I have to somewhat agree. I read a bestselling short story once about two mice, one of whom ventured out into the world to find a new place to live, while the

I have to somewhat agree. I read a bestselling short story once about two mice, one of whom ventured out into the world to find a new place to live, while the other stayed put. The one who abandoned everything came out of it better in the end, and so the moral of the story was that we should all abandon what works in hopes of stumbling on to something better. I detested the book, and will instantly have a lower opinion of someone if I see it in their bookshelf. It seems to me that it was written as a short story to avoid arguing for the decisions the characters make. raganwald's story was better, but still vulnerable to the story format, where dei ex machina reign supreme. That said, story formats have strong advantages as well, such as capturing attention – but they don't come for free.