Do You Have a Story to Write?

One of the worst parts about writing is putting a lot of time and effort into a story, and then finding out that you just don't want to write it about halfway through. One of the biggest reasons why is that, for any number of reasons, there are just too many issues with the story; some of us recognize exactly why while others of just realize that intuitively. The basic problem is that relying on crutches is usually the worst way to create a story; you just have so little actual input yourself that the story is going to be weak and therefore a pretty bad read.

Here are some basic problems common to a lot of different stories. Once you recognize the problem you have the choice of either fixing it or letting the story go, and sometimes it may just be the better idea to let it go. These issues can be fixed, sure, but sometimes going in and making the applicable fixes may be too much of a problem; it may just be a better idea to let it go. Obviously, what to do with is up to you, but the best two ideas are to put it away for a better day or just put it out of your misery.

Are You Just Following a Checklist?

Checklists are not a bad thing: They can help keep you focused, make sure that you organized, and make sure that you don't forget things. That's actually pretty useful. However, by the same measure, we've all watched movies or read books where it was obvious that the writer was using a checklist to write it: "It's a fantasy novel, so I need to include a reluctant hero, a powerful boss, some spells, and - -" Well, you get the point. If you're relying on some sort of checklist rather than creating things yourself, then you likely don't actually have a story so much as you do a collection of ideas.

Use the checklist only to keep yourself organized. If you use it for more than that, if you use to actually decide on what goes in your story, then it may be time to try pantsing it just to see what happens.

Is There a Promise to Your Audience That You're Trying to Break?

This is sort of the opposite of the checklist: A checklist implies that there is some magic formula and that by following it you are guaranteed success; if I put in X battle scenes and Y betrayal scenes, people will love it! These scenes are those that you promised on some level and your audience is expecting; you showed that unicorns exist, that they show up during important events, and that the events of your book are important, so you've made a promise to have some unicorns. Straight up: You should never make a promise to your audience and then try to break it.

However, if you are trying to figure out ways to not include those scenes, then you need to ask yourself why. Sometimes this is a good call, and therefore a good solution is easy: Either explain the situation (events are just not that important to justify the unicorns) or completely write out the unicorns. However, if it's just something that you don't want to do, then you should question your motivation; any time you are dragging your feet you need to decide if it's just because you're procrastinating or there is something more serious at work, and if it's the latter then it may be time to drop the story, even if it's just temporary.

Do You Have Must-Have Scenes?

Before I even outline a story, I stop and try to come up with some scenes that work for the story. Even if I don't end up using those scenes, I need something to focus on; I need some sort of proof of concept and those scenes are, to me, that proof. Sometimes I will already have some scenes in mind that I need to see; sometimes, it's those scenes that are the reason for me writing the story in the first place. Some of those scenes are scenes that allow me to realize that there is a story and, understandably, some of those scenes become some of my favorite scenes, even if I don't use them.

When you're just sitting down to type, it helps to have these must-have scenes so that you have some sort of focus yourself. More to the point, if you don't have any must-have scenes before you start you may have problems charging in: You just don't have any visualized goals and without those visualized goals you will just basically be marching from one point in the story to another and like someone just marching along you will eventually just get too tired to march on. So before you start make sure that you have some scenes that you want to actually do; if you can't conjure any of these scenes, then the story may just not be yours to tell.

Is the Plot Twist Deserved?

Everyone likes a good plot twist, especially when it works. However, you also have those writers that put in a plot twist because they feel that it keeps the audience guessing; these plot twists usually come out of nowhere and completely mystify readers. That is, rather than building up the twist and laying the groundwork for it so that it works, some writers just throw in a plot twist because they want one. These undeserved plot twists can ruin the reading experience.

Worse, these plot twists show that you just aren't really interested in writing the story. After all, if you had really wanted the plot twist then you would laid down the proper groundwork for it, along with all of the proper red herrings and other misdirection techniques. Throwing in an undeserved plot isn't just lazy writing; that lack of respect for the story it brings into question if you are even interested in really writing the story. The bottom line is that if you are going to throw in a plot twist, either commit to it fully or don't bother; if you can't commit to it, then just put it back on the shelf and don't waste anyone's time with it.

Is There a Reason to Care About What Happens?

We all know that you need a hook: This is what gets your readers into story and will keep them there until you've at least settled the situation that started off the book. However, that hook also provides something every story needs: It gives your readers a reason to care. Coming up with a hook may sound easy, and if you're at least semi-serious about the story it should be. But if you're having a problem coming up with that reason for anyone to really care about your story, then it's likely you don't care about the story yourself, and that's a sign to run.

Does the Story Stand By Itself?

There are potentially two issues here: The book is part of a series or the story is a satire of some sort. If it's the first, realize that each segment of a series needs to stand on its own two feet as a story; otherwise, you're creating a weak link in your series and that can hurt the rest of the series. If you're attempting a satire, remember that a satire needs to stand as a story without the satire; no one wants to read a series of jokes with no story. Putting it another way: Your satire won't work if it doesn't stand as a story first; the satire just won't have the grounding that makes it even more biting.

They key here is that if you're just writing the story as linking material or you're just writing jokes, you don't have an actual story and so it will fall flat. Write the story first and worry about the other details later.

Are There Too Many Plot Holes?

Most stories have some basic plot holes and it would be hard to plug each and every last one of them. Worse, if you do take the time to plug them all you will just create a lot of boring filler. However, what we're looking at here are not only plot holes large enough to drive an Imperial star destroyer through, but also lots of them. If your beta readers notice a lot of plot holes in your writing, or you start noticing them while you're editing, then you should recheck your outline and then make adjustments needed in order to plug as many plot holes as possible.

[Yeah, I know pantsers are going to see a lot of plot holes, but that's due to the nature of the style. Just remember to keep an eye out for them when you're editing. You may need to use a white board in order to track the plot holes and fill them as needed.]

Is the Villain a Challenge For the Protagonists?

The villain will always be the most important character in the story; he drives the story and makes sure that the lives of the heroes is always interesting. The villain needs to be able to challenge the heroes, be it a single foe or a group of them; thus, if the villain is unable to challenge the heroes then he is pretty useless. This means that you need to make sure that the villain can kick some hero butt; have the heroes go up against the villain once or twice and have them get their butts handed to them.

Just have some fun with the villain.

Oh, and it is possible to go the other direction as well. You may need to nerf your villain a little, and do it in a more interesting way than upping the heroes' power level or giving them some sort of deus ex machina. The two need to be at about the same level of power, at least at the beginning; it gives them a reason to train and get better at what they do if nothing else. If the villain gets more powerful, then so should the hero; there should be an arms race that the heroes eventually win. Sure, the villain can win, but he should go down in flames in the end.

Do the Protagonists Ever Lose?

Your heroes may win in the end, but that doesn't mean that they should win all of the battles. By the time that your heroes get to that last battle, there needs to be at least some question of the heroes' failure; you need that tension to make the final battle work. If they have won every major battle, then that tension won't be there and the audience will react to the final fight with a resound, "So what." Also, their losses is what gives your heroes the reason to get better. As such, you need to let your heroes lose every so often, and lose big, or no one will buy their reasons to get better.

Is There at Least One Character the Audience Can Like?

No matter how irredeemable your characters are, there needs to be at least one character that the audience is allowed to like. It doesn't matter if it's the innocent that is corrupted in the end, the rake that seduces everyone he sees, or its the seductress with a heart of gold; you need someone that the audience can get behind. Sure, you may trying to write the edgiest of edgy books, but if none of your characters are likable then no one is going to stay around to see what happens.

Of course, watch out for the converse: At least one of your characters has to be unlikable, and in such a way that the hate is honest. Preferably, the character is the villain, or at least supporting the villain; this actually adds to the fun. If the unlikable character is on the heroic side, then the character must either be redeemed or join the villain's side, even if it's just temporarily just to show that the character canbe redeemed. But keep in mind that the key word is "honest"; if the audience is manipulated into hating the character or it's just too obvious that the character has to be hated, then it may actually end up working against you.

Is There Some Sort of Character Synergy?

Your characters need to be able to work together, at least on some level, and this also means that they need to fit together on some level. Obviously, if you fit them together like a sentai team (the leader, the rebel, the girl, the brain, and the brawn) or a gaming group (the tank, the sniper, the healer, the mage) then it may make it easy on you, but you will also need to be wary of the cliches involved. At the other end of things, you may want to avoid characters that have no reason to meet up with each other; if they have no reason to team up, then you may have made things too difficult for yourself.

You can have some overlap between character skillsets, but don't try to make sure that they have some area that they are limited in; the ideal is that one character is an expert in a skill that another is lacking in, and that it applies to everyone. Again, the idea is to ensure that the characters have a reason to do things together; if Batman had Superman's powers then there would be no reason for him to be part of the Justice League. Sure, characters can learn from one another (look at how many characters Captain America has made into capable fighters), but each character should always have that something that makes them special.

This actually helps you: You can build tension by having a character face their limitation. You can have one character bargain with another to learn a skill. You can also have those moments when a character gets to show off. All of these are great for your story, but without them you can't build tension, allow characters to grow, and give the audience some really cool scenes, sometimes all at once. Also, it gives the audience a reason to care; by being there when the heroes are at their weakest, the audience can grow to like and possibly even respect the heroes. They need these moments, so let them have them.

And if you think it works for the heroes, just wait until you see what it does for the villains.

Are You Looking Forward to Writing It?

This is the biggie: This is something that you need to do. You need to be looking forward to the heartbreak, to the problems, and the issues that this will bring out in you. But…that also means that you get to solve problems as they come up, be with the characters as they grow up and get stronger, and possibly even deal with your own issues. This is something that you need to be looking forward, even if you know it's going to be an exercise in masochism. If you're not, then the story is going to suffer and it just won't work.

Find a story you do need to do and sink your teeth into it, and the story you will create will be well worth the read.

* * * * *

These are just some of the more basic problems a writer may encounter while writing a story. Again, once you notice that one or more of these are true for your story, you have some interesting choices to make: You can either fix the problem or just let it go. If you have some sort of ritual for separating yourself from the story, now would be a good time to enact it; you may need that separation before you feel good about moving. Some writers just pour a drink and move on; ultimately, it's whatever works for you.