“Lori Meyers” is a deep track, positioned as the 12th song of the album. Few would consider it a hit when compared to other masterpieces on the album, including “Linoleum,” “Don’t Call Me White,” and “Leave it Alone.”

None-the-less, it has always struck me as a song of particular note.

And it’s not just me.

There is a Spanish indie rock band called Lori Meyers who named themselves after the song, as well as lots of interesting cover versions.

Curious as to why this seemingly forgettable song was strangely compelling, I listened to it several times in a row. It didn’t take long for me to realize why I enjoyed the song so much.

“Lori Meyers” is a perfect example of well-executed story structure in action.

If you can learn to understand why “Lori Meyers” works so well as a song, you’ll better understand how to write a great novel. The core mechanics of storytelling are put on display brilliantly by the songwriter, Fat Mike, and his band NOFX.

Writing coach Lisa Cron has a definition for story, which I find particularly insightful.

According to Cron, a story is about…
– how what happens
– affects someone
– who is in pursuit of a difficult goal
– and how that person changes internally as a result.

That’s precisely what “Lori Meyers” delivers, packaged perfectly within a 4-act structure.

Click here to take a closer look.