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Jim McCrory

The Fundamentals of a good story

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Edited by Jim McCrory, Saturday, 29 June 2024, 14:20

I believe it was John Gardner who said something like there being two plots to every story, Someone goes on a journey, and a stranger comes to town. Now let us see.


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Once upon a time, there was this bloke who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was travelling with a bundle of cash along this quiet road. It is not very clear, but suddenly a mugger or muggers jumped out and gave him a good work over and took his bankroll and left him for dead.

Well, someone came along and saw him lying and groaning. But despite the passer-by being religious, he wasn’t keen to get involved. He took a beeline across the road pretending he never saw him. This happened a few times whilst the man’s life was slowly slipping away.

After a few hours had passed, another man came along a stranger. He was a foreigner, and he quickly responded. He did the paramedic thing and then booked him into a local hotel and paid the bill in advance.

Do you recognise the story? It’s the Parable of the Good Samaritan, with a bit of a modern take. But it illustrates John Gardner's plot principle, someone leaves town and someone comes to town.

Luke 10:25-37 NIV - The Parable of the Good Samaritan - On - Bible Gateway


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