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5 Storytelling Lessons from Star Wars

Annie Cosby

April 30, 2024 | 3 min read

In the vast galaxy of storytelling, few stories have captured hearts and minds like the epic saga of Star Wars.

Beyond its dazzling lightsabers and iconic characters lies a treasure trove for writers: countless invaluable lessons in the art of storytelling expertly served up by creator George Lucas.

We gathered just a few of those lessons for you to get a quick master class in narrative structure and crafting a compelling tale that will resonate across generations.

Here are five invaluable writing tips from one of the most iconic franchises in cinematic history:

George Lucas famously drew inspiration from Joseph Campbell's concept of the "Hero's Journey" when crafting the story of Luke Skywalker.

The concept of the Hero's Journey was first outlined in Campbell's 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world’s mythological traditions. The concept is characterized by a hero who leaves the ordinary world, faces trials, and returns home transformed. Sound familiar?

Today, the Hero's Journey is found all across media — from fairy tales and books to films and video games. In fact, George Lucas has publicly said that he wrote "many drafts" of what would become Star Wars, but it wasn't until he read The Hero with a Thousand Faces that he was able to hone in on what would become the essential story and characters of the saga.

(The two writers even met eventually, and watched the original trilogy together.)

As a writer, consider whether the hero's journey fits your story. The roadmap may not resonate with every writer, but it just might give essential structure to that story you've been trying to tell for years.

At the heart of Star Wars lies a profound exploration of universal themes like redemption, the power of hope, and good versus evil. For example, take the iconic clash between the Jedi and the Sith.

Through characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, we witness the complexities of morality and the potential for redemption.

By tapping into timeless concepts like these, writers can create narratives that resonate across cultures and generations. Whether your story is set in a galaxy far, far away or in the confines of everyday life, infuse it with themes that speak to the common human experience.

Lucas had a background in visual arts, which heavily influenced his approach to storytelling. But you don't need to be an artist to create a vivid world.

As a writer, strive to visualize your story in your own way, considering how each scene will unfold on the page. Whether through sketches, diagrams, or simply vivid imagination, cultivating a strong visual sense can enhance the impact of your writing — whether you're writing for the screen or for the page.

From the wise mentorship of Obi-Wan Kenobi to the villainous allure of Darth Vader, George Lucas excels at creating characters that resonate with audiences long after the credits roll.

When developing your own characters, focus on crafting individuals with depth, complexity, and memorable traits. Whether they're heroes, villains, or somewhere in between, give your characters distinct personalities, motivations, and arcs that captivate readers' imaginations.

This is especially important when you're working with fantasy creatures or even robots and droids. Think of all the personality traits and the deft personification that make R2-D2 so lovable!

While the final version of Star Wars may seem like a seamless masterpiece, the reality is that it underwent numerous revisions and iterations throughout the creative process.

Lucas wasn't afraid to rework scenes, dialogue, or even entire storylines in pursuit of the best possible outcome.

As a writer, embrace the revision process as an opportunity to refine and improve your work. Be willing to solicit feedback, make tough decisions, and constantly strive for excellence in your craft.

The contributions of Star Wars to the sci-fi genre, and society at large, are immeasurable. By embracing some of the techniques that led to the creation of such a classic, you can level up your storytelling skills and just maybe create what will become the next Star Wars.

So, grab your Freewrite (or lightsaber) and let the Force guide you on your own epic writing journey.

Annie Cosby

Writer

Annie Cosby is the Marketing Manager at Freewrite, a former fiction editor, and the author of seven books — and counting. Her work deals with Celtic mythology and has twice won the YA Indie Author Project in Missouri.

"In Ireland, novels and plays still have a strange force. The writing of fiction and the creation of theatrical images can affect life there more powerfully and stealthily than speeches, or even legislation."

So we decided to go on a mission to learn from some of Ireland's greatest writers.

Here are just a few of the quotes that struck us:

"A writer is someone who has taught his mind to misbehave."

Oscar Wilde cuts right to the heart of creativity here. What is creativity but the mind striking out of the grooves of regularity?

"I love communicative problems. They always introduce just enough friction for me to feel drawn into a scene, when there’s some slippage between what somebody is trying to say, or feels capable of saying, and what the other person wants to hear or is capable of hearing."

If you've read any of Sally Rooney's award-winning books, you'll recognize this device in her plots. Try the same in your work when things are feeling a little dry or slow.

"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again."

Nobody presents writing truths as concise and witty as Oscar Wilde. Who among us hasn't agonized over a comma for hours?

Sounds like Oscar needed a Freewrite.

"I don’t ever plot. And I do very little research, as little as possible. I prefer to use my imagination. Language is older and richer than we are and when you go in there and let go and listen, it’s possible to discover something way beyond and richer than your conscious self."

Claire Keegan's a freewriter! In this interview, Claire explains that the main character in her award-winning book, Small Things Like These, completely changed over the course of rewrites and revisions.

"The novel space is a pure space. I'm nobody once I go into that room. I'm not gay, I'm not bald, I'm not Irish. I'm not anybody. I'm nobody. I'm the guy telling the story, and the only person that matters is the person reading that story, the target. It's to get that person to feel what I'm trying to dramatize."

Colm Tóibín perfectly sums up the disembodied experience of writing here. The writer disappears and the characters take center stage.

"The important thing is not what we write but how we write, and in my opinion the modern writer must be an adventurer above all, willing to take every risk, and be prepared to founder in his effort if need be. In other words we must write dangerously."

James Joyce was certainly an adventurer, and though his notion to a "modern writer" predates ours by about a century, we don't think all that much as changed. Writers still need to take risks!

"I don’t say I was ‘proceeding down a thoroughfare.’ I say I ‘walked down the road.’ I don’t say I ‘passed a hallowed institute of learning.’ I say I ‘passed a school.’ You don’t wear all your jewellery at once. You’re much more believable if you talk in your own voice."

Maeve Binchy's own voice is apparent in every book she wrote. Her characters speak like real people, and that makes them all the more endearing.

"Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry."

What a poetic way to encapsulate the experience of writing poetry. Yeats certainly knew a thing or two about using that internal quarrel to create beautiful, timeless work.

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