Most Important Aspect of a Story

  • jane elliot .

    jane elliot . (100)

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    So what do you think? What aspect of a story do you believe is most crucial? Please be as specific as you like.

    I always find this quite interesting. =P
    February 10th, 2008 at 10:29pm
  • Seventh

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    all of it?

    a dazzling plot with beutiful characters can be ruined by shitty writing.
    stunning writing skills are utterly wasted on crappy, boring, cliched emokid plotlines.
    and flat, unrealistic, Mary-Sue characters spoil everything.

    personally, i'm more likely to put up with mediocre writing for the sake of a fantastic plotline than to continue being bored to death by someone's perfect rendition of the same tired old boring "girl meets rockstar" tripe. but that's no reason to sacrifice technical writing!

    i think the key point is to always try to improve EVERY aspect of your writing. you can never be good enough, everyone still has loads to learn and so many ways to develop.
    February 10th, 2008 at 10:34pm
  • Icy Blues

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    I think just the writing ability of the writer in question. You can have the most cliche plot and characters in the world pulled off beautifully if the writer is good at descriptions etc.

    Plot is probably the next biggest. I agree with Seventh; occasionally I will put up with not-so-great writing if it's a good plot method. Nevertheless I think writing ability and making everything sound good is the most important.
    February 10th, 2008 at 10:39pm
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    The most important part of a story is as follows:

    a) Talent.
    b) Everything else.
    c) Tone.
    d) Plot.
    e) Characters.
    f) Backstory.

    So many people ignore backstory. It's extremely important. Characters need to be well-rounded. Tone needs to be maintained. Plot needs to be well thought out and not overly dramatic. You need to be able to write. When I took Creative Writing in school my teacher told us the only way to get an A in the class was that you had to have the talent of a writer. If you didn't have that, you could manage a B.
    February 10th, 2008 at 10:39pm
  • Seventh

    Seventh (150)

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    backstory backstory backstory!

    YES!

    your story with NEVER start at 'the beginning' - there will have ALWAYS been time before the fic begins. you characters would hav elived before we start watching them.

    you should be able to answer reallyin-depth questions about your character's history/family/work/social status/ecomonic status/hopes/dreams/wants/dislikes/fears/etc. etc. etc. etc.

    BUT, don't TELL us all that crap! we don't want to know, unless it's relevent. but as the author, YOU should know. it'll make your character so much moe alive if you know exactly who they are as PEOPLE, not just what they look like and which designer brands they wear.

    i also think economy of language is important.
    "if there's a gun in the room in Act one Scene one, it had BETTER have been used by Act three."
    you should never write anything that isn't relevent to your character development or plotline. unless you're deliberatly misleading the reader, in which case it IS relevent to the plot, in a way, hehe.
    anything else is just boring padding.
    February 10th, 2008 at 10:44pm
  • jane elliot .

    jane elliot . (100)

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    Seventh:
    "if there's a gun in the room in Act one Scene one, it had BETTER have been used by Act three."
    you should never write anything that isn't relevent to your character development or plotline. unless you're deliberatly misleading the reader, in which case it IS relevent to the plot, in a way, hehe.
    anything else is just boring padding.
    I couldn't agree more. Relevance is so necessary to a proper plot line. It's a bit more difficult to accomplish, but I do love writing in which everything has meaning, a purpose to the actual story.

    I know that this last part is slightly off-topic, but I hate when people include unnecessary physical description. I love reading it, of course--but only when it gives you insight to the character, the plot, or an emotion. For example, if your story begins on an average day in high school, don't make the weather dark, gloomy, and thunderous [unless something dark, gloomy, and thunderous was in the near future]. Also, I hate when stories begin with an irrelevant description of the main character--meaning, down to the brand of shirt they were wearing or the twelve different piercings on his/her face.

    If it's not relevant, don't write it. (And it's quite easy to make things relevant; don't take this as meaning that description is dead; on the contrary, I live for description). =]
    February 10th, 2008 at 11:57pm
  • Valium Freak

    Valium Freak (600)

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    In my opinion its the feeling combinated with talent
    If you feel it then it does not matter how cliche it seems, you gonna make it shine, but you do need certain talent to express the feelin' but talent with no feelin' is a waste
    February 10th, 2008 at 11:59pm
  • wxyz.

    wxyz. (200)

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    druscilla; flatlined:
    The most important part of a story is as follows:

    a) Talent.
    b) Everything else.
    c) Tone.
    d) Plot.
    e) Characters.
    f) Backstory.

    So many people ignore backstory. It's extremely important. Characters need to be well-rounded. Tone needs to be maintained. Plot needs to be well thought out and not overly dramatic. You need to be able to write. When I took Creative Writing in school my teacher told us the only way to get an A in the class was that you had to have the talent of a writer. If you didn't have that, you could manage a B.
    I actually think characterization overrules plot...:shifty:
    I mean, obviously talent is the most important thing, as with everything, but kickass characters can really make a mundane/clichéd plot shine.
    You can have the most hugely imaginative plot, but if it's got under-developed, two-dimensional characters, the whole thing just falls flat on its face.
    -shrugs-
    February 11th, 2008 at 12:26am
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    Testicle Soup.:
    druscilla; flatlined:
    The most important part of a story is as follows:

    a) Talent.
    b) Everything else.
    c) Tone.
    d) Plot.
    e) Characters.
    f) Backstory.

    So many people ignore backstory. It's extremely important. Characters need to be well-rounded. Tone needs to be maintained. Plot needs to be well thought out and not overly dramatic. You need to be able to write. When I took Creative Writing in school my teacher told us the only way to get an A in the class was that you had to have the talent of a writer. If you didn't have that, you could manage a B.
    I actually think characterization overrules plot...:shifty:
    I mean, obviously talent is the most important thing, as with everything, but kickass characters can really make a mundane/clichéd plot shine.
    You can have the most hugely imaginative plot, but if it's got under-developed, two-dimensional characters, the whole thing just falls flat on its face.
    -shrugs-
    I'm more likely to read a story with a kickass plot and not the most well-developed characters. That's why I put it above. I agree that amazing characters are important, but I rarely read stories unless they have an amazing plot so that's why I put it first. I'm picky.
    February 11th, 2008 at 12:54am
  • kafka.

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    How everything ties in perfectly. I like stories where the writing style is perfect for that kind of plot and the plot is perfect for that kind of characters.
    But you could say talent too.
    And the author's ability to inovate, to bring something new and exciting in his writing. Forget everything I've said and just put originality. I've read plenty of yuck books and stories just because they were extremly original.
    February 11th, 2008 at 01:03pm
  • Snow White

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    I think who the characters are should be a little bit more important then the plot, as someone has mentioned. But as everyone's said it all has to tie together. Characterizing should be important but you need to be well rounded on all parts of the story.

    If it's a wonderful original story about being able to fly then you should have awesome discriptions of the flight. You would have to build on the character thoughts and emotions about flying. You should have a problem about the flying, like he's using it up. You should have all those things to be a great story. You can have a good story with one of those left out.
    February 11th, 2008 at 01:25pm
  • The Way

    The Way (1400)

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    Emotion.
    February 11th, 2008 at 02:02pm
  • ThePiesEndure

    ThePiesEndure (115)

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    For me, character and plot are the two most important things [even if it is a one-shot smut thing...unless I just want all oout sex...]

    Good characterisation is important...no Mary Sues/Gary Stus for me.
    June 13th, 2009 at 03:53pm
  • alias093001

    alias093001 (100)

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    Realistic Characters and backstory

    A good story should have relatable characters. The reader will be able to feel like they're living the story.

    Backstory is important as well. You need to get to know the characters and what drives them in order to understand the actions they'll bring to the story.
    June 13th, 2009 at 04:29pm
  • peter quill.

    peter quill. (4975)

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    Characters and backstory

    I can't stand reading anything, books, comics, stories on here without those two things
    June 13th, 2009 at 06:42pm
  • chrissie.

    chrissie. (250)

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    Characters and backstory, just like everyone else has said. :lmfao
    Emotion doesn't hurt either. :XD
    June 14th, 2009 at 02:41am
  • fen'harel

    fen'harel (560)

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    In this order:

    1. Backstory to develop a character.
    2. The characters.
    3. Plot.

    Without the first one, you won't be able to develop your character and it will sime kind of dull and fake; without a good and third-dimensional character, you won't be able to develop a plot because you won't know how to make your character react to certain situations and most of the times will sound a bit too forced.
    June 14th, 2009 at 03:46am
  • burning.

    burning. (100)

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    The very first thing that came to mind was characters. If you don't have interesting characters, then a story isn't worth my time. That being said, writing the actual story is also a key factor as well.
    January 15th, 2013 at 06:34am
  • This.Useless.Heart.

    This.Useless.Heart. (115)

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    It's all important, but I think if you don't have characters you don't have a story. I don't care what happens to no one. I also don't care what happens to a person/creature/etc. that you don't make me care about, so character development is incredibly crucial. Also, personally, writing characters thoughts, feelings, dialogue, etc. and character development is my favorite to write so... yeah.
    January 25th, 2013 at 02:47am
  • An Awkward Turtle

    An Awkward Turtle (100)

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    This.Useless.Heart.:
    It's all important, but I think if you don't have characters you don't have a story. I don't care what happens to no one. I also don't care what happens to a person/creature/etc. that you don't make me care about, so character development is incredibly crucial. Also, personally, writing characters thoughts, feelings, dialogue, etc. and character development is my favorite to write so... yeah.
    This.

    So much of this.

    All of this.

    It explained everything I wanted to write. lol
    January 26th, 2013 at 06:45am