How to write stories?

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Vince
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20 Jan 2010, 10:43 am

Magnus wrote:

LOL

I don't read romance novels. I said, "think of great novels".

I guess if you are into action scenes, romantic interests are not a necessary component. Still, many action scenes revolve around a damsel in distress.

I didn't invent the wheel. I'm just pointing out the obvious here.

You're still wrong. Just because it's common doesn't mean it's necessary. It's not necessary for a movie to have a montage sequence, either. It's just a popular device.

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DemonAbyss10
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20 Jan 2010, 1:38 pm

Vince wrote:

Magnus wrote:

You're still wrong. Just because it's common doesn't mean it's necessary. It's not necessary for a movie to have a montage sequence, either. It's just a popular device.

that and some people add the whole romance thing to try to humanize the characters in question. This does tend to have the effect of the whole characterXcharacter meme/culture in the internet, in other words "shipping" and fanfics. I have the goal to try not to get fans to "ship" my characters. Fanfics tend to annoy me as well in all honesty. There are some good ones, but for every good one there are about 100 Mary-sue/Gary stu populated fanfics.

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Vince
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20 Jan 2010, 2:57 pm

Also, a person who can't write romance shouldn't write romance. That only leads to Star Wars prequels. There, the "romance" between Anakin and Padme feels completely forced, dishonest, and unmotivated. They don't love eachother because they see anything special in eachother or because they have anything in common, they love eachother for no other reason than that the writer demands it. Same goes for Twilight.

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DemonAbyss10
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20 Jan 2010, 3:02 pm

Vince wrote:

I agree, if romance does get written in in any way, dont make it feel like a damn puppet show. I also agree that if you cant write romance into it, dont.

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pakled
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20 Jan 2010, 3:17 pm

you know what intrigues me about this thread?

No one has mentioned dialog.

I tend to use dialog to move the plot around, it's fast, it's easy (except for those @#$% punctuation rules...
and it can get you through to the end.

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buryuntime
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20 Jan 2010, 5:04 pm

pakled wrote:

you know what intrigues me about this thread?

No one has mentioned dialog.

I tend to use dialog to move the plot around, it's fast, it's easy (except for those @#$% punctuation rules...

and it can get you through to the end.

Thank you. That is also very important to a story, yet I have completely forgotten about it. Probably because I do not do much dialog-ing in the real world. Definitely added to the list.

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20 Jan 2010, 6:01 pm

Magnus wrote:

Vince wrote:

Magnus wrote:

Name 3 great novels that did not contain a love interest, and then name 3 novels that do contain a love interest. It's much easier to think of stories that have a love interest so the odds are better that you would write a better story if you have a romantic theme tied into it.

Just because you only read romance novels doesn't mean all novels are romance novels. And all stories aren't novels either. There are short stories, stageplays, radioplays, screenplays, teleplays, fables, fairy tales, folk tales, myths, legends, comic books, all sorts of things. Yes, romantic love is a powerful emotion, and thus a very popular one to write about, but there is not a rule that says every story (or even novel) must feature it. Hunger can also be a very powerful feeling, but that doesn't mean every story must feature it.

The Trial, by Kafka.
Dreams from Bunker Hill, by John Fante (sex, but no real love interest)
A Rebours, by J.-K. Huysmans

Just three great novels I've read lately, without a love interest. Many hard science fiction novels also lack a romantic element I guess (from what I've read of them).

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DemonAbyss10
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20 Jan 2010, 8:52 pm

you could also add...
H.G. Wells; the time machine
H.G. Wells; War of the worlds
Ray Bradbury: The martian chronicles

I will say though, one series that does romance well, is George R. R. Martin's A song of Ice and Fire.

As for why romances is focused on alot nowadays in books, think of it this way, sex sells. Its the ugly truth about society and media of all kinds

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Magnus
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20 Jan 2010, 9:10 pm

Writers are story tellers and story tellers speak to an audience. Who is your audience? The general audience can't get enough sex, but if you are writing to asexual geeks, of course romance is unnecessary. As far as script writing goes, all the script books I read say that a love interest in a key component for the screenplay to be marketable. Look it up if you don't believe me.

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buryuntime
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20 Jan 2010, 10:11 pm

Magnus wrote:

Audience. Another important thing to add to the list.

I once heard that if you are writing a book for anyone other than yourself it will turn out awful. But, I don't think my goal if I am to write a story is to be /marketable/. If it were, I would have written books about sparkly vampires and would have never thought to start this thread in the first place.

Marketable does not equal good.

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20 Jan 2010, 11:56 pm

I wouldn't want to write for just myself. I already know what goes on in my head. Yeah, it's fun to write, but I want fame and fortune! :lol:

pakled
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21 Jan 2010, 1:05 pm

Fame and fortune come from appealing to as many people as possible. Best not totally ignore romance...

Good artists copy; great artists steal...

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DemonAbyss10
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21 Jan 2010, 1:16 pm

pakled wrote:

Fame and fortune come from appealing to as many people as possible. Best not totally ignore romance...

as I have said, you can imply it, you dont have to go in depth with it. Sometimes I think it is better to leave the "ignorant masses" guessing as to who like who. People who are just into a good read in general might appreciate the lack of open romance in a novel for once.

As for ignorant masses, that is mostly in reference to the girls who have to ooh and ahh and crush over everything, like as to what has happened with the twilight series, harry potter, and whatnot.

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