| Dating all the way back to the beginning of antiquity in ancient Greece, philosophers have been looking into how one should live there lives and what moral code should society live by. This is most prominent with the natural popularity of Christianity, the world's most popular religion, where the code of morals is spelled out by the word of god that all people must obey by. It was a simple answer for a complex problem, and it worked for the most part for the next 1800 years since it's inception. Though after the education reform in the late 1800s, more and more people learned of the fallacies that lay in worshipping a millennia old religion that simply doesn't work in the scientific capitalistic society of that day. Of course that then led to people beginning to pose the question again, while this time having the resources to broadcast and share differing opinions. In essence, when people come to share differing opinions, they aim to change the minds of others to fit their mindset, but doing so is not so easy when we come from such different backgrounds. The power of nostalgia is a force to be reckoned with, as the past is rooted subconsciously to the ideology that we mostly put forth today. When you think a certain way, its because our past experiences caused us to whether good or bad. Story-telling is a very special way of convincing people to understand a moral stance. If we compare it to a person's way of creating morals, they are oddly similar. When you think a certain way, those thoughts are being reinforced by your past, whether they be by traumatic experiences or words from people that you look up to. This mirrors a character's moral behavior based off a created backstory which shows the important moments that guide their actions today, or it may be the story itself that shifts the character's moral view. Now of course it is all fictional, and even if it wasn't, people still view these stories based off what they can gain from it. If a character goes through a set of experiences that logically changes them to think a certain way, the moral is very convincing because it is portrayed well. Though naturally this isn't the end of the discussion because there is a lot more to gain from art than to just prove a point. Since it's already been proven that a piece of art can be created to elicit a certain thought in a person's head, we need to consider the more meta contextual meaning behind that. At it's very core, it is a conversation between two people, filtered through your art. Why are are you talking to them (creating your art)? What do you want them to know (point of your art)? Are they going to be so lenient in accepting your stance (the mass reception)? Of course these questions are extremely complex and will vary massively from person to person, but they need to be asked to benefit your work. When a piece of story-telling has so many moving parts, a main purpose is necessary for it's creation, its the glue that holds everything together when combining such different components of story-telling. If the story doesn't have a purpose for existing, many people are going to wonder why it exists. It's not like it should outshine all elements, its merely something to keep in mind when going through the endeavor of crafting something that is going to be shared with a lot of people. |
| @Ringtomb Some people may argue that a story doesn't need to have a purpose so long as it's entertaining. But for many people, it needs to have a purpose for them to enjoy it. I agree with everything you said. I think story-telling is a gift & a very convenient way of communication & getting others to understand your point of view & it should be highly valued. So yes, the author should definitely make sure there is a message(s) behind the story. This doesn't have to mean one solid & straightforward message that the reader can conclude towards the end which is the main purpose of the story. But it can simply be the character interactions & their development. @Ringtomb A tip for u: Please don't write in huge paragraphs. If you want people to read & reply to threads, it's vital to make sure that the OP is readable. The default text on this site is pretty small (So I would highly recommend you increase it), that combined with huge paragraphs, I assume many users will glance at this once & never again. |
| after consulting with a friend who's an avid reader, he pointed out that my story "has no theme or purpose". my question is, how do I find one? I'm not an experienced writer, but I can tell you right away the central themes of most of my favorite shows, but not my own story. is there a way to point it out, if it isn't written around one? or inject one after the groundwork is done. |
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nyugvo6 said: after consulting with a friend who's an avid reader, he pointed out that my story "has no theme or purpose". my question is, how do I find one? I'm not an experienced writer, but I can tell you right away the central themes of most of my favorite shows, but not my own story. is there a way to point it out, if it isn't written around one? or inject one after the groundwork is done. What kind of story is it? I guess the easiest thing is to use a theme that "resonates" with you in some way. Like if you are concerned about the environment, you can create a conflict somewhat based around that like in Miyazaki's Mononokehime (but there are other conflicts and themes in that movie too of course). So probably, your story already has a theme, and you just find it hard to identify? Is the plot random? Or does it have little conflict? I think if you add a theme that wasn't clear before it will create a different story. A lot of shounen stories seem to be themed around ideals clashing and someone overcoming hardships is very common in general. A theme related to ideals is easily apparent if two characters argue/ discuss what they think is right. I think that with overcoming hardships becomes apparent without doing much to highlight it, if it's already the focus of the story. So again I'm wondering if your story lacks conflict(s)? |
| can dis sig fit |
Zoushu said: What kind of story is it? I guess the easiest thing is to use a theme that "resonates" with you in some way. Like if you are concerned about the environment, you can create a conflict somewhat based around that like in Miyazaki's Mononokehime (but there are other conflicts and themes in that movie too of course). So probably, your story already has a theme, and you just find it hard to identify? Is the plot random? Or does it have little conflict? I think if you add a theme that wasn't clear before it will create a different story. A lot of shounen stories seem to be themed around ideals clashing and someone overcoming hardships is very common in general. A theme related to ideals is easily apparent if two characters argue/ discuss what they think is right. I think that with overcoming hardships becomes apparent without doing much to highlight it, if it's already the focus of the story. So again I'm wondering if your story lacks conflict(s)? it's basically just a precure+bleach merged together. I made the story very simple on the surface, the main character just wanting to reconnect with her old friends after everybody went their own way. I found something that's common in every character after agonizing for hours. "nobody can fight their own nature." they were selected to be magical girls because they all obsess about specific concepts. this makes their spirit unbreakable, but by the time the story starts their obsession fully overtook them and they clash. there are other factors in the work, but this is it. silly example: a character thinks that lemon juice makes her invincible so she drinks it every day. but later on she starts to bathe in lemon juice. it's kinda like that with all of them. overindulgence. |
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