When Your Story Isn't Working

[RAVENEYE]

Found a helpful article that lists questions to ask when you feel that your story is unraveling or boring or going nowhere.

A practical way to keep tabs on how your WIP is doing and how you might address fixes.

Questions to Ask When Your Story Isn't Working

On this note, does anyone have any other helpful tips or resources they prefer when stories or characters fall flat?

[farida]

Yes, I've got a good one for a story problem. Try and tell it backwards.

Literally, start with the final scene, what was the scene before? What happened to get to that point? And the point before that?

Soon, plot holes become apparent, but often solutions do, too. It's a great way to map out where the story is headed, because you already know the ending.


The only caveat is, of course, that you need to have an ending in mind for it to work.

[RAVENEYE]

Ooo, mapping backwards! That sounds challenging. 

When I started working on a three-storyline draft for this blasted novel, I realized the need to map it out, and lo and behold! The mapping process led to a massive solution to a problem I couldn't figure out and a far more interesting ending to one of the storylines, all in one! Two birds, one stone, nice and tidy. 

And how people start writing without having some idea of the ending blows my mind. Tried that twice, and both projects fizzled out for lack of direction and purpose. Getting to write the ending is one of the most effective driving forces for writing all the rest.

So, yes, to both mapping and knowing the ending.