STORYTELLING ESSENTIALS: The Maze Runner
I want to talk about The Maze Runner today, a novel written by James Dashner and adapted into a screenplay. I saw the movie with a beautiful girl this week and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to point out some of the reasons it was such an effective story.
The movie begins with Thomas rising in an elevator shaft. He reaches the top, and the hatch doors flip open to reveal twenty or so teenage boys staring down at him. He has no memory of his past, and does not even recall his own name. He tries to run, only to discover the young men are surrounded by giant walls that close and open by their own power. When he stops at an open section of wall, thinking about running into the spooky woods, one of the boys violently shoves him to the ground, then assures Thomas that he was lucky for the knockdown.
This is an outstanding opening. Let’s discuss why:
1. Who is this young man? I’ll tell you who. He’s any and every person. Thomas does not recall his past, let alone his own name. Creating a protagonist with general characteristics is a great way to give the readers someone they can relate to (think Harry Potter). Still, crafting a protagonist who can stand out in any crowd will create someone more memorable, as long as your readers can identify with them on some level (think Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Lenny and George from Of Mice and Men)
2. Instant conflict – The elevator Thomas rises on travels at an incredible rate of speed. It looks as though he is headed for a collision at the rooftop. Instead, the doors open to find a group of boys staring down at him. But these boys don’t readily accept him as a friend – they look like a group of punks who want to start trouble with the new kid. Thomas tries to flee, only to find he is trapped by the giant walls surrounding the area, and will be forced to live with them.
3. Suspense – So many great questions are raised in this opening. Who is this protagonist, and why was he sent here? And where is ‘here’ – what is this new world? And the moving walls – we already know he is in a maze (the title kind of gives it away), but what is behind those walls? After Thomas is violently shoved just short of entering the maze, he is told he should be grateful. The viewer is left to wonder what could possibly be behind those walls that’s worse than a violent, forceful knock to the ground. It isn’t until later we learn about the mechanical creatures lurking behind them, and by the time we do we are already expecting them to terrify us.
We want to know the answers to these questions, and more specifically, the answer to this one – Will Thomas find a way out of the maze? (that’s the plot)
Anyway, I strongly suggest you go check out this movie. And bring along a beautiful date if you can, it will only make it more enjoyable.
– Thomas M. Watt
– Author of A New Kingdom
Thomas M. Watt 
Hey Thomas. I was wondering if you could take a look at this mini-story I wrote and see if it sounds intriguing enough to turn into a novel. This is just a teaser.
The ostrich waltzed into the room. The room was empty. A bowl of cornflakes was sitting on the table and the water was running. The refrigerator was running. Even Joe was running in place in the kitchen. The ostrich was like “wtf mayte?!?” as it strutted its head up and down like a yoyo. As the ostrich came nearer to inspect the blood on the kitchen floor it was clear that it was not just any blood, but menstrual blood. The ostrich shrieked and shat itself, meanwhile Joe was rocking out to music. Just then, a cloud formed overhead that looked in shape like the Lord from the Heavens. What on earth is the Lord doing here? A loud pop was heard followed by the loud horny moan of a woman. It was time to investigate.
What do you think? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
I think you should give up writing. Hope this helps!
I didn’t read the book, but the movie rocked! I just saw today that the new one is out. I’ll go see that one for sure! ~~F
Ya it did. I had no idea, I’ll definetly be checking it out.
Yup. Looks good too. ~F