Sans titre

What do you think really separates a good story and an unforgettable story (talking LOTR, Sherlock Holmes, Star Wars). I’m just curious about what you think is the biggest distinction.

I think the answer to this question would probably vary from person to person, but I’ll tell you the things that make the biggest difference for me. :) 1) Complex Characters What makes a complex character? First and foremost, they need to be like real people, which means they can’t be perfect; they need to have flaws. Once in awhile they need to: lose hope, be frustrated, hesitate when they shouldn’t, think something terrible, do something bad, make a mistake, use poor judgment, hurt someone’s feelings, make a big mess of things, be afraid, be infuriated, be incredibly sad. They also need to learn from their mistakes, even if they continue to make them. Complex characters also need to have multi-faceted interior lives. This is everything like hopes, dreams, fears, likes, dislikes, internal goals, and emotional thought about the things going on around them. And, finally, complex characters need to have complex relationships with other characters–even when they’re so-called “loners.” A complex character is never what they appear to be on the surface. 2) Vivid Settings and World Building It’s easy to think of “world building” as specific to “building” a fictional world for fantasy or sci-fi, but “world building” is also the process of making the story’s world seem real to the reader, and that’s as true of real world settings as it is for fantasy settings. Even if you’re writing a contemporary romance that takes place in New York City, you still need to give your reader a sense of that place, from the way things look, to the way they sound, feel, and smell. You want them to be able to imagine the scenery, the buildings, the people, how people get from place to place, what they eat and drink, what they do for fun, how they dress, what the economy is like, at least as it relates to your character. All of this is important no matter where your story takes place. Specific settings, like high schools, homes, bedrooms, offices, restaurants–whether they’re visited once or a critical “set,” these should feel real to your reader, too. And that doesn’t mean you have to describe every wall, floor, ceiling, and item of decor. It just means you have to give them a sense of the place. Is it new or old? Is it opulent or rundown? Is it big or small? Is it well lit or dark? Is it charming and homey, or spartan and unwelcoming? 3) An Interesting Story that Feels Big, Even if it Isn’t No one likes a boring story, so your story has to be about something. It can’t just be a random string of events or following someone through the daily trials of their average life. But that doesn’t mean your character has to be put into “extraordinary” circumstances or do “extraordinary” things. Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a great example of what I’m getting at. It’s a small, humble story, set in a limited setting, but it feels so much bigger, because the characters are big, the issues are big, and most importantly, the emotions are big. Stuff is happening, all the time, and there’s a sort of magic to the way Charlie experiences his life. There’s a delicate balance between good and bad that makes everything feel big and real. Your story doesn’t have to take place across two continents and three decades, or feature dragons or a glittering cast of thousands–but everything it does have needs to have impact. You have to figure out what’s special, magical, terrifying, and heartwarming about your story and its world, no matter how limited and how small, or how complex and vast. LOTR, Star Wars, and Sherlock have all of those things. :)