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Q&A Plotting a Compelling Story [closed]

How should I approach plotting a compelling story, i.e. one aimed at changing the way people think and behave (rather than just being "art for art's sake")? I want to write a novel or collection o...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by robertcday‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot narrative
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:52:58Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/36314
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar robertcday‭ · 2019-12-08T08:52:58Z (over 4 years ago)
How should I approach plotting a _compelling_ story, i.e. one aimed at changing the way people think and behave (rather than just being "art for art's sake")?

I want to write a novel or collection of stories that instil happiness in the reader in a way that makes them want to pass on that feeling (think _Pay it Forward_ or _13 Reasons Why_) but I'm not sure how to do this in terms of how to trigger this feeling or how to structure a story that would have this effect. Do I need to find a new gimmick for each story or is there a science behind affecting peoples thoughts and behaviour with words?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-05-22T12:12:20Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 1