Meaning Here is the one big idea in thinking about a story. A story becomes a story when it moves past the facts, past the details, to the description of a sequence of events, in which some character is driven by a clear desire, acts to realize that desire, and discovers something in doing so. Think of three basic elements – desire, action, and realization. Somebody is killed. "Who is guilty?" asks the detective. When we find out and bring them to justice, the story is over. That is the story of most TV crime shows and pulp mysteries, but also, Shakespeare's Hamlet. The quality, complexity, and emotional resonance of the realizations of the central character's experience in meeting the desire are what takes the story from trivial to profound. So what is important is that we see the events as part of the process of change and awareness for someone, and in sharing the story, we are suggesting that the message, the point of the story, is an insight that is relevent to our discussion with a given person, or to a broader culture through the publication of the story. Our oldest myths, parables and tales are learning stories, assisting us in facing the many challenges of our lives. They can be stripped down to a the basic plot of a children's fairy tale, or gorgeously embellished in a great work of literary art, but the reason they're told is the same. We tell stories to make meaning. In the story about "fear of flying" our teller presents a story of her mother's desire to take the trip with her choral group. That desire necessitates flying, which is one of her great fears. She conquers that fear in order to meet her desire, and in doing so, realizes she shares the fear with others. She learns the value of community in helping to overcome challenges. Make sense? Every artifact, every picture, really every observed moment has trapped within it a million possible storylines. The insights, the message, is really what is important, and those of course change with your own growing sense of wisdom and wonder of the world. So as you decide which picture, and which story, you are really deciding what is it that you really, really need to say to someone, what can we learn from the story, and how does this story speak to what is most special, most unique, about you as the teller.