Storymaker and Storyteller: An Interview With James Bonnet, Part One

Welcome back!

This is Part One of a press interview with James Bonnet, author of Stealing Fire From the Gods, and master story teacher. It is an excellent introduction to story. [Published here with permission.]

For more about James Bonnet, visit www.storymaking.com.  

Press Interview, Part One, With James Bonnet

Question: I notice you use the word storymaker instead of storyteller? Is there a difference?
Bonnet: A significant difference. A storyteller tells stories that already exist. A storymaker creates a new story from whole cloth.

Question: And is that what you teach – storymaking? 
Bonnet: I teach both, actually. You need both skills to create a great story.

Question: In this context: what do you mean by a “great” story?
Bonnet: When I talk about great stories, I mean the great myths, legends and fairy tales that have lived for hundreds and thousands of years like The Iliad, King Arthur, and Rumpelstiltskin. Critically acclaimed literary classics like Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and A Thousand and One Nights. Critically acclaimed films like The Silence of the Lambs and The Sixth Sense. Best-selling novels like War and Peace and The Lord of the Rings, and all-time box-office successes – Harry Potter, The Godfather, Toy Story 3.

Question: Is there a common denominator in all of these different types of story?
Bonnet: Yes – they all have the same underlying hidden structure.

Question: In one of your articles, you mention The Coming Age of Story. What do you mean by that?
Bonnet:  I mean that the interest in story has grown exponentially in the last decade. People everywhere, in all walks of life, have begun to realize just how important story is and the key role it was meant to play in their lives. The time is not far off when knowing what stories actually are and how to create them may well be the most valuable knowledge a person can possess.

Question: According to PricewaterhouseCoopers the entertainment industry is the fastest growing industry on the planet and the global entertainment industry grosses will reach two trillion dollars by the end of this year.
Bonnet: And storymaking will play a major role in that expansion. There are over six and a half billion people in this world that have a desperate need for great stories which isn’t being met. And that means vast, untapped potential markets and incredible opportunities for skilled storymakers and others with a profound knowledge of story and the art of storymaking.

Question: What do you mean by “a profound knowledge of story?”
Bonnet: I mean the new, higher levels of understanding that are emerging in the world of story concerning the deep, hidden story structures which all great stories have in common.

Question: Is that what makes your story seminars and retreats unique – these hidden structures?
Bonnet: That’s certainly one of the things. These hidden structures are linked to the source of our creativity, which I call the creative unconscious self, but it goes by a lot of other names.

Question: Is that why you believe great stories can change our lives?
Bonnet: There are some extraordinary psychological benefits to be had from the creative storymaking process. These hidden structures are extremely powerful. They are the reason some great stories defy time and remain active and relevant for thousands of years and why others became so charismatic that great religions were formed around them. 

Question: Can stories with that kind of magic and power be created again? 
Bonnet: Yes. These new deeper structures make clear where these extraordinary stories get their enormous power and why these hidden structures are not only the keys to creating great stories, but the keys to understanding some of the great mysteries and problems that surround our lives.

Question: You say in your book that the author of the great myths and legends is inside each of us. Do you mean that figuratively?
Bonnet: No. I mean that literally. The intelligence and wisdom that created those old, great stories is inside all of us.

Question: Are you referring to the creative unconscious?
Bonnet: Yes. It controls the positive and negative intuitive feelings that govern our creative decisions even if we’re not aware of it. And it’s been doing that for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years.

Question: So it participated in the creation of all of the great stories, myths and legends?
Bonnet: Yes – And that is the principal objective of my work –  to teach storymakers how to emulate the natural creative storymaking process and put all of their conscious and creative unconscious powers into their work. I do this primarily by showing them how to use the creative process, the language of metaphor, the Storywheel, and a very sophisticated story model, the Golden Paradigm, to help them bring these powerful hidden truths to the surface.

Question: And how is that done?
Bonnet: By using your intuitive feelings. You get in touch with that creative unconscious source and make that important knowledge, and the power that goes with it, come alive in your work. If you combine that power with a contemporary realism and character, you can create superpowerful stories that have a significant impact on the world. And you can make yourself very successful and perhaps even whole in the process.

Question: How does the creative unconscious communicate with us?
Bonnet: Aside from the patterns in great stories and the positive and negative intuitive feelings, it communicates with us through archetypal feelings, dreams, and the visual images and ideas that pop into our heads. Anything that comes from the imagination comes from the creative unconscious.

Question: How are archetypal feelings different from intuitive feelings?
Bonnet: Intuitive feelings come from the creative unconscious and are feelings that confirm or deny the truths that are stored in our DNA. Archetypal feelings are feelings like compassion, lust, greed, doubt, guilt, loyalty, courage, fear, and so on – that emanate from the archetypes and influence and motivate our behavior. They are also the feelings that help us to get in touch with and create the great characters that personify our different dominant character traits.

Question: And how is all of that important to writers and filmmakers?
Bonnet: These hidden structures have enormous power. If you take the things you really want to write about and support them with these hidden structures, your stories will make a psychological connection and have universal appeal.

Permission granted to use for publication in both digital and print as long as it is accredited to James Bonnet, www.storymaking.com  

For Part Two of this interview, click here. 

For Your Success,

Kalinda

Dr. Kalinda Rose Stevenson

The Story Transformer 

Creator of “The Story Transformation Process”