seven

characteristics of a well-told story

1. why in childhood?
I think that stories are so important to childhood because they introduce kids to so many new ideas and fantasies that they hadn't even known existed before. It opens up a whole new world to them and also allows them an escape if they just want a little quiet time in their room or something. People read stories to kids to get them to like reading from a young age and if young children really enjoy books it is probably more likely they will still like to read a lot when they are older. Kids learn a lot from the stories and the experience even if they do not fully understand the message because I still remember a lot of story books from my childhood and now I get the message of what the author was trying to portray.

2. why later in life?
Older people read stories because they want to read about something different from their everyday life and see how other things work, for example how lives in a previous time period works or if they want to read a fantasy adventure book they want to just escape from all the everyday chores plaguing their lives. Readers get a lot from these experiences because it could influence them to make changes in their lives based on the books they read. Older people learn a lot from actual stories because they can fully comprehend the message and how it applies to their lives.

3. why in our nation?
People flock to buy the books listed on the New York Times Best Seller List because I think that they believe they will be good and because enough people have read them and bought them to put them on that list. Stories are important to our nation because they allow us to see how other people in the world today are living and how things were in the past. Many novels also create discussions and bring forth issues that concern are nation which is a very good thing because if only one viewpoint is shown then people only know that and aren't able to see both sides of the issue.

4. your stories
I remember my favorite book that my parents used to read to me every night was "Goodnight Moon" with the Berenstain Bears and another book I loved so much that I memorized was Arthur's Baby. My dad also used to make up stories with princesses and dragons and magic horses before I went to sleep that I still remember. These stand out because I heard them so often. I connect my dad and my mom most to these stories.

5. characteristics of a well-told story
Readers need to care what happens to the characters and the characters need to be flawed because no one loves a perfect character because no one in real life is perfect. Stories also need to have a central message that they portray throughout the whole thing. Stories should be descriptive and give good insight into the characters mind and why/how they act the way they do. Lastly, the story should not be predictable, the author should have enough creativity to think of a unique plotline that it is captivating until the end.