Conquering a story

[Homer Potvin]

a brilliant one where I can pull the heartstrings of a reader and make them draw closer to the characters because the setting is there, the meaning and theme are clear.

I'd be careful with that affectation. The reader is going to think what they want to think. That can be guided, but it can't be forced. Trying to hard is a great way to write a crappy story.

For me, overcoming this story will push me towards the end goal, because of the harsh words it has faced. I'm not quite ready yet... but how did you conquer a story?

This might not be helpful, but I conquer my stories but not thinking too deeply about them or caring very much whether they work or not. 100% of all ideas are great but maybe 10% can actually be realized. Maybe half of those will be slightly above the garbage level. With everything else writing related, you just have to bang them out doing the best you can and then move onto the next idea.

 

[Mr Mononoke]

I'd be careful with that affectation. The reader is going to think what they want to think. That can be guided, but it can't be forced. Trying to hard is a great way to write a crappy story.

I know. It is the purpose of asking for some advice.

I have read a lot stories over the years from various workshops both fiction and non-fiction trying to gauge the common mistakes writers have. Often, the writer places a lot of what they themselves have experienced and this overpowers the story. There are some non-fiction stories I have come across, where the subtle nudge towards an emotion was enough to trigger personal feelings that made me gravitate towards the emotion the writer wanted to achieve, and I have read many where the real experiences of the writer pour out that screams for sympathy.

That is okay for a one-off piece of release, but in a story, the emotion (and affection as you pointed out) can come across as directed and, worse, strained which is what I have felt in the latter times I have tried to rewrite this story.

I like the word you used in forced and I wanted to ask how writer overcame issues with a story (it doesn't have to be similar to what I am stating with my own) but how they ... finished a story? Technically, I have 'finished' this story 3 times but none were to my satisfaction and by that, I mean it is not how I envisage the story to read and feel when it was brewing in my head, and this is why I class this as an execution problem.

This might not be helpful, but I conquer my stories but not thinking too deeply about them or caring very much whether they work or not. 100% of all ideas are great but maybe 10% can actually be realized. Maybe half of those will be slightly above the garbage level. With everything else writing related, you just have to bang them out doing the best you can and then move onto the next idea.

Thank you for your words Mr. Homer, I will bear this in mind.