Elements of Good Story, Part 3

Here's the last few items on the list. I'd certainly like some feed-back! Would you add anything else? What would you put in a story?

Good Laughter

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Example: Anything by P.G. Wodehouse

Surprise!

There’s no point in reading a story when you can guess the ending in the first few pages. I really, really, really don’t want to know the ending before I get there. If only I could apply that to my own life story!

Examples: O. Henry’s short stories, most of Dorothy Sayers’ mysteries.


Contentment

Story-world is nice for a season, but I can’t live there forever. The best stories inspire an attitude of thanksgiving to God and make me eager to go out and experience life to the fullest.

Examples: The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.