Tuesday's Inspiration - Story Telling - Jane Yolen

While looking through The Writr's Handbook I came across an article by Jane Yolen that talks about story telling. that made me think. Stories have beginnings, middles and ends. Though I don't start my stories with some variation of "Once Upon A Time," these words are always in the back of my mind while I write. Those words evoke childhood and let the reader know there is a story coming. One thing Jane Yolen mentioned was that stories don't preach. Just what does this mean? Does this mean that there is no lesson in the stories we tell? For myself I generally write stories that are facing good vs evil. These are done in a number of genres. Another sort of story I write is in finding love. Sometime there are perhaps not evil people but there can be someone who opposes the finding of love for reasons that are not good.

Stories have beginnings middles and ends. The beginning sets up the characters and the problem they face. In the middle there is a question that drives the character toward the ending. Endings can be hard to write. Often we read a book that draws un in and pulls us through the middle but the ending is disappointed. Don't let your reader after finishing the story wondering if that is all. The ending should make them feel they understand the choices made during the story come to a satisfactory ending. For those who write series each book should end this way but the character should be so interesting the reader wants to hear more of their life and adventures.

Jane Yolen quotes Isaac Bashevis Singer who said "In art, truth that is boring is not true." This is a quote to remember and to try to make our stories vivid and alive rather than boring and moralistic.