Thursday, August 28, 2008

Booking Through Thursday: Stories

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

When I first started my blog, coming up with the description for my profile was the most difficult part. I enlisted the help of my husband and together (although he deserves most of the credit) we came up with the following:
At the age of five, Literary Feline was diagnosed as a fabulavore. Due to the low story content of movies and television, she has required a steady supply of books to provide her sustenance. She currently resides in California with her loving husband, two affectionate cats and a very enthusiastic dog. Literary Feline has broadened her nutritional sources by reviewing books for Front Street Reviews and Curled Up With a Good Book. Please note: Literary Feline is not a bibliovore. She's not eating
the books for goodness' sake.
A fabulavore is a completely made up word, but it has a nice ring to it, don't you think? It is derived from the latin "fabula" which means story and "vorare" which is to devour. A fabulavore, therefore, is someone who devours stories: or, in my case, a book lover. But not just books. My love for the story extends to music, art, television and movies as well. Stories can be found in just about any medium. Even in conversation. I love to tell a good story.

For me, a story is more than just a plot line. It is the sum of its parts. The characters, the setting and the plot are what make a story a story. Each characteristic is important in its own way and without one of these elements, the story will not be much of a story at all. I do appreciate good writing and that can certainly make a difference in whether a story is effectively told or not. It is a combination of all of these things that make me want to know--and care--what happens next.

16 comments:

  1. Ha, I can remember when I first 'met' you trying to look up what fabulavore was and of course, getting no where. I had a good sense, but I had never heard the word before.
    Thanks for the back story about it:)

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  2. I love that word, it's so unique! ;)

    To me, a good story consists of a good plot as well as engaging characters. Good writing is a plus too, but if it doesn't but the story still interest me, then that's a good thing too. :)

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  3. Yes! You totally sum up the thoughts nicely.

    I've been doing some research about your word and this post finally confirms it. It's a fabulous made-up word, Wendy!

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  4. Characters and story. Intertwined.

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  5. Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself...and unfortunately, didn't in my response, done at the end of the day. :( Oh, well, I enjoyed your response and the new word "fabulavore."

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  6. "It is a combination of all of these things that make me want to know--and care--what happens next."

    Exactly. My answer is similar. A plot without interesting characters won't fully engage me, and a great character without a story is just a sketch.

    And I've always liked your own story in your bio :-).

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  7. It's a great word that you should coin as your own. Also a great answer to this week's question. ;)

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  8. Very interesting! I have always wondered about that word. I like what you say here!

    Booking through stories

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  9. I love made up words! The book I'm reading right now, The Pink Forest has some great ones, like momentology and femaleosophy. It's a great story of self discovery and has my requirements for a good story too... it makes me feel and lets me escape to another world for awhile. :)

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  10. I love that word -- fabulavore. It SHOULD be in the dictionary.

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  11. Elizabeth - LOL I think a lot of people have wondered, but only a couple have actually asked. :-)

    Melody - Plot and characters definitely are important in the make up of a story, I agree.

    Alice - Haha! I like my made up word too!

    Chris - Thank you!

    Carrie K - Most definitely.

    Justareadingfool - I think you make a good point though, in your post, about our reasons for reading certain books not always being about what happens next. You've brought to mind some of the nonfiction books I have enjoyed over the years that definitely wouldn't fit the definition above and yet I think of them as stories just the same. At least a variation there of.

    Florinda - You can definitely see my husband's influence in that intro. :-)

    Trisha - Thank you! My husband said he'd love to see our "fabulavore" out there being used. :-)

    Guatami - I finally share my secret about that word. Haha

    Ruth - Momentology is great one! Stories can be defined in so many ways. And as you suggest, it really comes down to how the reader sees it.

    Terri - I hope that someday it does make it into the dictionary. :-)

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  12. Fabulavore is a great word! I've always loved the wording of your profile. :)

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  13. I think you've hit the nail on the head. Story counts, but not so much if it's all there is. Character, setting, etc. all are so intertwined with good writing that they become part of the story/plot.

    Very well said.

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  14. Nat - Thank you! I really like the word "fabulavore" too. :-)

    C.B. James - I think you said it better than I did in your comment here. :-) Thank you.

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  15. It would have to be a fabulous story for me to be okay with underdeveloped characters

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