System/Mechanics How to Make A Good story

[_Exodus_]

I’m looking into creating my own world, my own universe even. I have a few general ideas for it, but haven’t got a solid idea for it.
The true questions are these:

What are some things that attract people to genre’s and fandoms? What is it that pulls people to stories?
What makes you want to come back to a world, to explore the universe of a story?

 

[_Exodus_]

Got any ideas?

 

[Sludge]

Got any ideas?

Shhh, if you listen closely you can hear them typing.

Just to throw in a word or two, I tend to get immersed more into stories that dedicate attention to mundane details of their worlds. Not the heavy stuff like history and resource economy.

What sort of food people eat? What does it feel like to live in that world? Is it any different from my life? One or two unusual details can really sell an entire setting to me.

That said, I feel that worldbuilding and storywriting are not always the same thing. Having a general idea of your plot and characters is a lot more useful than several months of lore docs.

 

[StAmuriah]

Very open ended queations with a ton of fun answers. When I'm not making a paycheck I'm actually an editor for amateur comics. Let me try and answer your questions directly.

1) What are some things that attract people to genre’s and fandoms?
- Well, for starters, the genre always supercedes the Fandom. The Fandom is a byproduct of mainstrem success ir cult following, staying power and relatability. Genres in general hold their own group of fans who have a certain expectation that people feel need to be met. At the very least to be considered part of that genre. That doesn't mean you can't break the rules, if anything doing so helps push the genre forward. However it is difficult to categorize a Romance story as purely an adventure story with sword fights and explosions and there being very little if any social interaction in the vein of romance. Long story short what attracts people to genres is that they already have an idea of what they are going to get from the story and know that it is a brand they enjoy. Even breed if the story in question has a unique flavor to that of the one the audience is accustomed to. You can either give the people what they want (Pirates of the Carabian was well received since there hadn't been GOOD Pirate adventure in 50 years prior) or show them they can spice things up and still enjoy their same genre (Treasure Planet). That is how a famdom is born and their success determines if you ever hear of them.

2) What is it that pulls people to stories?
-Honestly, relatability. Peter David said it best. The story of Silver Surfer was a cosmic adventure into intergalactic politics and combat on a scale unfathomable to human kind. It set the stage for some of the greatest Marvel stories of all time. BUT those stories "crashed and burned" because though people say the look towards fantasy for escapism something as far removed as fantasy on the cosmic level does not work well with any real-wolrd or human concerns, making it unreliable. That doesn't mean your stories have to have humans, but the things humans relate to at some level is a must. For a while I researched the question of "What makes a classic a classic?" The answer is their ability to be told over and over again through time. In a word: THEME. an overarching idea that you see through the story. What you're trying to say with your story. Like a parabol or fable, but not as direct. We've seen Shakespeare's productions retold through the lense of the Lion King and even stait up remakes of stories that simply caputr our imagination. His softies may have lacked background but the these was strong enough you can use space lizards and still make an amazing Romeo + Juliet. Good example would be classic horror monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster. The strength of these stories is that there is avery specific theme involved in their dynamic, but they are not necessary to enjoy the story. Therefore it can be told over an over again and improved upon. That why the three pillars of writing (characters, plot,, environment) always lend themselves to the theme, not the other way around. Stories that are fun, but ultimately forgettable lack a thematic core. So, to be relatable make sure you have a theme for your story and that there is at least some sort of anchor in reality. Otherwaise how will relate to the zombie dragon empeors of hell?


3) What makes you want to come back to a world, to explore the universe of a story?
- That's an easier question to answer. A rich environment. Now, before you sink your teeth in, remember this: your audience will NEVER see your whole world and less than half of them will even care. But thats not the point of making a world, for them to explore. It for them to lose themselves in. Best examples, J.R.R. Tolkin (Master builder), Avatar series ( comics and all), the Avatar film. Environment rich stories are always jaw droppingly detailed. But the winners understand that you won't see it all and even more so that you "Show, don't tell". Environment is not limited to where your characters do their thing. It also is based on the time and place, history, culture, sociology, psychology, morals, ethics, politics, geology, physics, magic and technology, zoology, economic, etc. All the things that keep modern (or less tha so) civilization running. Depending on what's going on you can determine what is even capable of happening. We call this " the rules of the world". You directly determine these rules and if anything perverts these rules you, as the writer, need to give the audiences a damn good explanation at some point in the story. Real-world setting, but new character has magic. Explain please. Because if you do t and you just expect an audience to accept this you're in for a lot of trouble long term. But to be short (ish) what makes people come back to a world as a tourist or as someone who wishes they could live there with all the action is in the details. That tiny list of some of the stuff to take into account when making a world. Those details male a home. A house is a building with a floor, four walls and a roof, but what do you need to live in it? After you have the necessity, what do you need to make it unique to the person living there? How long have the been there? Does it change when certain people come by? What kind of people come by? Ect. This is just a house and it itself is its own world. So if you want to build a world I would suggest getting your main ideas down first and start building macro to micro (how the big picture effects the small picture. Government to the people) or micro to macro ( other way around, how the people influence the government).

I hope this helped. Sorry for the long post. If you have any more questions feel free to post more or PM me

 

[_Exodus_]

That’s a beautiful response. Thank you for sharing your insight.

 

[StAmuriah]

That’s a beautiful response. Thank you for sharing your insight.

Thank you

 

[Tulik]

Very open ended queations with a ton of fun answers. When I'm not making a paycheck I'm actually an editor for amateur comics. Let me try and answer your questions directly.

1) What are some things that attract people to genre’s and fandoms?
- Well, for starters, the genre always supercedes the Fandom. The Fandom is a byproduct of mainstrem success ir cult following, staying power and relatability. Genres in general hold their own group of fans who have a certain expectation that people feel need to be met. At the very least to be considered part of that genre. That doesn't mean you can't break the rules, if anything doing so helps push the genre forward. However it is difficult to categorize a Romance story as purely an adventure story with sword fights and explosions and there being very little if any social interaction in the vein of romance. Long story short what attracts people to genres is that they already have an idea of what they are going to get from the story and know that it is a brand they enjoy. Even breed if the story in question has a unique flavor to that of the one the audience is accustomed to. You can either give the people what they want (Pirates of the Carabian was well received since there hadn't been GOOD Pirate adventure in 50 years prior) or show them they can spice things up and still enjoy their same genre (Treasure Planet). That is how a famdom is born and their success determines if you ever hear of them.

2) What is it that pulls people to stories?
-Honestly, relatability. Peter David said it best. The story of Silver Surfer was a cosmic adventure into intergalactic politics and combat on a scale unfathomable to human kind. It set the stage for some of the greatest Marvel stories of all time. BUT those stories "crashed and burned" because though people say the look towards fantasy for escapism something as far removed as fantasy on the cosmic level does not work well with any real-wolrd or human concerns, making it unreliable. That doesn't mean your stories have to have humans, but the things humans relate to at some level is a must. For a while I researched the question of "What makes a classic a classic?" The answer is their ability to be told over and over again through time. In a word: THEME. an overarching idea that you see through the story. What you're trying to say with your story. Like a parabol or fable, but not as direct. We've seen Shakespeare's productions retold through the lense of the Lion King and even stait up remakes of stories that simply caputr our imagination. His softies may have lacked background but the these was strong enough you can use space lizards and still make an amazing Romeo + Juliet. Good example would be classic horror monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster. The strength of these stories is that there is avery specific theme involved in their dynamic, but they are not necessary to enjoy the story. Therefore it can be told over an over again and improved upon. That why the three pillars of writing (characters, plot,, environment) always lend themselves to the theme, not the other way around. Stories that are fun, but ultimately forgettable lack a thematic core. So, to be relatable make sure you have a theme for your story and that there is at least some sort of anchor in reality. Otherwaise how will relate to the zombie dragon empeors of hell?


3) What makes you want to come back to a world, to explore the universe of a story?
- That's an easier question to answer. A rich environment. Now, before you sink your teeth in, remember this: your audience will NEVER see your whole world and less than half of them will even care. But thats not the point of making a world, for them to explore. It for them to lose themselves in. Best examples, J.R.R. Tolkin (Master builder), Avatar series ( comics and all), the Avatar film. Environment rich stories are always jaw droppingly detailed. But the winners understand that you won't see it all and even more so that you "Show, don't tell". Environment is not limited to where your characters do their thing. It also is based on the time and place, history, culture, sociology, psychology, morals, ethics, politics, geology, physics, magic and technology, zoology, economic, etc. All the things that keep modern (or less tha so) civilization running. Depending on what's going on you can determine what is even capable of happening. We call this " the rules of the world". You directly determine these rules and if anything perverts these rules you, as the writer, need to give the audiences a damn good explanation at some point in the story. Real-world setting, but new character has magic. Explain please. Because if you do t and you just expect an audience to accept this you're in for a lot of trouble long term. But to be short (ish) what makes people come back to a world as a tourist or as someone who wishes they could live there with all the action is in the details. That tiny list of some of the stuff to take into account when making a world. Those details male a home. A house is a building with a floor, four walls and a roof, but what do you need to live in it? After you have the necessity, what do you need to make it unique to the person living there? How long have the been there? Does it change when certain people come by? What kind of people come by? Ect. This is just a house and it itself is its own world. So if you want to build a world I would suggest getting your main ideas down first and start building macro to micro (how the big picture effects the small picture. Government to the people) or micro to macro ( other way around, how the people influence the government).

I hope this helped. Sorry for the long post. If you have any more questions feel free to post more or PM me

If I might expand on this idea as well. Your world needs to be consistent if you want people to stay interested. Harry Potter is a widely loved book, but many people have problems of contentions because of just how all over the place it is with its ideas, how it contradicts itself, and leaves holes that will never be filled no matter how many other websites or tweets the woman who made it put out there.

When you make a world, make a story, or write ANYTHING you want to make sure that all your ideas mesh. If you add a concept, don’t add a concept that supersedes that one. It all must run together seamlessly. The main problem with comics in general is they must be Retconned constantly because of all the different versions of them. You have seven different Supermans, but that’s also the appeal of comics as well.

Make sure that whatever story you’re telling, it fits within the realm of reality you build. If a man can’t fly? And it’s been established since the beginning that no one can fly don’t introduce a character who can and make up a reason then and there for why he can. It’s jarring, and will off put people from returning to the world because you will change how things work however you please on a whim. I just thought I’d expand on that further.

 

[_Exodus_]

Thank you for that

 

[StAmuriah]

Agreed. It's sort of feeds into the issue know as Chekhov's gun. A dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play. Its not quite what Tulik is saying, but it folds into the contexts of continuity. If there is a gun in the story at some point it must be shot. I that same breath if there never was a gun, don't add gunshots and fill in the blanks later. Continuity is crucial to keeping the feeling of immersion in your world cohesive and streamlined. Sometimes world rules answer questions themselves because they reinforce your rules. If you are ever trying to prove that things aren't always the way they seem and you want to introduce new elements at any time that's fine, but be careful not to overdo it and remember the golden rule "Show, dont tell". Good example, DIVERGENT. They establish their world rules pretty early and we get comfortable with them, of course until we are introduced to an anomaly (the Divergent grouping). This may have been added outside of the established world rule, but it's a driving plot point. The gun was shown and it is fired multiple times.

This goes for plot points and character interactions. Don't introduce something to fill in a gap because you failed your continuity. Instead, use what you got established to bring it together. Otherwise you may fall victim to Deus Ex Machina (that's a different conversation). Point is @Tulikis right. Continuity breeds cohesion. Plan what you're going to show and when you're going to show it. Don't fill plot holes, close them.

 

[Boombox]

Most of the things that should be said already have been said. Personally what makes a story/adventure/game for me is the degradation of the party after they’ve reached the peak, as in the inevitable demise or downfall that comes at the end, this sometimes a good way to spice up the ending of your story instead of your usual “evil man ded yay” ending. Though of course this isn’t always applicable or fitting for every setting/story.