This story ran in the April Edition of Author-me Newsletter - Publishing
Emerging Writers
Enjoy!
*Small Story, Big Impact*
*By Bruce L. Cook*
Think of impact when you start your story or novel. While it’s
enjoyable to practice self-expression or to impress readers with your
daring or skill, be conscious of opportunities to steer them in the
right direction. In the white heat of creativity, you legitimately
feel like a master storyteller.
At the same time, when the canvas is clear, you can introduce
illustrations that challenge, amaze, or even titillate. But you’ll
feel better about your creation if the story can prove something
worthwhile.
“I hate moralistic stories,” you may retort, and that’s understandable
when the morals are presented in a condescending or stale way.
However, you don’t need to explore far to find highly popular stories
that thrill us with moral guidelines.
For example, think of the recently released film *How to Train Your
Dragon 2*. It’s an animated film full of violence for children and
youth, but that’s only a start.
In that story, a community of peaceful characters is threatened by an
ugly enemy force which dictates that oppression is inevitable. Since
the small community hasn’t organized for a battle and lacks fierce
weapons, it seems true. But viewers are thrilled when a brave leader
dies and is replaced by his son, who carries the community to victory
and freedom from oppression,.
It’s a small, powerless community. The enemy is a powerful, organized
force. But the community wins.
Is that a boring, moralistic story? Or, rather, isn’t it the
encouraging and optimistic shot in the arm that we all need in today’s
conflicted world?
