A story is like 

a human

The author is the brain, 

Directing the pieces into place

Giving commands

Hiding behind the face

With plot as skeleton

Creating the base of the beast

Building the structure

It won’t break in the least

And description is skin

Tying it up with a bow

Making it pretty

Presentable, even though,

Underneath, muscle is the emotion

Giving weight and meat

To the thing you see

The beast is halfway complete

Setting is the feet

Giving the story a place to stand

An anchor to the world

A solid place to land

Dialogue is the hands

Allowing the story to feel its way

Through the world, through characters

With everything they touch and say

The eyes are the window to the soul

Someone said, though I can’t remember who

If anything is the soul of story

It’s the characters, in everything they say and do

We see the world through them,

Through their experiences, their arcs

Through them we get the theme or message

Through them the soul comes in sparks

Yes stories are like humans

And if anyone asks you why

Just tell them the metaphor

About how characters are like eyes