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10 Second Tip: Stories should make a POINT.

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First Person Smartass
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[B][CENTER][I]10 Second Tip:[/I]
Stories should make a POINT. [/CENTER][/B]

[B][I]“The true critic will but demand that the (story’s) design intended be accomplished, to the fullest extent, by the means most advantageously applicable…"[/I][/B]
[I] -- Edgar Allen Poe[/I]

In other words, not only should every character, object, and event in your tale have a reason to be there, the story [I]itself[/I] should have a Purpose -- and a Motive.

[I]Think: [/I][B]What are [I]you[/I] trying to [I]SAY[/I] with your story? [/B]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Love Conquers All
Greed makes one Greedier
Love = Insanity
Love doesn't always mean Happiness
Love isn't always Nice
You Reap what you Sow
Destiny is a Bitch
You can't escape Yourself
A Snake will always be a Snake
Sometimes, Love means Letting Go
Sometimes, Love means Giving In
Appetites will find a way to be Filled
Revenge only brings Misery

Most of all...

[I][B]Only put in what you intend to USE.[/B][/I]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Names, places, actions, and events--every single thing in your story should have a reason to be there, whether it's for emotional impact, symbolism, or to take the characters one step closer to the intended climax. Every element you include should have a Purpose.

[B][I]To test the importance of an element, ask:[/I][/B]
~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Why this place and not another?
* Why this name and not another?
* Why this action, this speech, and not others--or none at all?

[B][I]The answers should be: [/I][/B]
~~~~~~~~~~~~
* To make each scene Memorable in your Readers' minds.
* To illustrate the hidden side of your characters' drives and motives.
* To prepare the characters for their climactic scene.
Also:
* To frame and/or offset the point you're trying to make.
* To make your characters come to life on the page.
* To make the End logical.

No matter how short or long, a story should illustrate an idea, a theory, an emotion, or even an argument to the reader. This means [I]everything[/I] in your story should be there to do just that -- make your point, even if it's only to deliver the punch-line to a joke.

Enjoy!
Morgan Hawke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purveyor of fine Smut.
Morgan Hawke's DarkErotica ~ My Website
DarkErotica Blog ~ My Writers' blog

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein