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

Throughout the book, Miller emphasizes the transformative power of storytelling and its key role in the journey of self-discovery and the quest for meaning. He suggests that story structure provides a framework that has helped him change his own life. The process of adapting his memoir into a screenplay by “editing” the events and characters in his life prompted him to think of “life as a story” and himself as a character (209). Just as a good story follows a narrative structure and includes specific elements that give it meaning, Miller posits that storytelling might also inspire people to create meaning in their real lives. He notes: “I wondered if life could be lived more like a good story in the first place. I wondered whether a person could plan a story for his life and live it intentionally” (39). By adopting the mindset of living a good story, Miller embarked on a journey to recreate his life as a meaningful narrative.

Through screenwriting, Miller realized that a good story requires a careful and intentional arrangement of its elements and emphasizes that ambition and an inciting incident are key to making it happen.