n setting out a minor event, the
writer must give much attention to what aspects of the episode he should
emphasize. He cannot reproduce it in full detail simply for what it is
in itself. Just narration of secondary episodes and transitional
passages is a matter of calculation; just narration of the more
important events of a story is a matter of warm creation and verbal
power.

TRANSITION

In a sense, all events of a story may be said to have a primary value,
for an event is at least a happening and has some interest for a reader.
But the people of a story must be carried on from event to event, major
or minor, and the story with them. The necessity causes the insertion of
transitional matter in any story that has more than a single episode.

Transitional matter has no capacity to evoke interest in itself, unless
it be so detailed as to form a succession of petty happenings, in which
case it ceases to be strictly transitional. Therefore it should be
gotten over with as quickly as possible. The writer should narrate in
general terms, as has been stated in discussing proportion, the only end
being to forward the mechanical progress of the story. No emphasis need
be laid on such matter. A frequent fault in beginning writers is lack of
capacity to pass from one event to another smoothly and swiftly. Many
seem unable to step from detailed to general narration where the story
demands it, and as a result their stories lose interest. The details of
important events are the breath of life to a story, but details without
fictional purpose only clog the action and discourage the reader's
interest. Matter of transition should be handled as swiftly as can be
done without rendering the whole story jerky and unbalanced. It may be
noted that transitional matter on the lips of a narrating character can
be given piquancy and made interesting in itself, like introductory
matter.

Often transitional matter may be entirely omitted. Thus Maupassant, in
"The Necklace," does not attempt to make the story an unbroken
chronological progression. The nature of each particular story
determines its content, of course, and where matter of transition is
necessary or desirable the writer should realize its nature and handle
it accordingly.

BLENDING OF ELEMENTS

Each story has two primary fictional elements, the people and the
events, but it has three mechanical elements, the action, the speech of
the characters, and the matter descriptive