What Carly said a few days ago about getting a problem going in a story as not that important made me make a connection.
Back in 2005 I asked Joe Neilson how he was able to spin such cool stories. Now I realize that not only Blaine but also Joe never targeted.
So a key was turned for me in 2005 and I asked Joe “What do you think about when you start a story?” and he said “I have a character and a problem but in very general terms.”
I asked him what that meant and he said, “Like there is a dog who doesn’t want to go outside.”
I said, “Nothing more than that?” and he said no. He said, to Carly’s point, that if it doesn’t go to that problem he didn’t care. He just kept talking.
I think that one of the main reasons people were like moths to a flame with Joe and Blaine was exactly that they trusted where they were going in a story without knowing where that was and certainly without having to address targets.