![]() ![]() The journeyman considers the possibilities of what he can do with the relic, the girl hungry for cereal curses herself for not remembering to get milk, the angry man considers going somewhere else to find quiet. Then comes the reflection which can be as small as a single sentence or a long inner monologue on how your character feels about what just happened. They kiss the ancient relic, in an upset motion they grab their keys to go to the grocery, the man who wanted quiet starts yelling out the window at the neighbors. They then have a moment to react which can be a quick display of emotion or a drawn out one. After dodging traps they find the ancient relic (positive), they are out of milk (negative), someone is outside mowing their lawn (negative). They then face a conflict while trying to obtain their goal which leads to a negative or positive outcome (they get it or they don’t). Are they searching for an ancient relic, do they want a bowl of cereal from the kitchen or do they just want some peace and quiet on their day off? Your character needs to be in pursuit of something (a goal) in every scene, no matter how small or basic it is. Scene StructureĪre you following a scene guide that ensures every part of your scene is important and needed in your story? Every action should have a reaction. This can get your juices flowing, can be a nice stress reliver as it’s just for fun and even bring to birth new ideas you never would have considered in the first place. You can follow a writing prompt or just explore a random event that you place them in. ![]() ![]() Take your characters and put them in a scene that is completely separate from your story. Sometimes our stories go through rough patches of not working because we haven’t flush everything out enough. Begin to Fix Plot Holesįind any contradictions, missing pieces of information that the reader (and you) need to know for it to make sense or add laws and rules. Passive characters are led by the events/plot of your story, whereas active characters have goals make decisions that force the story forward. They want to assassinate the king, or they just want to get a new job. More things to consider would be: Character Goalsĭoes your character(s) have goals that they are perusing, therefore pushing the plot forward? The goal can be simple or extreme, but it is what begins their journey. You don’t have to follow it religiously, but it’s a good tool to make sure that your story is actually progressing (rather than just a bunch of scenes with no forward movement towards the end). Here’s an image that I got from Pinterest (Three Act Structure) that I look back on when my story hits a wall or I feel like my scenes aren’t making an impact. There is Save The Cat, The Hero’s Journey, The Three Act Structure and more. Loosely following a structural guide can help keep your story on track and making every scene important to the story as a whole. When I get stumped in my writing, it’s usually my structure, pacing or my backstory having holes, therefore leaving me clueless as to why things are happening in my own story.Ĭonsider the timeline of your story. My advice would be to figure out where the problem is rooted: Is your structure the problem? Is every scene important and pushing the plot forward? Are your characters doing purposeful actions, or just wandering about? I can really relate to this (and I’m sure every writer out there can as well). What To Do When Your Story Just Isn’t Working ![]()
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