Darren, this was incredibly helpful. I came across this post earlier in the week and saved it—today I was able to read it through (multiple times) and then use these questions and touchpoints on one of my ideas. I had a partially formed idea and the start of a plot, but I didn’t have these central ideas teased out to help navigate and support the story. By following this process I was able to get a better understanding of the story I want to tell and areas where I need to spend more time. Thank you for such a helpful and thorough piece.
In regards to the question you pose, my biggest struggle is connecting my idea/the story I want to tell with a central dramatic argument and determining the stakes that would capture an audience. I tend towards slice of life style stories and so I struggle to expand beyond a story that I find interesting and want to tell into a larger context of themes. Curious if you have any thoughts or advice. Thanks again for sharing such a detailed and helpful post!
The good news is that, as the name of my publication implies, none of this stuff is required or a hard-and-fast rule. There are plenty of books out there (and movies) without an organizing central dramatic argument. And most novels don't have real stakes. Most traditionally published, successful novels don't even involve an overarching goal or question. The only question is "where will these characters end up at the end of the book?"
For example, I just looked at a random book from my Kindle daily deal email (Expectation by Anna Hope), and I have no idea where the story is going from the description. The plot involves what I would call a situation. But the book probably has strong interiority, characters that women recognize, and good prose. So, disregarding my advice could make you a bestselling author.
That being said, what I advocate for, I believe, helps writers develop an elevated, focused, and useful story. I also think that having some structure and guardrails makes the writing process easier than if anything is possible and all the matters is how pretty your prose is. With the latter, I feel one can easily get lost, and the writing can feel aimless.
I will DM you in a moment, and you can tell me more. And I will read your pages as promised.
Darren, this was incredibly helpful. I came across this post earlier in the week and saved it—today I was able to read it through (multiple times) and then use these questions and touchpoints on one of my ideas. I had a partially formed idea and the start of a plot, but I didn’t have these central ideas teased out to help navigate and support the story. By following this process I was able to get a better understanding of the story I want to tell and areas where I need to spend more time. Thank you for such a helpful and thorough piece.
Thank you for your kind words, Katie.
In regards to the question you pose, my biggest struggle is connecting my idea/the story I want to tell with a central dramatic argument and determining the stakes that would capture an audience. I tend towards slice of life style stories and so I struggle to expand beyond a story that I find interesting and want to tell into a larger context of themes. Curious if you have any thoughts or advice. Thanks again for sharing such a detailed and helpful post!
The good news is that, as the name of my publication implies, none of this stuff is required or a hard-and-fast rule. There are plenty of books out there (and movies) without an organizing central dramatic argument. And most novels don't have real stakes. Most traditionally published, successful novels don't even involve an overarching goal or question. The only question is "where will these characters end up at the end of the book?"
For example, I just looked at a random book from my Kindle daily deal email (Expectation by Anna Hope), and I have no idea where the story is going from the description. The plot involves what I would call a situation. But the book probably has strong interiority, characters that women recognize, and good prose. So, disregarding my advice could make you a bestselling author.
That being said, what I advocate for, I believe, helps writers develop an elevated, focused, and useful story. I also think that having some structure and guardrails makes the writing process easier than if anything is possible and all the matters is how pretty your prose is. With the latter, I feel one can easily get lost, and the writing can feel aimless.
I will DM you in a moment, and you can tell me more. And I will read your pages as promised.