Learning Storytelling From a K-pop Concert
Being a Fan and Being a Writer
Welcome to the Apple Hair CANON!
Here, I’ll explore creating a fictional universe, and I’m hoping you’ll follow along with your own world. I’m by no means an expert, so let’s discuss how to create a believable, magical, and captivating world. Let’s be storycatchers together!
Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaiʻi.
Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to lay down the foundations of our storyworlds together, one word at a time.
Hi, storycatchers! In the last edition of the CANON, I talked about refilling your creative well through travel. This week, I’m fusing two of my favorite things—K-pop concerts and storytelling. Or are they really that different? I’m going to be talking about what we can learn from K-pop as creatives. I promise there is tons to learn from these masterpieces of stages.
So: picture this. You just arrived at the concert venue. You rush out to the standing area as soon as the doors open, and you wait for an hour. Your legs are tired, but you’re so excited to see your favorite group. As the lights dim, you raise your lightstick and make sure that your spot on the barricade is secure. The idols appear on stage through the rising partition, and you let out an ear-piercing scream.
As fans, we are in some type of haze throughout the whole concert. Some lessons that we might learn are preparing for battle at the barricade, making sure that we have enough energy, and most of all having fun and living in the moment.
But what can we learn from these K-pop concerts as creative people?
The first thing we can learn from the performers: Preparation is key.
There is no joke about how much preparation goes into these concerts. K-pop idols spend months and more trying to figure out the set list, the mood of the show, and how to interact with the fans.
A lot of the time, I lack preparation as a writer. As a writer, this prep can look like reading widely in a variety of genres to help hone your skills, studying a craft book, and watching the processes of successful writers.
Sure, the preparation phase might not be the most shiny, but it will pay off in the long run.
Skimping on this phase might be tempting, but don’t do it. Question for you: what is one way that you prepare yourself before you create?
Second lesson: Quality, quality, quality.
When K-pop idols monitor themselves after practice or a performance, they are focused on one thing—and that is the Q word quality. How many times have our faves stared into a recording and picked apart the little mistakes in a routine?
We can do the same. For example, I will go over my writing with a different lens—trying to fall into the mode of a reader. As a reader, I can pick apart what’s working and what’s not. I can try to imagine what the reader will think when reading my story for the first time. It’s important to have beta readers and critique partners to help you focus on quality. Like a K-pop group that has members to refine quality, we can build up our team—people who really know and appreciate our art and want us to succeed.
Third lesson: There is always a structure!
K-pop concerts always have a beginning, middle, and end. And it becomes even clearer when some artists include VCRs to tell a story throughout the show. This structure lends a helping hand to making a coherent story.
As a novelist, I try to outline the beginning, middle, and end. Some writers prefer less structure, while some writers prefer more. The same applies to all writers though: have some type of structure, whether that be a Google Doc with short notes about your main plot points, or a fancy spreadsheet with every single scene written down.
The fourth and last lesson: Let your passion show.
Yes, the idols are dancing on stage. But are they having fun? When fans zoom into their faves’ faces, you can see them looking out at wonder to the audience. When they dance, they make sure to let their energy shine, even at the end of a three-hour show. At the goodbye of the concert, the idols wave with fervor to make sure every fan feels seen and appreciated.
What can we learn from that? As a writer, I sometimes show up to the computer with a sulky face and slam out the words without passion. Sure, consistency as a creative is key. But so is fanning the flame of passion. Why do you love writing or art? Why do you show up to create? Reminding ourselves of this flame will do us very well in sustaining our creative lives.
I know why I wanted to write the novel Apple Hair. I had a vision of five perspectives, of five young guys who wanted to come together to work toward their dream of debut. Most of all, I wanted to tell the story of hope and found family through the novel. When the drafting and revisions became hard, I reminded myself of that goal. Keep pushing forward. Why is your story important? For me, the boys of Apple Hair tell the story that our differences make us unique, and coming together in spite of those differences is where the magic happens.
Thank you very much for joining the CANON this week. What would you like me to discuss in the next post? Comment below. Or jump into my Chat or on one of my Notes, and I’ll be happy to hear your input. Let’s make connections between our passions this week!