Epistolary

[latch22]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so I just put it here. Let me know if you think that it should be somewhere else.

An epistolary story is one that is written in the form of a series of documents, most frequently letters, journal entries, article clippings, and the like.

Have you ever read a story in epistolary style? Have you ever written one? Would you? What do you think of it?

Cheers!

[queenjaneapprxmtly]

I love stories like that. I've read a few and written a few -- I sometimes think they're easier than your average first or third person narration. And like ... when you write them ... I don't know, it's like you are the person, in a way, so it's kinda cool.

I've read a few Vietnam ones (of course, knowing me) that were really good -- one was Amaryllis; this kid was telling the story about his brother who was in Vietnam and each chapter started off with a letter from his brother. It was really neat.

I do like them, though. They're fun to read, and write. :)

[Tensleep]

Man, I am learning a lot of big words on this site...

I have read some works that included things like this, but never anything completely composed of articles. I think that would lose my interest. There seems to be less interaction with the characters that way. What can I say, I like things face to face.

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[latch22]

Good point. I love interaction, and so I don't think that it would be a style I use often.

But it is a neat way to tell a story, if you know just what to say.

Cheers!

[Ryker]

Stories like that bore the heck outta of me. When I find myself reading an epistolary fic,with letters/diary entries and interaction. I'll skip the letters and junk to the interaction part. Of course, then I miss a lot of the plot.... lol.

[zevie]

I like them, if they mix the epo... what is it? Epistolary parts with the regular interaction parts. All epistolary and I think I might get bored (although, I used to love diary fics... Georgia Nicolson all the way!). I think this works really well for historical fiction. In AU fiction it'd be interesting... it would give the illusion that it's based on real events. One of those unreliable narrator/author things. Like "Memoirs of a Geisha" that starts with a letter from the translator - can't tell you all how many times I've talked to people who think the story is non-fiction because of that forward. The back and forth between epistolary and interaction is kinda trippy, makes you a little dizzy, so I think it works especially well with war stories - gets you in the chaotic mood a bit. "The Wars" by Timothy Findley is one of my fav examples of this - though it spun my head too much the first time I read it, lol. (But, that might be more Tim Findley, rather than the genre, lol.)

When I first read this thread, the first thing that came to mind was the Baby-Sitters Club, lol, and how each chapter started off with an entry in their babysitting journal or something, written in their own distinctive handwriting. Made me smile.

[Tensleep]

Ah The Wars...I did my exit essay in grade 12 on that one. I forgot about that one being so much diary/interview based.

Ok, I'm in a 'let's step it up a notch' mood. Does anyone think this approach could work for fan fiction? I do a bit of it in a story of mine, but a complete story like this....Well, I leave that one up for debate since I personally think that it could work for a 'Soda sends letters from Nam' situation, but not many others.

Thoughts?

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[Nittanylizard]

Something I've had in mind for a long time, but never got to writing it down, is to write a series of letters from Mr. Curtis to Mrs. Curtis, starting maybe with him being in WWII and writing home to her, and then continuing the tradition for fun, writing to her when their first son is born, maybe after a fight or a special night out, and put in hints about other family issues (like maybe him apologizing for getting upset when she wanted to have a will done up, and promising he'll think about it), all the way up to something like the New Year's Eve before they are killed.

[Rock]

I love epistolary stories! I think that they mix it up a little, and that in the right hands they can be more interesting than the everyday story. The trick is to immerse your reader into the story so far that they forget its an entry or letter. Ive thought about doing stories of this kind many times. In fact, I have an original in the works that may be in this form.

Anyhow, to answer Tens' question... I think that it could be done in fan fiction given the right situation. There are many many many possibilities there. It could be a letter from anyone. It could be in Vietnam, or in the future. I think what makes it so hard in fan fiction is that you HAVE to KNOW your characters. What do you think?

Rock

[BlindedxxFalcon]

I've written one...in the form of a letter. You can find it on ff.net. It's A Letter to Johnny.

[samanthamae]

I wrote Soda's diary a few months ago, but never got around to finishing it. It showed his unperfect side that no one else seems to explore.

I like reading diary entries (sometimes parody ones, too). I'm thinking about writing a letter Soda writes to Pony during the Vietnam war. Hmm...

[fosterchild]

It's been a long time since I've read it but wasn't Go Ask Alice an epistolary story? If I recall correctly it was all diary entries. Pretty good book.

[Masquerade]

I also read Go Ask Alice, fosterchild. It was all in diary format.

Man, that book stayed with me for a while...

[samanthamae]

I've never read the whole thing, but there's this book store downtown that's a hundred years old and I spent an hour reading that book on the couch. Good times...

[Masquerade]

When I was younger (like, eleven) and I read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl for the first time, I immediately really liked that kind of book.

And so began my various attempts at writing my own epistolary story...stories no one will ever read. And trust me, you wouldn't want to.

I think they're kind of hard to do well, actually.