Post by account_disabled on Dec 29, 2023 19:31:22 GMT -8
When I read a novel that particularly strikes me, I try to discover what it contains for having left its mark, for having distinguished itself from all the others, for remaining, above all, in my memory. To survive time and all subsequent readings. A novel like that is a good story . A story that has certain characteristics. I tried to discover them, to think back to those unforgettable novels (the last one I read was Fury by John Steinbeck) and what they had in common. I wanted to divide this work into two parts: “Before writing the story” and “Within the story”. Of course for authors like Steinbeck or Cormac McCarthy (and many others like them) the first part was all too clear. But for novice authors it is not always the case.
Before writing the story There is a lot of work to do before writing a story, novel or short story. The writing comes (should come) only later. When I write, I always start with what I call “the story blueprint.” Planning simplifies our writing work. Understand the meaning of history Remember that stories are about something happening. Shawn Callahan Stories are about Special Data something that is happening. I have always agreed with this thought. Otherwise, what are you talking about? Understanding what the true meaning of story is allows the author to first write a story . Some time ago a reader had me read one of his short stories: unfortunately it wasn't a story, it wasn't a story, but just scattered thoughts. A few hundred words that had no beginning, no middle, no conclusion.
Every time I decide to work on a story, I always have in mind the dramatic arc , the famous 5-act construction (or 3, the result in the end does not change). This allows me to keep the plot, the unfolding of events, under control. Finding the most suitable narrative genre Last month, in the article on reading genre fiction , I talked about how Philip K. Dick's novels were science fiction only because that genre was more suitable for the author to convey his message, to write themes that more they were dear to him. I'm not sure if this is the case, but reading his novels you discover that in many science fiction was just a setting, or an excuse to talk about certain topics. The literary genre must not only be suitable for the author, but also for the story we have to write.
Before writing the story There is a lot of work to do before writing a story, novel or short story. The writing comes (should come) only later. When I write, I always start with what I call “the story blueprint.” Planning simplifies our writing work. Understand the meaning of history Remember that stories are about something happening. Shawn Callahan Stories are about Special Data something that is happening. I have always agreed with this thought. Otherwise, what are you talking about? Understanding what the true meaning of story is allows the author to first write a story . Some time ago a reader had me read one of his short stories: unfortunately it wasn't a story, it wasn't a story, but just scattered thoughts. A few hundred words that had no beginning, no middle, no conclusion.
Every time I decide to work on a story, I always have in mind the dramatic arc , the famous 5-act construction (or 3, the result in the end does not change). This allows me to keep the plot, the unfolding of events, under control. Finding the most suitable narrative genre Last month, in the article on reading genre fiction , I talked about how Philip K. Dick's novels were science fiction only because that genre was more suitable for the author to convey his message, to write themes that more they were dear to him. I'm not sure if this is the case, but reading his novels you discover that in many science fiction was just a setting, or an excuse to talk about certain topics. The literary genre must not only be suitable for the author, but also for the story we have to write.