The reader expects that the protagonist will be flawed and vulnerable – never, ever “perfect.” a bunch of things that happen.Īsk yourself: Who is my protagonist? In other words, whose story is it?ĥ. Without a protagonist, all you have is a plot, a.k.a. The protagonist is the reader’s avatar in the novel, and everything that happens in the plot will get its meaning and emotional weight based on how it affects the protagonist, who’s in pursuit of a deceptively difficult goal. Which means, first and foremost, there has to be a protagonist. Yep, story really is the world’s first virtual reality. Our tacit goal is to biologically experience the events in the plot as if we are the protagonist. The reader expects that there will be a protagonist.Īs readers we’re wired to make the protagonist’s experience our own, literally. Remember, you’re giving readers what they crave: a reason to care, a reason to be curious, and enough info to understand what the stakes are.Ĥ. It’s a tall order, but why not try to follow John Irving’s admittedly glib suggestion: “Whenever possible, tell the entire story of the novel in the first sentence.”Īsk yourself: What is the scope of my story? What journey will my reader take? Have I made it clear? Don’t be afraid of “giving it all away” on the very first page. This not only triggers the sense of urgency that catapults us into the story, it’s also what allows us to make sense of what’s happening from beginning to end. The reader expects a glimpse of the big picture from the very first page.Īs readers we need a notion of the big picture, so we have an idea where we’re going, why, and what’s at stake for the protagonist. Story is about an internal change, not an external one.Īsk yourself: Can my plot problem grow, escalate and complicate from the first page to the last? If so, can it force my protagonist to struggle internally, spurring her to make a much needed internal change in order to resolve it?ģ. The plot problem is constructed to force the protagonist to confront, struggle with, and hopefully overcome a long standing internal problem. Here’s the surprising secret: That external, evolving plot problem is not what the story is about. The reader expects the story to revolve around one, single plot problem that grows, escalates and complicates, which the protagonist has no choice but to deal with. Which means that as the writer, you need to know what your point is before you begin writing.Īsk yourself: What am I saying about human nature? What inside intel am I giving my reader about how to best navigate this mortal coil?Ģ. We’re wired to tacitly ask of every story: What am I going to learn here that will help me make it through the night? That’s why all stories make a point about human nature, beginning in the very first sentence. The reader expects that the story will start making a very specific point, beginning with the first sentence. With that in mind, let’s dive into what we, as readers, are hardwired to expect, and what you can do so that your story deftly fulfills those expectations:ġ. Otherwise, it’s like trying to frost a cake you haven’t baked yet. My advice? Forget trying get a gold star from your seventh grade English teacher for writing the world’s most “perfect” opening sentence (or maybe that was just me). Why do we believe that pretty writing is what we should focus on from the first word forward? Because from kindergarten on, what we’re taught tends to focus not on the story itself, but on the words used to express it – long before you’re even sure what the story you’re writing actually is. Which is precisely what keeps them from getting out of the starting gate, and one reason why 97 writers out of a 100 never finish a first draft. The problem for so many writers is that when they head into the starting gate, their primary goal is to write beautifully. Rather it’s the story those beautiful words are giving voice to that gives them the power to rivet us. But beautiful writing is not inherently necessary, nor – and this is the point - is it what has us enthralled when we’re reading. This isn’t to say readers don’t like beautiful writing, of course they do.
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