[Sobia Bashir]

There are many elements that “make” a story a story.
In the video, one of the the speaker says that it has to “evoke”. I agree on that. I think the person reading the story should be able to relate to it in some way. Another thing is that it should bring imagery to the person, so they feel like they are the ones in the story.
Another speaker said that they cried while watching the movie “Up”. I also saw that movie and it is emotional, which makes this an important elemnet for a story as well.
In my opinion, I think a love story is very common, so they don’t really draw attention to me if I were reading one. But if the love story has some conflict or twist, it makes it a little more interesting. If I were to write a story, I would want to make it emotional and relatable. In one point of the story, I want to shock the audience and have a cliffhanger.
I have seen many shows and movies that “wow” me. If I were to read a story I would want it to include things that you wouldn’t expect to happen, but they happen. Another thing is it should have a beginning, middle and end to it. It shouldn’t be all over the place. Some stories go back and forth in time. For me if I am reading it, it gets confusing, and later I realize that this is in the past, not present.

[Michael Vanunu]

What makes a story great to me would be conflict, the other two ideas I also liked were impact and that two opposing forces collide with one another, which is somewhat like conflict. The idea of conflict in a story makes it sound like there’s a hurdle that the story has to go through, that there’s already something going on before it started and that the story already has some kind of purpose. The idea of “two opposing forces colliding with one another” already sounds very interested already and it has something for the story to go by.

The impact of which conflict has in a story is already something to make the reader pick a side, to understand the other side or to learn more about the side they have chosen. The reader wants to find out what the conflict leads to, to the battle of which the story will reach to an ending point soon between the two sides. Its one of the most interesting things a story can offer and its something strong that can draw a reader into it and not want to leave.

[Jessica]

Tania, I agree with your thought on a great story, I am also studying computer science and reading something that you can relate to can really inspire and motivate you to do greater things. A true story can also bring a lot of connection which makes a story great.

[jenni727]

Hello Micheal,

You make a great point that I totally agree with: a story ought to have a purpose. Be it to make people question their current beliefs or to depict what the future could look like, a purpose not only benefits the writer but also makes readers feel that their journey of reading the work is worthwhile. A story without a purpose can become confusing and difficult to connect to. I enjoy it when, after having read a work, I feel as if I’ve learned something or changed.

[David]

To me all the elements of a story are important, Each element impacts different people in many ways. Some elements of a story that I think are most important elements that are mentioned in the video are; conflict, tension and impact. When it comes to conflict in a story, there is usually tension between to opposing forces. In a story someone is always facing a problem. Conflict and tension go hand in hand, they compliment each other. These to elements make stories interesting for the reader. Another element that’s important is impact, the impact that a story has on the reader. I feel that this is an important element to take in account because if a story has a good impact on the reader then they will want to read more. If I were to read a harry potter and it had a good story, I would probably want to read the rest of the series.
What I personally think makes a story a story is the entire thing as a whole. From conflict to detail to tension to something that I can relate to. Every aspect of a story goes hand in hand to make the reader want to keep reading. Any little detail can either have a good impact on the reader or bad impact on them. That’s why i think it’s important to pay attention to everything in a story.