what's wrong with "slice of life" stories ???

I've never heard the term "slice of life", so I'm not sure what that refers to. Is it when you introduce parts of your life into your story? If that's the case I don't see a problem at all, because what writer DOESN'T throw in some aspect of his life into what they've written?

So what's wrong with "slice of life" stories???

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There's nothing wrong with "slice of life" stories. However, slice of life vignettes which do not tell a satisfactory story are, well, unsatisfying, no matter how long. Perhaps this is what your reader was referring to. I haven't read the story, so I don't know.

I personally think the 9000 word tale about a bored little boy playing imaginary games is an excellent story.

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And it might be. 9000 words is quite a lot for a 'slice of life" short story. (It seems a bit long for most short stories, actually, but that depends on the market, really.) The way I figure it, you have two options. You can reject the reviewer's comments as bollocks and move on with your life and your story. Or, you can analyze the comments made, find what value in them is evident, seek out further critique which either supports or refutes the critique, and hone your craft. Your choice.

slice of life stories tend to be anecdotes lacking traditional story structure, dramatic tension, and a conflict that gets resolved.

Nothing is wrong with it. You just need to find the right market. Slice of Life needs be to very well written, and in general consided "literary fiction." You'll need to find a market that takes literary fiction at that lenght (< 10000 words?)

Wichita said:

Real life does not have traditional plots, dramatic tension and a conflict to resolved.

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Fiction is not real life.

Wichita said:

I showed my writing to someone on this website and they told me, "that's not a story. That's a "slice of life". So what's wrong with "slice of life" stories???


People like Tom Bodett made a lot of money writing "slice of life" stories!!!!

I personally think the 9000 word tale about a bored little boy playing imaginary games is an excellent story.

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Well, yes,Tom Bodett starts with a slice of life. Then he adds to it until it becomes a short story.

Look, there's nothing wrong with "slice of life" pieces, but Tom Bodett adds a lot of material to his slice of life peices, and gives them all the elements of a short story. Each of his pieces has a point, which straight slice of life usually doesn't.

There's even a market for slice of life pieces, IF, and it's a really big IF, IF the slice of life you're writing about is interesting enough, exciting enough, and has a point the reader will get at the end.

But slice of life is not a short story.

You have to ask yourself such things as "Why would a child want to read this? " "Is there anything about this that's exciting?" "What emotions will it provoke?"

"Slice of life" is almost always used in literary fiction where plot is seldom important. For the rest of the world, including children, ploty is very important. They want excitement, and straight slice of life is almost never exciting.

Life

Wichita said:

Real life does not have traditional plots, dramatic tension and a conflict to resolved.

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Of course real life has traditional plots, dramatic tension, and a conflict to be resolved. Constantly for a great many people. Your life might not have these things, though I'll bet a dollar it does at times, and my life might not have these things (Actually, my life has had many of these things), but many real lives all over the world most certainly have as much plot, as much drama, and as many conflicts to be resolved as any goood fictional character.

This is what writing fiction is all about. Real life constantly present all these things and more to hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis, and it's bringing this to life on the page, albeit in a fictional setting, that makes readers love fiction.

I think I am a pretty typical reader in that I like a plot to be set up and resolved. This may not happen all that often in real life but it is what I want in fiction.

"Slice of life" is usually shorthand for "nothing happened." Inevitably, that gives rise to the question, "Why are we supposed to care about this?" It's the same with screenplays. People want to see characters change. If a reader doesn't see that, they wind up wondering why they bothered.

Just my 2¢.

Slice of life

Even slice of life stories, when done right, have some sort of point to them. They usually come full circle, and even though there is no plot, there will be a message or a lesson, some point that gives the piece a reason for being.

Just listing ordinary event after ordinary event isn't even good slice of life. There must be some reason why these events matter to the reader, and to the character who does them.

Probably the best slice of life stories I've ever read or heard are those by Garrison Keiler. In his books, and even more so, in "The News From Lake Wobegone" segment of his radio program "Prairie Home Companion," he tells wonderful slice of life stories.

And he does it right. The stories seem to wander all over the place, but just when you think he's lost his way, everything comes full circle, and you nearly always see the point behind the story.

A Prairie Home Companion can be listened to here: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

Many, many old shows are archived, and you can listen to them in segments, if that's preferred. "The News From Lake Wobegone" segments are how good slice of life stories should be done.

A slice of life story must be more than just a list of ordinary, boring events in a person's daily life. There must be a point made, a reason why readers will care about the story, something they can take from it.

James makes a great point - when people describe something as "slice of life," the implied meaning is really "interesting slice of life" or maybe "slice of an interesting life." I think the reason Keillor is so successful is because he follows the second criterion.

Slivce of life

Wichita said:

That's precisely my point. Garrison Keiler and Tom Bodett have done very well with "slice of life" stories.
Is it only because they are on NPR?
Are there magazines that run "slice of life" stories, too?

Jamesaritchie asked whether children would enjoy a "slice of life" story.
Is this a chat room only for writer's of children's stories?

Also , I've seen the term "literary" used with disparaging remarks about that "other" kind of writing.

What is meant by LITERARY stories??

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No, it isn't because thety're on NPR, it's because their slice of life stories are still stories. They're still interesting, they still make a point, they still have meaning, they still teach something.

Whether something is slice of life, or follows the more traditional short story form, there still must be a story, a meaning, a reason for the story to be told, and more important, a reason why people will care.

Neither Keiler nor Bodett simply write a list of actions and call it a story. The actions have meaning, point, insight. Each action is in the story for a reason, and each action is part of a larger whole.

Their tales always pass the "So what?" test.

I mentioned children because i believe the original story in question here is a children's story.

There are really two ways of defining what is and isn't a literary story. One is by the writing quality. If something is written extremely well, much above average, it can be said that it is "literary." This is the quality side of teh equation. It's wonderful use of language, great inisght into human character, etc.

The other side of the equation, that of the literary form itself, is often more difficult to define, but the best definition I've I've heard is that literary fiction is about "ordinary people doing ordinary things." This means love, hate, marriage, cheating, life, death, war, famine, disease, social issues, etc. in a realistic manner.

Most of the classic novels are considered literary fiction. You know, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, W. Somerset Maughm, Erskine Caldwell, Thomas Wolfe, etc.

Generally speaking, if you want to read slice of life stories, you have to read literary magazines to find them because they lend themselves well to the literary form.

Slice of life stories are usually very brief. Often only a couple of hundred words. Most are just vignettes, at best. To make them as long as Keiler and Bodett make them, you have to add much more than just a list of events. They all have to tie together, make a point, form a real story, even if it is one without much plot. Listening to Garrison Keiler is a great way to learn how to do this.

1,200 - 2,000 words is a much more publishable length. Witchita. you seem very upset with any criticism or implied criticism of this piece. Try to remember that people on these boards are of all ages and tastes. Some will like slice of life, some will hate it. The trick is to find the right place to publish your work so that you target the correct audience and to learn to listen to criticism with an open mind, so that you can use what is helpful and ignore the rest. If you can do that, I think you'll find a lot of good advice and people willing to help on these boards, but if you are going to get defensive when you don't hear what you want to hear, you're going to have trouble growing as a writer.

Wichita said:

Nope, I never said that my poorly received "slice of life" story about a lonely little boy was written for children. When I was writing it, I intended it to be read by a mother.

Like maybe an old grey haired mother who remembers her son being just like that ... Before he went away to New York and became a corporate lawyer, and never calls her on her birthday, and acts surprised when she calls him and asks, "Why don't you ever call me!? Why do I always have to call you!?"

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Well, if you say so. But I doubt much that such slice of life pieces are read by mothers, or published in adult magazines.

To write short stories that are meant to be published, you must read magazines that publish short stories, and find short stories similar to your own.

But even mothers want actual short stories, or slice of life that has a point and all the elements of a story. The "So what?" question still has to be answered.

Now, taking this slice of life, and working it into a story about a mother who has such as son, might work very well.

size

Wichita said:

It didn't even occur to me that 9000 words was too many Words.
How about 9000 Characters. It's about 2000 words.

Well, anyway, I whacked it down to 1200 words.
Does that sound like a better size for a "Slice of life" story?

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The best length for any type of writng comes under market demand. You have to look at guidelines. It's difficult to sell a full short story that above 6,000 words, and 3,000-5,000 is more like it for the vast majority of print markets.

Most internet markets get stubborn when you get above 2,500 words, and many want shorter still.

Children's markets seldom want anything above 1,500 words, and many want only 500-600 words.

Literary magazines take all lengths, but in any market, shorter is better.

With markets such as NPR is really isn't about word count, but about time slots. How much time do they give you, and what length story can be told during that length of time?

Slice of life is almost always very short. a few hundred words. The reason Keiler and Bodett have much longer lengths is twofold. One, both are famous and have earned the right to tell longer tales. Two, but are masters of the form, and neither just lists a series of events that make no story, have no point.

You have to remember this, too. What your intention is with a story doens't really matter. What you think a reader should get from something you write really doesn't matter. You know what you're thinking when you write something, but the reader has no clue.

The reader doesn't know who you're writing the story for, what point you want to make, who your intended audience is, or why you think anyone should care about what you write. The reader has only the words on the page, and you won't be there to explain what they mean, who they should appeal to, or why anyone should read it. All this must be written into the words themselves. Everything you want the reader to understand, feel, think, must be written into the words. The words on paper are all a reader has to go by.

Even in slice of life, there must be more than just a series of events. There must be a reason for the series of events that is right there on the page, that pretty much any reader can see, not just mothers, not just children. There must be a point, and actual meaning, a story.

It's about story structure and story sense, knowing what is and isn't a story, whether a slice of life story, or a more traditional story.

It's about knowing that good stories almost always come full circle. Whatever you start with, you end with. Meaning comes with teh closing of the circle.

Wht don't you post this piece in the share your work forum and lets everyone take a crack at it? Maybe we'll all learn something.

Wichita said:

Defensive? I don't know why people keep saying that.

I think I'll just stop writing any more on here.
Nobody understands my style.

Goodbye.

END

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If the above doesn't sound "defensive" I don't know what does.

Wichita said:

Is it only because they are on NPR?
Are there magazines that run "slice of life" stories, too?

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I'm sure it's not only because they are on NPR...but I find slice of life works a lot better on radio than in print. For me, anyway. I sold, and aired, a couple of pieces on Canada's national radio...CBC Radio 1. Unfortunately the program has since been shut down, but it was very successful for years and it was mainly slice of life. It just seems like the type of thing you can do well on radio...an open ended vignette...BUT...it still has to have growth in it. It can't just be a blank slice from anywhere in the pie. It has to have some kind of resolve, for me anyway. Even if it just makes you think or makes you laugh or makes you recognize yourself in the story.

As for magazines that have slice of life...I haven't even attempted to market them outside of radio, so I can't help you there. Sorry.