~~ What Makes a Good Story? ~~

Your answers to the question "What makes a good story?" took some interesting turns.

Here's a summary of the different kinds of things you all said:

1. A good story should be "descriptive." Description refers to the detail a writer uses to convey vivid mental images in readers' minds about the people, places and things in the story. You gave some thought to the kinds of detail you might want to use and the amount. Sensory detail, figurative imagery (metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) are all welcome kinds of detail. (I would add—try to use specific, concrete, connotative words whenever possible, too). Too much irrelevant detail can detract from the story you're telling by becoming a distraction (or worse, a bore). A good story has good descriptive detail, but the writer is really careful to SELECT the right detail that will illuminate the point of the story for the reader. (For example, how does Gary Soto get his readers to "relate" to an experience the large majority of them will never have had?)
2. A good story is interesting, captivating, engaging, entertaining, funny, realistic, romantic, something a reader can relate to. As you can see, there are all kinds of readers and many different expectations along this line. But one thing is clear: readers enjoy going for the ride, whatever kind of ride it turns out to be. That means paying attention to story qualities like action, pacing, suspense. A story that builds towards its ending is usually a satisfying one. Try making your paper build to its conclusion. Readers also like having some things left to their own imagination and interpretation. Don't feel like you have to explain everything if the action has spoken for itself.
3. A good story is coherent. It has an order, maybe a chronological one (like "Black Hair" or "An American Childhood"), or maybe an arrangement of materials that together create a dominant impression (like "In the Kitchen"). You said a good story should "make sense," have a "flow," and be easy to read.
4. A good story makes a point. Readers want to be clear about the point of a story by the time they finish reading. Even if you let the point of the story be implicit (as in "Black Hair" or "In the Kitchen") rather than stating it directly (as in "An American Childhood"), you should have a firm idea of the point you want to make by the time you're polishing your final draft.

That's a good start!