Completeness

[aesmael]

I agree with the substance of Alon Levy's post about progress and equal rights but it got me thinking about this idea: If your story needs to be bookended by explanation to be understood then it is incomplete. It is true that stories generally rely on the common culture of writer and readers to be understood but this forms part of the text itself as well as the general milieu in which they live. Only when times change or the work is brought to a foreign culture is it necessary to add explanations so that reader's will properly appreciate the situations and the significance of words, deeds, social positions, etc.

    A fantasy or science fiction story faces the greater challenge of (often) trying to create the impression of an alien (but usually not completely alien) setting in the reader's mind. I suppose this might account for the tendency to include extra material like glossaries of terms and cast lists. I don't think having a map should count as making a story 'incomplete' and probably nor should other such materials if the story does not actually depend upon them. In conclusion I have lost the thrust of what I was saying and should probably try again later.

    On a related note, go read this short piece. It is an example of a particular kind of writing of which I am a great fan, though you will have to the end to find out what (or ask me)

Comments

[coniferous_you]

Both what you said and the included article made me see science fiction in a new way. I am kind of perpetually bored by both science-fiction and fantasy as I am generally not so interested in settings as in I am characters; also what I've read of both genres I have found to be quite alienating and, while I recognize that lots of science-fiction and fantasy is well-written, it has just always been hard for me to become interested in.
But yes, that aforementioned "new way" of seeing these genres in regards to that piece you included? Those pictures of an object when it is really close up. Not quite distorted, but seeing it in a new way.

It makes me want to go back to looking at possible science fiction and fantasy stories that I might like reading.

-El.

[mantic-angel.livejournal.com]

An interesting short piece, and am curious what elements of it you like and look for.

As to incompleteness, I tend to feel the best stories are the ones that are told in the way they need to be. I would far rather a 5 page introduction, rather than 50 pages that serve simply to establish the world. The introduction, while jarring, is a known element. The extra 50 pages, scattered here and there, just serve to drag out everything, in case I had not yet caught on to what sort of world it is. Surely, we would not expect Classic Literature or modern stories to indulge us suchly.