I can’t guarantee that I’d have time to participate as a writer (which reminds me that I need to reply to your email this evening... I do apologize), but I would definitely be interested in doing so as time allows! And if I’m not able to enter a story, I’ll certainly be following the contest closely as a reader.
I'm gonna put you down as a "yes" 😂 I appreciate the support! I like the thought of it but haven't thought through all the wrinkles yet. But if I get more comments like yours I'll take it as a vote of confidence!
You'll note I observed that deviations must be intentional! Your three suggestions can be chalked up to *je ne sais quoi* in this framework. Maybe this article would have been better if it had the heading "Craft of storytelling".
According to the wikipedia page (I had never heard of this) there's a section on "Theme" which starts by describing that it's themes include "love across class division" which means it's trying to tell a story.
What do you mean when you say story? This looks like a story to me--it's a book, it's got characters who get developed, it's got a message, it's got themes. Do those not count as a story?
What other critically admired works of fiction would you consider to be story-less?
I can’t guarantee that I’d have time to participate as a writer (which reminds me that I need to reply to your email this evening... I do apologize), but I would definitely be interested in doing so as time allows! And if I’m not able to enter a story, I’ll certainly be following the contest closely as a reader.
I'm gonna put you down as a "yes" 😂 I appreciate the support! I like the thought of it but haven't thought through all the wrinkles yet. But if I get more comments like yours I'll take it as a vote of confidence!
Same. Not sure I would have anything to contribute but I think it is a great idea and I would love to observe and learn at least.
I'll take it!
HELP I CLICKED THE NO BUTTON AND I CAN’T UNDO IT
I’m torn between “yes I would read” and “yes I might submit” and I panicked and clicked the “no” button because of who I am as a person.
LOL!!!! This is amazing. I can't believe you hate the idea! What an awful way to vote 😂😂😂
Just kidding. I'll mentally file you away in the yes column, and if it's "close" then i'll know that the yes should be +1 and No should be -1.
Awesome idea! I don't think I'd submit anything myself at this stage, but I'm sure there'd be some great submissions to read.
Creativity? Originality? Enjoyment?
Cormac McCarthy wasn't big on punctuation, and omitted some of the key elements in your criteria. I guess he'd be marked down.
Writing can tick the usual mechanical boxes and not make for good reading.
You'll note I observed that deviations must be intentional! Your three suggestions can be chalked up to *je ne sais quoi* in this framework. Maybe this article would have been better if it had the heading "Craft of storytelling".
That's where I disagree, because my examples are nameable and describable, and therefore notable omissions.
Not all fiction is storytelling, although I appreciate that's quite an (odd) obsession amongst stack writers.
What kind of fiction is not storytelling? Can you share some examples? I would be interested to understand that idea more!
Normal People comes to mind, only because it's contemporary, and adapted to film. There's no plot, no story. It's routine character driven fiction.
There are lots of critically admired books that have no story. It's not a modern phenomena.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_People
According to the wikipedia page (I had never heard of this) there's a section on "Theme" which starts by describing that it's themes include "love across class division" which means it's trying to tell a story.
What do you mean when you say story? This looks like a story to me--it's a book, it's got characters who get developed, it's got a message, it's got themes. Do those not count as a story?
What other critically admired works of fiction would you consider to be story-less?
Having a theme or characters or a message doesn't make it a story per se.
Desperate Characters comes to mind.
Some consider Carver to be bereft of stories, whereas I would say that of Hempel.
I'm a supporter of Wikipedia, I even give them money, but I would never use Wikipedia to identify or understand the nature of any form of fiction.
Great idea and count me in. The primary reason for being on Substack is to get feedback on my writing. Your categories are spot on.
Great! I'm still working on this idea but stay tuned!
Ah, thank you, I'll have a look over the weekend!