Best of Week: Imperfection is Key

When discussing "Cathedral" we touched on the subject of how the main character being in an uncomfortable or undesirable situation is what stories are built on. This confused me at first, because as a reader I know that I always like it when my character is satisfied and I get stressed out when things keep going wrong for them.

However, as I thought more and more into it, it is when the character hits an uncomfortable situation, I want to read further so I can see them get out of it. The books that left everything perfect for the protagonist may have been the most pleasant, but they also were the least interesting and had the least amount of depth to them.

I can use this to help me when I am writing my short story in the future because I have seen the circumstances that Carver placed his main character in in "Cathedral" and these are what made it a short story worth telling. Not only does keeping the reader on their toes make the story more interesting, but it also makes it much more satisfying when things actually work out, like in "Cathedral" when the main character finds something in common with the blind man after being so uncomfortable with his presence.

The most beneficial thing I gained from our english class this week was how to write my short story and how to spot a good short story when I am reading. If the character isn't uncomfortable at least once, then there is no story.