Pernell Rogers – Writer

Hello all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Not sure why I can’t go back to sleep, but now is a good time to write another post. My new editor just finished a developmental edit on my short story collection. I’ve been going back and forth with this collection because I always felt something was missing. My last editor mentioned it many times; the difference between a ‘story’ and an ‘event,’ and I thought I had grasped the concept.

My new editor asked a question about one of my short stories, and it was a simple one: What is the moral of the story? I was at a loss. When I write, I get caught up in the plot, making sure it moves forward. I also want to develop my characters, to make the readers care about them. I’ve never thought in terms of what is the moral of the story. In other words, can my characters learn anything from the horrific experiences I put them through? Such a question had never entered my mind before, but it made perfect sense.

Coming from the world of Information Technology, my job was to make sure the systems ran as smoothly as possible, and when they hiccuped, do everything possible to fix it. Every time, the outcome was the same; the problem was resolved (sometimes with unexpected results, but solved nonetheless). The overall moral of my job? Be prepared to fix different hiccups at any time.

But what happens in my stories when I reveal the monster? And that’s the question I’ve been missing. I love the monster reveal, and many times, after it is revealed, I’m ready to end the story, sometimes abruptly. However, the monster upset my character’s lives. How do they deal with it? Fight or flight response. Many times, flight would be the correct answer in horror stories, but it kills the ending. A fight response may not be impossible if your monster is invisible (delusions and imaginary creatures of the mind). That, in itself, causes conflict.

How will my character react after the reveal? What’s making them stay and fight: love, family, power, wealth? For me, that’s what I need to explore as I prepare my story’s endings. Even if my characters die in the end, they could still discover something about themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, shame and sorrow, or in some cases, elation and enjoyment.

With this knowledge, I’ve gotten a better understanding of what ‘storytelling’ truly is. I’ve been writing stories, but I need to start storytelling. Take care!

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