STORY ANGLES are those formed by the intersection of plot lines, character entanglements and story complications.
Plots hang like spider webs upon characters caught up in situations and incidents, drawn tighter by such story elements as subplots and setting. The points at which these lines meet propel the action, ensnare the reader’s interest and climax in a thoroughly satisfactory read.
Point of view is the angle from which the story is told. A character’s reaction to other characters, situations or settings can reveal belief systems and traits that would not be made evident by the actions and speech of an otherwise static character.
Story Angles are essential to the creation of a well-told tale. In the absence of plot and character interactions, the resulting parallel lines that never collide mean no story ever exists.
Story Angles may be derived from the five elements of fiction writing: Plot, Characters, Point of View, Setting and Theme. The angle of each element is set by the worldviews, attitudes and behaviors of characters existing in a unique setting designed to showcase point of view within the confines of a consistent theme.
The narrative pathway is determined by the story angles chosen as a means to create the story. A myriad of plot twists and turns, character traits and flaws, and story situations and events may both delight and surprise the reader.
The responses of one character to others move your story in directions determined by that character’s traits, behaviors, and belief system modified by the events of the current situation. These story angles advance the plot uniquely.
A story narrates incidents in an author-chosen order, portrays a protagonist’s character arc and arrives at a satisfactory conclusion. Divergent paths make possible reader enjoyment and appreciation. Until the story climax, nothing is decided.
Stories crossing similar territory or covering the same subject matter are executed diversely depending on which story angles the writer embraces.
==> Story Angle: ATTITUDE
STORY ANGLES can be formed by attitude, the way a character feels about something – a place, a situation or another character. Resulting behavior influences decisions, leads the character in directions not otherwise taken. Story tension is heightened as the character reacts in unexpected ways to new or existing obstacles. Reaction drives plot, causing a rising action that brings about an inevitable climax. Attitude points that special character to a surprising and unique resolution.
the Slipstream
Speculative fiction is comprised of three related genres: science fiction, fantasy and horror. The slipstream intermingles these genres then plants imagination’s resulting seeds into the potting soil of mainstream fiction. In the realm of the unknown, all possibilities and even mutations flower and co-exist abundantly. Slipstream is a state of mind. It disrupts and distorts reality, surprising readers into seeing the otherness in all things. It breaks through the safe borders that rationality seeks to enforce.