What "Stand by Me" taught me about storytelling (go deep and wide with your story)

In 1986, I saw the movie Stand by Me in the theaters.

In those days, I didn't remember seeing any movie trailers or hyped reviews about the movie, but in the small town where I grew up in (strangely enough, it resembled that of the fictional Castle Rock depicted in both the movie and in Stephen King's stories), there wasn't much else to do.

I was fascinated by the story.  Not only was it a tale about four boys who went out into the woods, in search for a dead kid their age, there were subplots upon subplots that not only kept the story interesting, it made for a more richer tale.

Each character in the story had a tale or two to tell.

In the end, when the credits started rolling, the packed theater was shocked when it was revealed that the movie was based on a novella by Stephen King.  I could hear his name being said repeatedly across the entire theater.  It was amazing.

When telling your tale, use some of the lessons that King has used.  Go deep and wide in your storytelling.  Let people know more about your characters.

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