[phorkyas82]

Maybe the whole mastery of storytelling is overrated per se. They were talking about how they build on their own experience, an epiphany - which is the essence of what they try to express. When I think of the great books and movies that I love I hardly remember the whole stories, but more a certain idea, scene or mood.

And thus doesn't that mean that the stories are merely vehicles, like mechanical means to transport.

[clairity]

i’d say a good story is the culmination of various intriguing ingredients (characters, motivations, circumstances, etc), which hopefully blend together into a rich and layered whole. that we can’t hold it all in our heads (like only remembering an idea or mood) but yearn to experience it again could be considered indicative of a good story, and creating that yearning indicative of storytelling mastery.