When I first started writing, and someone asked me the question, “What is a novel?”, I would have replied, “A good story.” But frequently, brief replies don’t really enlighten the questioner, and the more I write, the more I understand that a ‘good story’ is actually very complicated indeed – at least when it is written down, printed, publicised, sold to the general public, and liked by its readers well enough to earn its writer more than a trivial income.
So what does a ‘good story’ consist of? There are a number of qualities of a ‘good story’, and while some may not be directly measurable, they are all, at least scrutinisable and subject to opinion:
- The Plot: A plan of what happens in the story. Is it interesting? Is it predictable or unpredictable?
- The Characters: The fictional people who populate the story. Do they come alive? Do we care about (like or despise) them? Are they active or passive? Are their relationships to one another interesting? Do the characters’ beginnings and end points support the Message?
- The Setting: The time(s) and place(s) in which the story takes place. Is the particular setting of interest to the particular reader? Is it easy to place oneself as the reader comfortably into the setting?
- The Message: What, in an overall sense, is the author trying to say to the reader? If nothing, do we care? If something, is it clear? Does it make us think?
- The Tone: The kind of emotion which is inherent in the language the author uses. Is it sad? angry? melancholy? matter-of fact? Does the tone seem to support the Message?
- The Narrator; Who’s telling the story? Is the choice of narrator supportive of the above five characteristics?
- The Tense: Is the story told in the present or the past tense? Is the story supported by the choice of tense?
- The Action: Exactly what happens. Is it credible? Is it attention grabbing? Is there too much or too little action? Is the action relevant to the Message?
And then, there are the variables which define how the story is told:
- The Language: At what educational level is the story pitched (toddler vs college grad)?
- The Words: Do the words convey an exact (vs approximate) meaning? Are there cliches? Are there too many or too few words? Do they convey appropriate feelings as well as facts.
- The Sentences: Does the author use correct grammar and punctuaton? Do the sentence structures facilitate understanding? Are they readable without difficulty: not too complex; not too simple?
- Realism vs Fantasy: Is the author’s choice of realism vs fantasy supportive of the story overall. If there are elements of fantasy, does the reader automatically suspend disbelief?
- Dialogue vs Backstory vs Narrative: Is there a balanced use of these techniques? Does their use support the story?
- Tension: How much tension does the author build into the story? Does it support the plot? is there too much or too little tension?
Perhaps there are some variables I’ve overlooked. Please don’t hesitate to mention them.