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Q&A Is writing solely about writing a plot?

I often hear that a writer should not write something that is not tightly linked to the plot. "If you can narrate it without it, drop it from your story" - that's what I see. However, is it really...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by rus9384‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T10:09:00Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/40026
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar rus9384‭ · 2019-12-08T10:09:00Z (over 4 years ago)
I often hear that a writer should not write something that is not tightly linked to the plot. "If you can narrate it without it, drop it from your story" - that's what I see.

However, is it really bad to include something just for fun or just because it conveys the rare (exotic and interesing) idea? Should I not include such a thing in the novel?

I'm guessing without these things the novel might just become a non-artistic book, like the scientific (not a popular science) one, but just the one that describes something unreal. Unscientific science.

Thus I guess the answer is not positive. But how much should a writer deflect from the plot? Is it OK to devote a whole chapter (a few pages) or a couple to it? Is it OK to have an unnecessary frame story (within given setting) just because the story itself might be cool (within the context of a novel)?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-11-09T08:28:26Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 8