Previously here I posted about Kurt Vonnegut's 8 rules for writing a short story. Recently I was having a discussion to students about the appeal of the story. And what decisions the story teller have in deciding what goes into the story.
Mr Vonnegut's number 7 is Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Recently I have been thinking about this. And I came to realised that i disagree with this statement because I feel that its rather self indulgent. Nothing wrong if that is what the author intends to do. But I feel that a story's objective is to share a message. And therefore if you can tell a story that pleases people and satisfy them that would be great. the problem is when people tell story to make a biz. or to preach.
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My comment:
'And I came to realised that i disagree with this statement because I feel that its rather self indulgent.'
rule number 7 does not mean that the author is writing for solely himself, it seems to imply that the author should focus on a certain demographic when writing a story. the audience is still taken into consideration, just that it has been narrowed. instead of trying to make a story that fits everyone's taste, focus on a certain group of people and you will write stories that are more concise and appealing (for the targeted audience). So...don't think it's self indulgent, since audience is still taken into consideration.
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