While continuing to write my series of short stories for this novel of mine I've started to place a great focus on what it is that makes a good story. This has included not only stories in books but also those in films, poetry, plays and the various other forums we have to tell a good story. In my experience what makes a good story isn't necessarily the plot, but the characters within the story and the relationships in which these characters share.
People like stories that they can relate to but at the same time create a sense of escapism from their everyday lives. Some people might argue that these two things are contradictory in that you can't have characters that relate to real life and yet create a sense of escapism from that very same life, but I would argue otherwise. These characters and relationships don't necessarily have to copy real life in order for them to be relatable. What makes these characters relatable is the way they think, the way they behave and the way in which they react to a given situation. These stories and situations don't have to copy those that people face in real life but they do have to be presented in a way that people can relate to.
As real life stories and situations are so often the result of human interaction and interpersonal relationships, the key to a good piece of fiction is that of the relationships between its key characters. Good examples of this include Professor Xavier and Magneto in the X Men series or that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson or Professor Moriarty. It is these relationships and the emotions they steer that people remember and what people come to enjoy in a good piece of fiction. These relationships can bring us feelings of suspense, love, hate, compassion and various other emotions too numerous to mention. The reason these feelings are important to the success of a piece of work is that people will remember these feelings more vividly and more fundamentally than that of the actual story itself.
I know this blog post may not interest most people but it was mainly to serve to help clarify my own thoughts in relation to my own writing endeavours. This specifically relates to asking and answering the question of what makes a good story or a good piece of fiction. The answer to this is namely good characters that are realistic and relatable and the deep three dimensional relationships they share. Now I know I belittled the importance of a good plot earlier on but that doesn't mean I don't think a good plot is important. A good plot lays the foundations to build upon the characters and relationships outlined above. Simply, a good plot is needed for a story to be successful but a good plot on its own is not enough and this is where good characters and relationships come into play. This last point if you think about it relates in equal measure to both; the fictional world and in real life. Good characters and personalities can make your life pretty hectic at times but at least you'll know it'll be interesting and you always end up with a good story to tell.
Well until next time, thanks for reading.
Jason
People like stories that they can relate to but at the same time create a sense of escapism from their everyday lives. Some people might argue that these two things are contradictory in that you can't have characters that relate to real life and yet create a sense of escapism from that very same life, but I would argue otherwise. These characters and relationships don't necessarily have to copy real life in order for them to be relatable. What makes these characters relatable is the way they think, the way they behave and the way in which they react to a given situation. These stories and situations don't have to copy those that people face in real life but they do have to be presented in a way that people can relate to.
As real life stories and situations are so often the result of human interaction and interpersonal relationships, the key to a good piece of fiction is that of the relationships between its key characters. Good examples of this include Professor Xavier and Magneto in the X Men series or that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson or Professor Moriarty. It is these relationships and the emotions they steer that people remember and what people come to enjoy in a good piece of fiction. These relationships can bring us feelings of suspense, love, hate, compassion and various other emotions too numerous to mention. The reason these feelings are important to the success of a piece of work is that people will remember these feelings more vividly and more fundamentally than that of the actual story itself.
I know this blog post may not interest most people but it was mainly to serve to help clarify my own thoughts in relation to my own writing endeavours. This specifically relates to asking and answering the question of what makes a good story or a good piece of fiction. The answer to this is namely good characters that are realistic and relatable and the deep three dimensional relationships they share. Now I know I belittled the importance of a good plot earlier on but that doesn't mean I don't think a good plot is important. A good plot lays the foundations to build upon the characters and relationships outlined above. Simply, a good plot is needed for a story to be successful but a good plot on its own is not enough and this is where good characters and relationships come into play. This last point if you think about it relates in equal measure to both; the fictional world and in real life. Good characters and personalities can make your life pretty hectic at times but at least you'll know it'll be interesting and you always end up with a good story to tell.
Well until next time, thanks for reading.
Jason
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