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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