George Lucas

Star Wars is by no means a revolutionary story. George uses scores of literary tropes and cliches from Luke’s Heroic Journey to star crossed lovers and betrayal of brothers; the list is endless. So with this many obvious plot devices, how is it that Star Wars has become the absolute behemoth it is today? Lucas was able to capture the imagination in a way that allowed the audience to imagine themselves as their everyday style heroes. What makes the characters in Star Wars great is less about their fighting prowess (as amazing as it can be) and more about how they, as ordinary people, rise to do extraordinary things.

Lucas brilliantly included an array of characters anyone could relate to in a universe detailed enough to imagine yourself in and that is a large part of why his stories are still being written about and expanded upon.

He truly created another world in a galaxy far far away.

There are many instances where Lucas assured interviewers that he did not find himself to be a good writer. “My dialogue is very utilitarian and is designed to move things forward. I'm not Shakespeare. It's not designed to be poetic.” and yet there are plenty of quotes from his films that are viewed with reverence by millions.

Your writing does not need to be poetic or grand in order to be impactful.

Lucas knew how to make corner cutting feel intentional and meaningful. Originally the death of Obi-Wan wasn’t in the script of A New Hope, but it was felt that after the duel he had with Vader, the wizened Jedi added very little to the story. So rather than keep the actor around and potentially muddy up the plot, George used the death of Obi-Wan to embolden Luke and push him further along his quest to become a Jedi.

Don’t be afraid to lose characters that are not furthering your stories- an exit can be just as impactful as an entrance.

To celebrate May 4th- or May (the) fourth (be with you) day, write what adventures would you love to have in the world of Star Wars or space in general.