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From story to plot or vice versa: Editor's Notes #409 January 31, 2024 |
| Hello, —E.M. Forster In this issue: 1. From story to plot or vice versa 2. Tickled my funny bone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Writing prompt 1. From story to plot or vice versa E.M. Forster, in a literary debate with Percy Lubbock, wrote that a story is a chronology of events while a plot is concerned with cause and effect. Although I have read arguments that say the plot is the sequence of events and the story has the cause and effect, it seems clear to me that a sequence of events without any attention to cause and effect will not produce publishable work, even if you are writing nonfiction. As an editor, my job is to help writers to figure out where a piece of writing falls short. In that role, I don’t rely on the definitions for plot or story, but I do rely on the concept of cause and effect. This gives me a specific lens for evaluating written work. Events cause other events in a series of loops, much like the yarn in a piece of knitting loop around each other in a long string. When the knitting is good, all the stitches hang together. In your writing, if you cannot identify an event as a cause, an effect, or both a cause and an effect, it is likely similar to an unintentional extra stitch or a dropped stitch in the fabric of a knitting project. Best to repair it. Extra or dropped stitches create havoc with the finished project. Events that do not contribute to causality or show the effect of a cause do not belong in good writing. As with many of the things written about what makes good writing, this is only one piece of advice. In this case, I advise that when you are troubled by your writing and you are not sure why, consider the lens of cause and effect. That might be the thing you have not yet focused on. =========== 2. Tickled my funny bone I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. =========== 3. Interesting Web site Events are only one aspect of of good piece of writing. Here is a list of other important aspects to consider. https://www.writerswrite.co.za/the-7-critical-elements-of-a-great-book/ =========== 4. Writing prompt Here are two events. Write a short piece that shows a causal link.
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