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There's something inside all of us which stories stem from. Talent relates to how much we understand these things and are able to control them (instead of letting them control us). We have curiosities and passions that lead to the same places over and over when we follow them blindly. The more we can understand our base tendencies the more power we can have over them and our story. We may have different opinions about how to control these passions, but writing with no plan or opinions only leads to what I call a "base story." I’ll try to explain what I mean by this.

Don't confuse base stories with "basic" (underdeveloped) stories. Base stories are a result of storytelling purely through our most base and unexamined inclinations. This includes all superficial reasons. For example, if all a character's traits are given to them for the sole reason of making them cute, this is superficial. If everything is made up to be cool or admirable, this is superficial. If you invent something only because you like it, this is superficial.

To some degree you’ll always invent things for superficial reasons. Storytelling is an experience and it's mainly the "superficial" parts that help us see the author's deeper message from new, exciting angles. That's the beauty of storytelling. The shape of Harry Potter's scar, for instance, is a superficial detail because it's a preference based choice. It's not what makes the story meaningful, but it's something that gets our attention so we’ll continue reading and be rewarded. (Preference based choices such as these are the only true "subjective" things in writing). It's often the superficial parts of a story that are the clearest in our mind and used to represent them. However, they’re far from the most important parts.

(It's true that people can like stories for their superficial elements, but it will be a superficial way of liking it. It means they like it for arbitrary reasons inside themselves, not any legitimate fundamental virtue in the story itself. If that's okay with you, carry on).

It's important to understand the distinction between superficial and meaningful elements, because it's easy to accidentally make things superficial that don't need to be. It's easy to write an entirely superficial story. You may have been inspired to write purely because of a superficial idea, which is a perfectly valid (or even necessary) way to begin. Left unexamined, however, your idea might not live up to its full potential. At least we should admit when a story is shallow or “just for fun.”

Anything based on a mere preference is superficial. This isn't to say ideas can't be based on preference and a deeper reason at the same time. In fact, both is the most ideal. If you have a style your preference based elements will be meticulously chosen and in harmony. They will all have a point, even if it's a small one such as a prompt for something bigger to happen.

Storyboard artists know everything has to have a point. Actions need to be prompted, they need to connect, and ultimately conclude. Everything in a story ought to be seen as a piece of a puzzle forming an ultimate picture. There are certain situations that can go on a "tangent" for embellishments such as comic relief or relatability. While these moments make the story memorable and individual remember THEY ARE NOT IMPORTANT FOR THEIR OWN SAKE.

These moments should be recognized as tangents and treated as such. Just as you sketch the biggest form of a drawing before zooming in to work on the littlest details, don’t put your focus on the "fun" part of your story at the expense of the story as a whole. They’re the cheapest part, and the most easily replaceable. When too many clog up a story for no reason it makes the story aimless, and ultimately an unimportant (if only potentially, but not necessarily, entertaining) use of time.

If a teenage girl writes a story with no motivation beyond the fact that the characters are cute or hot, it will reflect in every choice she makes about the story. Twilight could be considered a base story as a book with no attempt at merit beyond provoking frivolous sentiments which can be looked back at fondly only from a nostalgic point of view. A quality story is satisfying ethically, logically and emotionally. Many authors start out caring only about the last category. There may be nothing wrong with this, but we can admit that factually, these stories are lesser quality, and we shouldn’t be offended about saying so.

Description
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There's something inside all of us which stories stem from. Talent relates to how much we understand these things and are able to control them (instead of letting them control us). We have curiosities and passions that lead to the same places over and over when we follow them blindly. The more we can understand our base tendencies the more power we can have over them and our story. We may have different opinions about how to control these passions, but writing with no plan or opinions only leads to what I call a "base story." I’ll try to explain what I mean by this.

Don't confuse base stories with "basic" (underdeveloped) stories. Base stories are a result of storytelling purely through our most base and unexamined inclinations. This includes all superficial reasons. For example, if all a character's traits are given to them for the sole reason of making them cute, this is superficial. If everything is made up to be cool or admirable, this is superficial. If you invent something only because you like it, this is superficial.

To some degree you’ll always invent things for superficial reasons. Storytelling is an experience and it's mainly the "superficial" parts that help us see the author's deeper message from new, exciting angles. That's the beauty of storytelling. The shape of Harry Potter's scar, for instance, is a superficial detail because it's a preference based choice. It's not what makes the story meaningful, but it's something that gets our attention so we’ll continue reading and be rewarded. (Preference based choices such as these are the only true "subjective" things in writing). It's often the superficial parts of a story that are the clearest in our mind and used to represent them. However, they’re far from the most important parts.

(It's true that people can like stories for their superficial elements, but it will be a superficial way of liking it. It means they like it for arbitrary reasons inside themselves, not any legitimate fundamental virtue in the story itself. If that's okay with you, carry on).

It's important to understand the distinction between superficial and meaningful elements, because it's easy to accidentally make things superficial that don't need to be. It's easy to write an entirely superficial story. You may have been inspired to write purely because of a superficial idea, which is a perfectly valid (or even necessary) way to begin. Left unexamined, however, your idea might not live up to its full potential. At least we should admit when a story is shallow or “just for fun.”

Anything based on a mere preference is superficial. This isn't to say ideas can't be based on preference and a deeper reason at the same time. In fact, both is the most ideal. If you have a style your preference based elements will be meticulously chosen and in harmony. They will all have a point, even if it's a small one such as a prompt for something bigger to happen.

Storyboard artists know everything has to have a point. Actions need to be prompted, they need to connect, and ultimately conclude. Everything in a story ought to be seen as a piece of a puzzle forming an ultimate picture. There are certain situations that can go on a "tangent" for embellishments such as comic relief or relatability. While these moments make the story memorable and individual remember THEY ARE NOT IMPORTANT FOR THEIR OWN SAKE.

These moments should be recognized as tangents and treated as such. Just as you sketch the biggest form of a drawing before zooming in to work on the littlest details, don’t put your focus on the "fun" part of your story at the expense of the story as a whole. They’re the cheapest part, and the most easily replaceable. When too many clog up a story for no reason it makes the story aimless, and ultimately an unimportant (if only potentially, but not necessarily, entertaining) use of time.

If a teenage girl writes a story with no motivation beyond the fact that the characters are cute or hot, it will reflect in every choice she makes about the story. Twilight could be considered a base story as a book with no attempt at merit beyond provoking frivolous sentiments which can be looked back at fondly only from a nostalgic point of view. A quality story is satisfying ethically, logically and emotionally. Many authors start out caring only about the last category. There may be nothing wrong with this, but we can admit that factually, these stories are lesser quality, and we shouldn’t be offended about saying so.