- Joined
- Apr 1, 2008
- Messages
- 2,748
- Reaction score
- 170
This morning I reread the short story I am working on. This is the one where I couldn't pinpoint what is wrong and that I rewrote a bunch of times. Those are separate issues because this is true for all the drafts of this story. The problem is I don't know what the story is about. I mean I can't quickly and clearly say what it is about.
Last night, someone asked what I was working on, and I struggled to say what it was about. Instead I was like, "the story is about this and this and then this happens and also this is going on." I was all over the place, trying to explain my work. I have a feeling this is a bad sign. Am I right?
Plot and story structure are usually things I am good at. I don't usually feel like I have a problem when it comes to clarifying what I am writing about. But now I am. There is a story arc, I believe. And there are a lot of things working. I feel like I am proud of this one. Why don't I know what it is about? Why is it so hard to answer that question? And, I think most importantly, what does it say about a story if the author struggles to say what his or her story is about?
Last night, someone asked what I was working on, and I struggled to say what it was about. Instead I was like, "the story is about this and this and then this happens and also this is going on." I was all over the place, trying to explain my work. I have a feeling this is a bad sign. Am I right?
Plot and story structure are usually things I am good at. I don't usually feel like I have a problem when it comes to clarifying what I am writing about. But now I am. There is a story arc, I believe. And there are a lot of things working. I feel like I am proud of this one. Why don't I know what it is about? Why is it so hard to answer that question? And, I think most importantly, what does it say about a story if the author struggles to say what his or her story is about?