You’re cruising along nicely, enjoying the literary scenery;
characters jell, plots flow smoothly, descriptions create the mood of the
proper time and place. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, you swerve. Ideas
fall part and that engrossing manuscript that flowed along so neatly is now one
hot mess. Don’t throw out your fictional baby with the literary bathwater.
You’ve only reached a snag on the road to publication. Sometimes coming to a dead stop is necessary
to get thoughts in order. In general, weakness occur in two places;
character or plot issues. One method to get back on track is called the W5. It
asks basic questions about character and plot and can help guide your thoughts.
Character Issues
Who
If you want to round out your hero or heroine (H/H) consider
how they interact with others. Who is directly affected by their actions? Only
the H/H? What about friends? Family Members? Are they really important to the
story or just window dressing? If they don’t advance the plot, what good are
they? Too many clutter a plot and slow down the action. Secondary characters
should have a specific purpose (so should the H/H.) If Joe the Coffee Shop
guy’s only function is to give the heroine her cup of coffee in the morning
than delete Joe the Coffee Shop guy and have her brew her own.
Are you clear on the strengths and weakness of the H/H?
Every human has both, and both should appear somewhere in the story or else you
have a caricature and not a person. How do these strength or weaknesses help
the H/H agenda and move the plot along. How do they hinder? Who makes the decisions in the story? If one character is
always leading, then the others are probably too weak and ineffective.
Where?
Where is the most tension between the main characters? Is it
a personality conflict or conflict of ideals?
How can they be resolved? Should one convince the other or is a combination
of both the best pathway to success. Can the H/H get help from others? Do these
characters have an alternate function or are they only there to feed
information to the H/H? If so, they may not be important and the information
they distribute can be found in another way.
Plot Issues
What?
What is both the best and worst case scenario for this
story? Think of at least three steps necessary for your H/H to achieve. What is
the least and most important one of them? In most stories, the objective is
obvious, but if your plot feels a little lackluster consider one alternative or
a hidden agenda. This is the way people act in real life. They aren’t ruled by
single motives alone.
When?
Is the action well-paced? Will a reader feel rising tension
beginning with the first chapter and have a satisfying letdown at the end?
Novels don’t have only one climatic point, but a series of smaller ones, some more
important than others. They lead up to the denouement or final resolution. Does
the H/H take action at the right time? A writer can’t keep a reader on an
emotional high throughout an entire novel. There has to be some downtime, too,
to flesh out the story. Lastly, when will the H/H know they succeeded? Will it
be at the denouement or shortly thereafter with a final resolution?
Why?
Have you considered the why of this story? Why must it be
told? (“To score a publishing contract” is not the right answer.) The story
should be told because it’s enjoyable or enlightening. Have you conveyed to the
reader sympathy for the characters so that they care about the resolution? What
about the characters? Are the reasons for their actions clear? Are obstacles
placed in the path of the story’s resolution or are you merely throwing
barriers in the H/H’s way to make the story longer. Each barrier should have a logical
reason behind it and a different resolution.
Now you’re back on track. Put on that writing cap and get to
work. The story awaits.
L. A. Kelley writes science fiction and fantasy adventures with humor, romance, and a touch of sass. She kills off characters with abandon if they don't mind.
