A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

Miller says he desired a better story out of his life and wanted more but felt unmotivated. He notes that while people long to live better stories, they rarely like the work it takes to make it happen as “joy costs pain” (99). Miller explains that in stories, characters do not want to change but must be forced to change. The same, he believes, happens in life. Most people “seek comfort and order” and fear change, often remaining in horrible situations because they feel “familiar” (100). Change represents uncertainty that makes people feel they are out of control.

Miller notes that, during a writing session, Ben explained to him that characters do not just choose but must be forced to make a decision. In stories, this is called the inciting incident, something that leads characters to do something. Miller recalls McKee, who emphasized that humans seek stability. Without an inciting incident, they would never enter a story. 

Miller started riding a bike as a small step toward doing something. Simultaneously, he asked his mother about his father. They had never talked about him, and she did not know his whereabouts but she agreed to search. Miller notes that even though these small steps didn’t resemble an inciting incident, but he felt he was mapping out a story.