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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Don't Write Extremely Complicated Stories

A story that's too complicated uses up its energy just to explain what's happening. Complication is not complexity. A story that renders a single moment convincingly is a complex accomplishment. The complexity lies in the richness, the rendering, the texture, the subtlety of observation, the experience for readers. A beautifully complex story is often complex not because of a complicated surface but because of an impressive depth.

Jerome Stern, Making Shapely Fiction, 1991

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