: Re: What exactly makes a story interesting? (philosophical) So I am trying to write a story for a game. I am more of a systems guy so this is uncharted territory. I try not to follow examples

@Kaufman555

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Question: What makes a story interesting?

Answer: Here are the things I find make stories interesting.

Relationships. Think less about plot and more about how the parts (edit: the way the characters) fit together in helpful vs. harmful ways. Balance the relationships. Some good, some bad, show both. Conflict, but also support.
Time. Good stories give us characters that have had a past and that yearn toward a future. Storytelling limited to 'in the moment' risks portraying characters that do not have this sort of dimensionality. We are all a product of the past and we all have dreams. Characters can and should, too.
Multi-sensate experience. Smell, sound, etc.

Although there are lots of parts to a good story, I think these are some of the really important bits that sometime get overlooked.

(Page-turning is down to conflict and suspense and well-crafted writing. Satisfying endings should fulfill the contract and need not be happy. But this feels like we're starting to open a can of worms.)

Edit (to comment): "isn't how the parts fit together the same as the plot?" To my mind, the way events fit together, one leading to the next, is plot. The way people fit together--adversary, loyal best friend, mentor, lover, commander, and so on--is less linear, more fluid, and sort of 'chewier' to a story. Example: when a lover turns into a stalker, that's a plot point, but also a shift in relationship between two characters. And, a story can have a complete arc but if it lacks any friendship it might feel less realized than otherwise. That's the sort of thing I mean. I like stories that have a breadth of developed relationships in addition to developed characters.

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