What Is a Story?

I read what I thought was a really useful article today.  It probably seems like common sense, but I seriously needed this kind of information when I started writing almost two years ago (and still need reminders of today).  I'd get comments on my stories like "This isn't a story," and I of course would get all indignant and mentally insist that a story is whatever I say it is.  It's totally true though: a story has to be more than just a beginning, middle, and end to work.  And as much as I hate it, it's not whatever I want it to be.  I don't get to just write whatever I want and let whatever happens happen, at least not if I want people to read it and actually like it.  Whether I like it or not, there is a "contract," though I don't necessarily like that term for it.  It's just a recognition that readers have certain expectations that you can't get away with neglecting, and I think this article does a great job of clearly describing what the most fundamental of those expectations are.