ll need to watch this then post your thoughts.
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