A story that doesn’t challenge the writer won’t challenge the reader either.
Every writing whether it is an article, an essay, a short story, or a novel must challenge the author if it is to challenge the reader, and if it does not do this, then it will be ignored and disregarded.
How must it challenge the writer? It must do so on several levels. First the topic must be one that interests the author. If the author writes without fascination for his or her subject, it will quickly become apparent.
The second challenge is to write in a style that is appropriate to the subject. An informal style is suitable for some kinds of writing and not for other.
Third, the information must be relevant, appropriate, and significant. This is probably the writer’s most challenging aspect of writing.
If the writing does all this for the author, then it will do as much for the reader. Of course, it is significant that not all writing will do this to all readers; much depends on the reader’s curiosity, attention, and beliefs. Nevertheless, the writing must appeal to enough readers to be acceptable.
That is every writer’s challenge: to excite, to inform, to convince, and to confront the reader with ideas that are stimulating, inspiring, and thought-provoking. If the writer does that he or she is successful.
Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and BEd in English literature. He has several novels published.
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