What is a Story?

[ookami_kasumi]

(Disclaimer - This article is not meant for the “Literary Artist” who writes for the sake of their own soul/sanity/pleasure, but for the “Mercenary Writer” who fully intends to do this for MONEY.)


What is a Story?
-- In a Nutshell.

A story consists of three basic parts: a Beginning, a Middle, and an End.

Beginning: Who, What, Where, When.
Middle: Something Happened.
End: How that Happening concluded.

A very short story:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Hero met a Villain.
They fought.
The Hero won.
-- The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A very short EROTIC story:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I saw.
I conquered.
I came.
-- The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing a Story is simple.
It’s the details that make it tricky.

Comments

[nolan-ash.livejournal.com]

“Literary Artist” who writes for the sake of their own soul/sanity/pleasure, but for the “Mercenary Writer” who fully intends to do this for MONEY

Good distinction. I'd never be one to tell people what they can and can't do, but I must confess, I never quite understood the "literary artist." Writing is like art--it needs to be viewed and enjoyed to be fully realized, IMO.

Whether the writer in question is a professional author who does it for money or a fanfic writer who does it for prestige and comments, art is meant to be shared and enjoyed. I could never quite understand the mentality of someone who would write pages upon pages and never share them with anybody. Writing is too much work to let it languish in obscurity. ^^; Even if an author is a beginner and unpolished, they should at least share with a beta reader to get tips on how to improve. Maybe my mentality means I'm not a true artiste. ;)

[ookami-kasumi.livejournal.com]

Writing is indeed an art that requires an audience to be fully realized.
-- Unfortunately, Publishing is a corporate-run BUSINESS.

There is a world of difference between writing to please yourself and writing to please your readers, and that difference grows greater when you write to please a corporation. In short: What the readers will accept has little, or nothing, to do with what a corporation will publish. (I have three publishers, two ebook pubs and one major print pub.)

I merely offering what experience / assistance I can to those who'd like to have it. Unfortunately I don't know what anyone would really like to know, so I'm guessing -- while attempting to cover my ass. (Ahem ~ the disclaimer.)

By the way, I've read your work. Whether or not you're considered an 'artiste', you're a damned fine writer.