Skulls Can Teach Us About Storytelling
By Mike Apodaca, High Desert Branch
I‘ve always been enamored by skulls. I have a collection that includes skulls from big horn sheep, beavers, and many other smaller animals.
Each skull tells the story of the animal it was from. The type of teeth tells you what it ate. The shape of the head, how the creature stands, how it views the world, and how it defends itself against its enemies can all be seen in the skull. Each of these elements align with good storytelling.
The shape of the head.
It’s easy to tell what animal a skull came from. A bird skull is different from a lion’s skull. Both are different from an alligator skull. A skull provides the infrastructure to the head in the same way that an overriding genre provides the underlying shape of our
stories. A romance will be different from a mystery. Knowing our genres well helps us to give a shape to our story that our readers will recognize.
How the creature stands.
Animals that stand erect have the hole for their spinal cord at the base of the skull. Creatures that stand on four legs have the hole in the back of the skull. The placement of this hole determines the trajectory of the spinal cord, the key to the direction of the nervous system. In the same way, writers must decide how their stories will stand structurally, how this amazing feedback loop will be set up. Will the structure be linear (events following one after another) or cyclonic (a swirling story that gets increasingly more intense)? Will there be flashbacks? How will the story stand?
How the creature sees.
The placement of the eye sockets is essential to sight. Some birds have large eye sockets on the sides of their skulls with complicated muscle structures that allow them a nearly 360-degree perspective. Other creatures have smaller eyes in the front of their skulls and must constantly turn their heads to get a bead on their environment. Some owls can turn their heads all the way around. In the same way, the writer must decide the POV that will determine what the reader can see in their story. If an omniscient point of view is chosen, then all can be seen. If it’s written in third person, then multiple perspectives can add vision to the story. But if it is first person, then everything depends on where the main character’s line of sight is at any particular moment. They will miss a lot. But that can also add to the story.
Defense against enemies.
The different parts of skulls have different thicknesses. Human foreheads tend to be thick (something I personally appreciate), while the bones of birds are extremely porous and light to aid with flight. Bones not only provide structure, they also protect vital organs like the brain, heart, and lungs. In the same way, every story must have a threat that is met by the strengths of the hero, or protagonist. The protagonist must protect vulnerabilities in himself or in another character or both.
Most importantly, skulls are organic. Bones undergo a constant process of removing older material and adding new. This keeps bone fresh and strong. In the same way, we edit our stories, removing flaws and strengthening all aspects of our tales.
Skulls can be seen as a metaphor for writing, sharing some of the same elements. We can learn a lot from observing the world around us, seeing metaphors and parallel relationships. We grow as writers as we learn to see our writing with fresh eyes. Try it.
You may be surprised.
“Skulls” first appeared as the President’s Message
jn the November 2023 The Inkslinger, newsletter of the High Desert Branch.