In two recent posts, Steven Pressfield examines the concept of story and understory. “The best dramas (and comedies) have a Story and an Understory,” he says. “Oddly enough, it’s the Understory that we readers and audiences are hooked by.” For example, the story of When Harry Met Sally is comprised of scenes where Harry and Sally encounter each other over the course of their college and post-college years. The Understory is whether Harry will realize he’s in love with Sally and that they can be friends and lovers.
“The Understory, by its very nature, is embedded in the Story,” Pressfield says. The Understory asks how your protagonist will change and what they’ll need to confront, and when and whether they will have a breakthrough.
So how do you find your Understory? The Understory happens internally, Pressfield says. In Huckleberry Finn, the Story villains are the forces that would capture Jim and return him to slavery. The Understory villain is Huck’s belief that he is superior to Jim because of the color of his skin, Pressfield explains. In the Story, the action occurs along the river, as Huck and Jim evade capture. In the Understory, the action occurs when Jim’s character reveals the falsity of Huck’s belief.
