The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And that’s exactly how a story shouldn’t go.
The journey in a story is like a garden path compared to a cross-country highway. The path weaves through the land, around the trees, even perhaps over the pond. The highway, on the other hand, cuts through everything: mountains, forests, even towns.
It’s not like you’re trying to add useless info to stories. It’s that you’re respecting the landscape as you pass through. You can’t pretend obstacles don’t exist. You purposely guide your character through them, around them, even among them.
