Current Uses----Forms and Formats----Writing Styles
Current Uses
The answers to the following questions reveals a great deal about how we use stories today.
Why did J. K. Rowling wrap her story around a boy--Harry? Why not a girl?
Many people did more than ask that question. Harry Potter and almost every other well known book, movie, or TV show have people writing spin-offs, revisions to the original, or the same characters in different adventures. The “fan fiction” web sites are quite numerous. Most of the writing is not of publishable quality, but the fun of writing the fan fiction and the fun of reading those stories keeps us writing and reading.
Why do reporters get people at the scene to tell their story?
People respond to stories and relate to people far better than they relate to or absorb facts laid out. There is a point where factual reporting is the desired format, but most people will (1) not know/understand the technical details of what or why something happened where they will understand (relate to) someone’s personal story, (2) will not feel they can do anything about the incident, and (3) most people are inundated with news and will select that news story (ies) that grabs their interest. For example: When the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded most people had no idea what a burning graphite moderator was or could/would do. As soon as the news sources tried to explain the different types of graphite moderators 70% of the audience was lost. Yet, everyone could relate to the brave and selfless helicopter pilot who flew in and out of the radioactive particles to dump foam/water on the RBMK graphite moderator. The helicopter had extra plating added to its underside, the man wore a protective suit, yet the man developed very quickly (within days) terrible bone and organ destroying cancers. The man put out the fire (saving the lives of millions of people), and died a horrible death from the radioactivity. His story was told world wide. The truth of the horror of a nuclear disaster was highlighted and demonstrated for millions of people through the story of this man.
Why do all TV stations have one or more “magazine” type shows?
We are all interested in the lives of others, particularly people whose lifestyles we can only imagine. So the press tells those short stories, and we love them.
Why are blogs all over the internet?
Simple, we love to tell our personal stories, comment on other people’s stories, and tell everyone how things should be handled. We want to be heard. The internet has made it possible to publish our work and thoughts to an extremely large audience.
Why are traditional short stories still being written?
The modern short story discusses current issues, current social decisions, and the author’s look at a facet of the world. Today magazines, newspapers, television shows, and the busy reader still want complete stories that are short and fit into tight time tables. We want someone to challenge our assumptions of life, someone to show us depth of feeling, depth of action, and depth of thought. We want people to bring a new world to our door steps.
Forms and Formats
This section is deliberately incomplete. The forms and formats of the short story are as varied as the forms and formats in any literary genre, however they are not always recognizable. The murder mystery, the biography, and the story of the people in one area do not look like their novel equivalents We will be working through regionalism, surrealism, magical realism, minimalism, and a dozen more forms. I will be asking you to help define the forms and formats--as you see them. In order to define the form/format you will have to look for (a) the focus, (b) writing issues that stand out, (c) the “broader purpose” of the story (if any), and (d) a dozen idiosyncratic things.
Writing Styles
At this point, you are probably looking for some grand mystical formula. Well sorry about that, you are dealing with people who put their thoughts on paper in the format that seems both appropriate and comfortable for them. When I write fiction, I tend to be wordy, and have to edit out. When I work on professional writing, I work to get crisp clear sentences. This dichotomy is true of every human in the world. You match to your understanding of the need.
All authors have personal writing habits that show up in all of their work. The habits may change slowly over the years but an author’s writing will always reflect the author’s thinking style. Dickens used tons of descriptors, Faulkner used limited descriptors. However, always remember that authors are quite capable of mimicing what they see and hear. They make their writing conform to the perceived needs. Quirky word choices, parables, realistic allegories, patterns of rhythm, hinted romances, hinted anything--these are all writing styles. An author hides his/her work under a smoothly flowing set of words. The reader sees not the work, but the results.
We define a writing style in terms of the author and more importantly the effect he/she has on the story/reader.