Eight Questions for Writers

Every story has an arc - a set up, obstacles for the main character to overcome, and a resolution.

Sometimes, I come across a novel from a client that has holes in one or all of these areas. There's not enough set up to get me into the story and the main character. There's not enough conflict in that vast middle of the story to make me care what happens to the main character. There's not enough of a resolution, and I'm left wondering, "Why did I read this?"

When these gaps are found within a story, I get into lecture mode and pose eight questions to the client:

1) Who is your main character (MC)?
2) What does the MC want?
3) What's the main conflict that keeps the MC from getting that want?
4) What's the event/situation that sets the MC in motion to achieve the want?
5) What are the obstacles the MC encounters, keeping him/her from the want? (Obstacles should escalate, building tension)
6) What's the event/situation that makes the MC go "All-or-Nothing" to win the want? (This is a moment in which there is no turning back)
7) Does the MC win or lose?
8) What's the effect of the win or loss on the MC?

I have the client develop an answer for each of these questions, and then we discuss what's missing from the story and how to apply some of these answers to the revising of the story.

The questions are asked in a traditional way, meaning they have a beginning, middle, ending flow to them.

However, not all stories are traditional. Some start at the end, and then show the reader how that ending came to be.

The point is most, if not all, stories touch upon each of these questions, so it benefits you to do some prewriting of your story before you jump in, write, and call yourself being "done" with the story.

It will also benefit you to look at these questions after a story is done as a part of the self-editing process.

Editors are there to help writers better their story; however, writers should be working to better their craft and understand the editorial and story development process.