The newest issue of Bourbon Penn is live and contains a story by Stephen Graham Jones called "The Dead are Not". Now, I took the time to read this story because I've heard a lot of people raving about Jones' work. His writing is beautiful and he kept me reading but I felt like something was missing. He did keep me thinking about the ending and wondering about the characters which is a good thing for a story.
The truth is I've come across this a lot lately, those stories that are beautifully written but don't seem to tell much of a story. Or stories that suck you in but leave you feeling empty when you finish reading them. I enjoy the writing but I want more. I want story with a beginning, a middle, and an end that actually goes somewhere and accomplishes something other than being beautifully written. What about you? Do you care if a story has a satisfying ending or do you enjoy stories that leave you hanging off the edge of a story cliff?
7 comments:
We are writing about the same thing! If the story is beautifully written, that goes a long way with me.
I like beautiful writing but I want a story, too. Daniel Woodrell is a good example of prime storytelling and beautiful writing.
Thanks for pointing the way to this story, Sandra. I loved it. The writing is stunning, and the last line knocked me out. I pictured people all over the world resurrecting their dead, with limitless consequences.
Or am I crazy?
No, that's what I pictured, too. But I also imagined people waking up in coffins and trying to claw their way out. Very freaky ending :)
Definitely!
Endings are hard. Satisfying endings even more so. And take into account every reader has different tastes on what they expect from a story. So you get out of the story what you bring with you.
You're so right, Rob. Endings are the hardest part of writing. I love when a writer takes me where I don't expect to go, those are the best ending for me.
Readers and writers both bring their life experiences and expectations with them, which is what makes it so difficult to please everyone :)
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