Welcome to this week’s ‘Open Book Blog Hop‘. Here’s the topic for today:
‘Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” and every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?’
Wally and his father get in the wagon at the start of the book and begin their journey to Virginia City. On the way they might meet a tribe of Red Indians, the wheel of their wagon might fall off, their horse might die, or Wally might succumb to a wagon full of ‘ladies of dubious morals’ on the trail and catch a dose of something nasty.
All these things happen as the book unfolds. The reader follows the story from the wagon setting off at the beginning right through to the end and its arrival in Virginia City, now sporting a new wheel, a new horse, or holes in the side of it from Red Indian arrows. Wally may or may not now have a nasty little rash. What has happened though, is the story has been told in its entirety from start to hopefully a happy ending at the finish.
So yes, I think the statement at the top of the page is true. Every book needs a beginning, a middle and an end in order to satisfy the reader, who might then come back for more if they liked the story. The middle bit would describe the way in which Wally and Pa solve the problems of how to mend their wagon wheel, where to find a new horse, how to win against the Red Indians, and where to find a pox doctor in the middle of nowhere.
When they arrive in Virginia City all the problems have been solved. Wally now has a strange gait, but that’s his own stupid fault!
Find out whether other blog-hoppers think the statement is true or false by clicking on the blue button below or even adding a comment or your own blog to the hop:
Rules:
- Link your blog to this hop.
- Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
- Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
- Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
- Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Stevie Turner 
Pingback: Beginnings and Endings #Wednesday Words – My Corner
Thanks Abbie.
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Pingback: Open Book Blog Hop – 30th November | aurorawatcherak
Thanks Lela.
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Reblogged this on aurorawatcherak and commented:
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Thanks Lela.
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I used to watch many westerns when younger. I guess we all have our own take on each topic though.
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You gotta have plot, but does every plot need to be the Hero’s Journey?
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The hero’s journey and a few other lesser characters’ journeys that are all resolved at the end?
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I think a character can learn without moralizing. An author can present the character (and the reader) with choices, but the reader doesn’t have to agree with what the character picks.
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As long as the reader doesn’t give a one star review if they disagree!
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I must admit, Stevie, I looked at that prompt and thought “what does it mean?” Your explanation makes sense, all stories must have a beginning, middle and ending. Some great books have horrible endings which ruin them.
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Some of the prompts I leave but this one wasn’t too bad.
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Yes, you did a good job with your response. I don’t do every prompt for all the challenges I like either. It depends whether it inspires me to write or not. I don’t force writing.
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Neither do I.
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I wondered if you folks were going to have issues with the vernacular. It’s really familiar territory for those of us who grew up with Americ
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…with American TV westerns, but I’m sure it sounded like a deeply foreign language to you ladies (and Richard if he’d joined us).
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Some of them I don’t get, but this one was okay.
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Now, would Wally’s story be a sub-story of character while the overall book would be one of milieu. Like McGuyver or Indiana Jones. They never learn anything, it’s simply about the adventure. Unless Pa learns empathy and understanding by dealing with the Indians, learning their frustrations instead of killing them outright or out running them.
Gee Wally IS optional. Alive, broken and the wagon rolling, no dusting up, no did they arrive alive = no denouement.
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Yes, the book would be even better if they learned something from their journey, but then readers who like adventure probably want action without any moralising.
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I am a fan of leaving the preacher on the bench unless it can be done by character interaction without a sermon.
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Yes, that’s where the showing and not telling comes in.
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I guess that is the basic premise for most stories when you think of it.
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Yes indeed.
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