• Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
HEN HOUSE PUBLISHING
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact

Hens Lay Eggs

food for thought

What makes a good story?

5/7/2019

 
If you ask people what makes a good story, you'll get as many answers as there are stories. Everyone's definition of "good" varies: there is no one standard.

Case in point: Many classics are poorly written, according to today's standards for good writing. Have you ever tried to read The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper? It's awful. There's a fabulous story buried among the social and racist commentary, terrible dialogue, and information dumps; however, the book itself is awful. Much classical literature never saw an editor before it went to press; however, some that did still makes the reader's eyes glaze over. Charles Dickens wrote in serialized fashion, chapters being published in magazines of his day. He was paid by the word and his work reads like he subscribed to the concept of never using one word when five would do--just the opposite of today's standard.

Let's use more modern examples from the fantasy genre: David Eddings and Terry Brooks. Eddings, with his wife, wrote The Belgariad and The Mallorean series and The Blue Sapphire series in the 1980s and 1990s. They were popular. They're criticized now for the lack of variety among the characters: "Is there an echo in here?" In the 1980s, Brooks wrote The Shannara Chronicles, criticized for being campy and lacking in real diversity.

If we can't agree upon the necessity of good writing to make a story great, then where does that leave us?

Let's head over to genre fiction, where at least authors have guidelines. Conventions. Formulae. If the reader considers genre fiction formulaic, there's good reason. Romance and romantic fiction existed long before the Romance Writers of America convened; however, it's the RWA's definition of "romance" that defines the genre.

What happens if your story doesn't adhere to the conventions? If you deviate from the formula and go your own way, prepare for the consequences. Readers not getting what they expect can be vicious in the reviews they leave behind.

For the purpose of commercial success, authors must relinquish some of their autonomy and creativity. They must fulfill reader expectations, flying in the face of those who advise authors to write first for themselves, to be unique and original, to push the envelope. People who read genre fiction don't like their boundaries expanded. That's why they read genre fiction: it's comfortable and familiar.

However, genre fiction offers no guarantee of good writing either. What about traditional publishers? Do they guarantee good writing, regardless of genre, fiction or nonfiction?

Nope.

Traditional publishers are in the business of selling books. E. L. James self-published her now-cliched Fifty Shades of Grey before it was picked up by a traditional publisher and Hollywood. It was badly written then and the quality of prose remains lackluster. But it's wildly popular and it made James a ton of money. Traditional publishers do their best to improve the content they publish and sell as good as it can be. That doesn't mean the story's great or that it won't bore readers. Publishers misjudge the public's taste sometimes.

Some authors hit all the key points and still produce dross. Some authors miss key points and produce great stories. Storytelling is hit or miss, but it never happens without the author drawing upon the influence of what he or she enjoys reading and has read before. The public is fickle. Preferences and standards shift and evolve (or devolve). What may not be popular now might strike gold in a few decades. Or it might never go further than the handful of readers who read it and disliked it.

Don't take my word for it. Read for yourself. Compare what was popular a few decades ago to what's trending now and see the difference. Then, look at the similarities and see from where an author's influence comes.

IN OTHER NEWS: Registration has opened for the 2019 Summer Book Fair. Follow the hyperlink for more information.

#SpringfieldOHBookFair #HenHousePublishing #HollyBargoBooks

Comments are closed.

    Share!

    Picture

    Author

    Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up: eggs are the musings of Holly Bargo, the pseudonym for the author.

    Follow
    Karen (Holly)

    Blog Swaps
    View Guest Author Posts
    Looking for a place to swap blogs? Holly Bargo at Hen House Publishing is happy to reciprocate Blog Swaps in 2019.
    For more information: 
    Email Us

    Get Your Copy of
    Hen House Publishing Blog via Email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    Categories

    All
    Books By Holly Bargo
    Egg Reviews
    Events
    Guest Author
    Interviews
    Mfrw
    Mfrwauthor
    #MFRWHooks
    Reviews
    #SpringfieldOHBookFair
    Status
    #WinterBookFair

    Share

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

HOME | ABOUT US | SERVICES | PORTFOLIO | TESTIMONIALS | BOOK CATALOG | FREE READS | BLOG | EVENTS | CONTACT
Copyright © 2015 - 2023
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact