Achieving the "So what?" Factor

1. Achieving the “So What?”
Factor in your Narrative

2. You read a story, and after it ends,
you are left wondering, “so what?
what’s the point of this story?”
“So What?”

3. You don’t want your reader to ask:
“so what?”
Having the “so what” factor means
that your reader understands the
point, moral, or purpose of your
story. Let’s look at some
examples…
“So What?”

4. Does this story have a “so what?”
Example #1
When I was a little girl, my imagination created
castles and forests and dragons. I made a sword out of a
stick, and my mother would scream “go to your room!”
whenever I tried to defeat monsters with it…because really
the monsters were our three little dogs. I was happy to go
to my room (sometimes) because the story would
continue. I then became a prisoner waiting to be rescued
by my loyal companions. I couldn’t wait to grow up,
because I believed I would have real adventures just as
exciting as the ones in my head.

5. Does this story have a “so what?”
Example #2
When I was a little girl, my imagination created castles and
forests and dragons. I made a sword out of a stick, and my mother
would scream “go to your room!” whenever I tried to defeat monsters
with it…because really the monsters were our three little dogs. I was
happy to go to my room (sometimes) because the story would
continue. I then became a prisoner waiting to be rescued by my
loyal companions. I couldn’t wait to grow up, because I believed I
would have real adventures just as exciting as the ones in my head.
I’m thirty years old now, and there are no more castles or
dragons in my life. When I first realized that real life isn’t as exciting
as a story, it made me sad, but I’m no longer sad. I’m happy that we
all get the chance to live in fantasy worlds while we are children. I
know that I won’t be slaying dragons in the future, but at least I got
the chance when I was a kid. Long ago, I used to be hero.

6. How to include a “so what”:
(a point, moral, or purpose)
Tip: Answer one of the following
questions somewhere in your story:
1. What did your character(s) learn?
2. How did your character(s) change?
3. How did your character(s) mature?
4. Why were the events of the story
meaningful or important to your
character(s)?
5. What should your readers learn?
6. What do the events in your story tell us
about people / human nature?