TELLING STRONG STORIES : HOW TO CREATE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR PLOT ( Continued )
AUGUST , 2018
TELLING STRONG STORIES : HOW TO CREATE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR PLOT ( Continued )
3 . Why does my main character want this thing ? Are her reasons — her motivations — admirable ? Are these motivations logical in this story situation ? Are her motivations believable to the extent that a reader will accept them as legitimate enough to motivate an intelligent , independent , principled protagonist throughout the entire length of my story ? Will a reader not only believe these motives but also adopt them on behalf of my character and root for her to achieve her desires ?
4 . What does my main character not want ? Is my character running away from something ? If so what is it and why is he on the run from it ? Is my character avoiding something ? If so what is he avoiding and why ? What is my character afraid of ? Why is my character afraid of this thing ?
[ Here ‟ s a secret to upping your story ‟ s ante in terms of drama , intensity and power . Make sure every character fears something . Especially your main character . For example , what does Scarlett O ‟ Hara fear in Margaret Mitchell ‟ s Gone with the Wind ?] 5 . What ‟ s at stake for my main character in this story situation ? What will happen if she fails to achieve what she wants or needs ? Are those consequences dreadful enough to make a reader dread them as well ? Who in my story besides my main character could also be adversely affected ? How in specific scenes , action and dialogue can I intensify these stakes by making the potential consequences more devastating , pervasive and far-reaching ?
Brainstorm every possible response to each of these questions . Always push yourself beyond the first , most obvious possibility toward less expected , more original ones . The farther reaches of our imaginations are the place from which we Tell Strong Stories .
Alice Orr — adapted from my blog at http :// www . aliceorrbooks . com .
Biography :
Alice Orr is the author of sixteen novels , three novellas , a memoir , and No More Rejections : 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript That Sells . A former book editor and literary agent , Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer . She has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City .
Alice ‟ s latest book , A Time of Fear & Loving — Riverton Romantic Suspense Book 5 , is available HERE . Website & Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon Author Page
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