At the end of a movie, do you ever walk out of the theater saying things like “How could that happen?” or “Why didn’t that character do this or that” or “It didn’t make sense that…”? Do you say similar things when you’ve finished a book? I do.
It happens more often than not. Why?
I’ve heard a lot of reasons ranging from “new writers aren’t educated enough” to “stories must be simplified for the current demographics” and “the story’s not as important as the visual” among others.
I’m not going to argue with those statements. To use a common cliché, everyone’s a critic and entitled to their opinions. You can’t please everyone. But I happen to believe that story is as important as the visual. In writing, the story must match the visual and it has to make sense.
Here’s how I do it.
When writing a first draft, I always ask this question: What do I want to see happen next in my characters’ stories? Does it make sense and fit their traits? I don’t worry about details or twists until the next draft. I just write the story keeping my protagonist’s arc in mind and put everything in a smooth, logical manner…the way I want to see the story unfold on screen or in a book.
So, my suggestion to you is to write as if you are an audience member of movies or books. Write what you want to see happen. Don’t worry about how compelling they are or whether or not others will like it.
That will happen in the next draft when you’ll turn on your magic to elevate your characters and create a more compelling story the way you want to see it.
