This Will Change Your Writing

I’m not kidding. What I’m about to tell you will impact your story. Especially those of you who are studying, writing, trying for publication.

I’ve been judging a contest. I feel like I could cut and paste the same comments in each one.

• What does the hero/heroine want?
• What is the story question?
• What journey are they going on?
• The inciting incident has nothing to do with the opening scene.
• What is his/her fears? Desire? Give a hint of these in the opening.
• What is the dark moment from her past?
• Show some sort of competence. Meaning, a superpower (what he/she does well.) Good at his/her job.
• Show confidence in the midst of failings and weaknesses.
• What is the black moment?
• What can the hero/heroine do at the end they can’t do in the beginning.

If you nail down these initial traits, you will have such a strong story.

I was recently reading a budding author’s work where the heroine is called upon for a dangerous task. But there was no leading up to how this would impact her own life. Sure, it’s challenging and exciting to be on a dangerous adventure, but at the end of the day, all of that is just busyness if it doesn’t bring about change in the protagonist.

What is the moral of the story?

What is the story ABOUT?

The author’s writing was fine. She knew how to show and not tell. She employed good pacing. An even balance of dialog and prose. I didn’t agree with some of the character’s motivations but the author used motivation to justify the events on the page.

But after two chapters, I still didn’t know what the protagonist wanted. There was no HINT at what her epiphany might be at the end of the book.

Thus, I didn’t care about her as much as I could have.

Even for a simple romance, the story must be about something. A life lesson. A moral. A spiritual truth.

Yes, the story on the surface in about falling in love, but really it’s about coming to some life understand. An epiphany.

In The Proposal, Margaret falls in love with Drew but only after they both fought through their fears, lies and hang ups. That’s what the movies was about. Coming to truth.

Same with suspense or thrillers. The story isn’t about how John McCain stops a bunch of terrorist. It’s about realizing what’s important in life. His wife. His family.

The conflict of the story is how coming to truth through the books events, also known as the plot, bring light and life to the protagonists.

Answering the questions posed here also deepens your connection with the characters. The dialog becomes about more than conversation to get the characters from point A to point B. It becomes about telling the story. About the little reveals of the characters inner self.

All stories are about people. Brandilyn Collin’s said to me once, “I’ve finally figured it out. It’s all about character.”

Yes!

Go through your story and see of by the end of the first chapter, there isn’t some hint at what the protagonist wants. A hint of a want or fear.

Now, I’ve seen hints at the want and fear, but alas, it had nothing to do with the story.

If the protagonist wants to be a big time lawyer, and gets fired from his job, but the story is about him rescuing his kidnapped kid, then what he wants in the story is to be a good father, not a good lawyer.

Make sense?

You can do it. Trust me. These techniques work for me, for Susie and the My Book Therapy team.

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Best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She excels in seeing the deeper layers of a story.

With a love for teaching and mentoring, Rachel comes alongside writers to help them craft their novel. A worship leader, board member of ACFW and popular writing teacher, Rachel is the author of over 17 novels. She lives in Florida with her husband and  dog.

Contact her at: Rachel@mybooktherapy.com. Her latest release is Once Upon A Prince. Go forth and write!

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