A few elements come to mind:
- Story has a beginning, middle and an end, with a resolution/catharsis
- Suspension of disbelief: Story/world/characters must be believable and internally consistent
- We care about the characters… either because they are likeable or a (macabre) curiosity as to who will survive
- The world is viewed through the actions of the protagonist rather than (heavy) exposition
Do you think these elements guarantee a good SF/fantasy story? What would you add to this list? Are there SF/fantasy books you would recommend even though they don’t seem contain these elements?
Share your experiences with books that you don’t think pulled it off even though they seemed to have followed a good formula. Does a good story in fact need to follow any “formula”?
Have the requirements changed from the early days (say, 30s or 70s) SF/Fantasy?
This meeting will be zoom only
Zoom details:
Critical Mass
Time: Jun 21, 2023 6:30pm Adelaide, 7:00pm Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86711562991?pwd=L0VoYjkrRlIwWU05QmxWU0tqaUZiZz09
Meeting ID: 867 1156 2991
Passcode: 535708
The Adelaide Fan Review 