Storytelling, spines, and making the audience work

[shelver506.livejournal.com]

This is a TED Talk, so it's rather long, but really worth it (despite the f-bomb in the beginning). It's a good talk on storytelling in general, but I especially liked how Mr. Stanton talks about making the audience work for the story, and how the storyteller has to hide that that's what he/she is doing.

He talks about deception and uncertainty and anticipation. Sound like any story we know?

He also talks about each story having a "spine." The Godfather and pleasing the father. Toy Story and making Andy happy. My personal opinion is that each Thief book has sort of mini-motivations, mini-spines (saving Eddis, conquering the Queen, etc.), but THE spine for Gen is that he has to be the best. He has to win.

Thoughts, either on the video or on spines or both?