This is a story about a story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. It begins at the beginning, ends at the end just like conventional stories. The middle part serves as a bridge between those two points. Without the middle there could be no end and without a beginning there would be no story.
So let us begin the story, but the story is already underway. It started with a title, the name of the story perhaps? It is a beginning. It may not be the best beginning, it may not even be a good beginning. But it is a beginning nonetheless and the story has begun. But where, we ask ourselves, is the middle? When does the beginning end and the middle begin? Or by the time we have noticed is it perhaps the beginning of the end?
But let us see where we are in our story. The words have begun, the narrator is talking, the mood is set. Or perhaps the story begins with some dialogue or unexplained action sequence. The reader doesn't quite know what is happening and things are looking kind of strange and unfamiliar. What is happening? What is he talking about? What is he doing? And why? The reader must read and hope that something comes of the story. The reader must read and hope that it all begins to make sense. The reader must read, the reader must hope and pray that reading this story will not prove to be a waste of time.
Perhaps the reader gets about this far and starts to think: "is this going anywhere?" or even, "hurry it up, where's the story?" But a reader that thought that would be missing the beautiful fact that the story has already begun. The story is here, the story is what the reader is reading. The story is well underway. Whether it has grabbed them immediately or not is academic. This is the story.
And before the reader realises this the story is already well into its middle. The story is no longer beginning. It has begun and is currently maintaining its steady but certain race towards its ultimate conclusion. But the reader may be forgiven for thinking that it is still beginning if this fact had not been pointed out. Some readers may be thinking that something has been missed and start browsing over what they can now identify as the beginning in hope of gleaning a little information with hindsight that would explain the seemingly meaningless current position within the story. Perhaps those readers will read the entirety of the 'beginning' again. Other readers will keep with the natural flow of the writing, perhaps curious or determined to see what the end has in store. Will the end explain the beginning and the middle that is being read? Once the end has been reached will a second rteading be necessary, or will it all make sense?
But while in this contemplation the reader is completely unaware for a moment that the end is approaching with every word, sentence and paragraph. The end is nigh! And as the end unfolds the reader wonders where the story has been.
This is a story about a story, It is not a story about a plot. This is the story. This is a story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. Just like all conventional stories. The fact that it has no plot is academic. The story, the words, is the story. It begins at the beginning and it ends with:
© 1997 Nimrod Jones