Short Story Question

[AudreyTheDaydreamer]

I'm writing a short story that will be surrounding a village girl and a local legend of a deity known as The Weaver, who controls the fates of every living creature. The protagonist and a couple of her friends venture into the caverns where this entity is said to reside, which will be the bulk of the text. I want the theme of the story to surround taking ones life into their own hands despite uncertainty. The ending is going to either be her discovering that the entity is not real or her discovering that the entity IS real, but it's nature is not what she expects. Either way, the big reveal and the events that lead up to it are supposed to make her realize that she has the capability to make the life that she wants for herself. In the beginning, she is a bit meek and skittish, and feels generally hopeless with her situation. Are there any thoughts on which climax would be more interesting to readers? This is a very highly magical world, mind you. I just thought that the omission of the actual deity might be impactful to the message itself. Nobody is coming to save you. It's the nail in the coffin that sparks her change into a more proactive and determined individual. I could see it being interesting either way, but am interested in other opinions.

 

[pmmg]

Deities dont have to make an appearance to still be real.

I favor that she finds something but its not what she expected. I think there is greater room for something profound in that.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Both can work equally well. What do you want to write? You could even write both of course. Especially since it's a short, write the story twice, both with a different ending.

As a side note, I do think the middle for both stories should probably be slightly different. The outcome of the story should be logical for the story and ideally be signposted throughout the story. Though you should perhaps only realize that on the second read. So, both stories should run slightly different (in their final form at least).

 

[thatoneguywho-]

How about this: the 'weaver' is in the process of death, and it's losing power really fast. to reflect that, have the Protags face more and more danger as the story goes on, reflecting the weaver losing its power. its trying to make them find it, but it's losing its hold on fate, so now your characters have to do it all themselves, and the outcome is very uncertain. you don't have to use my idea, as it's just that, just do what you want!

 

[Karlin]

Here's a story, about a Rabbi who goes to Heaven. If not higher. You won't understand some of the terms, but pretend it's a fantasy world with its own language, and you'll be OK.

https://joewolfson.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/i-l-peretz-if-not-higher.pdf

 

[xena]

I’d lean toward the Weaver not being real. There’s something really powerful about the protagonist going all the way into the caverns, expecting some ultimate force, and coming out realizing it’s all on her.

 

[minta]

Making the deity real but different from what she expected could be really interesting. It keeps the fantasy alive while still showing that she shapes her own life.