By Susan May Warren, author ofThe Way of the Brave (Released 1/7/20)
There are
600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US
alone. Yes, that’s a lot. But you don’t need that number to blow your mind…simply
walk into a Barnes and Noble and notice the shelves and
shelves of books…
Why should someone pick up your story?
Because you have heroic characters? Maybe an edge-of-your-seat plot? Perhaps a
heart-wrenching situation?
A great story has all of the above. But
really, the reason a reader picks up and stays with a story has to do with
something much more…personal.
It’s about the question in your reader’s
heart and how your story reaches in and answers it. Or, at least empathizes
with it.
It’s called the Story Question and every
book has one. It’s the theme of the story turned into a personal question.
·
Can
you overcome heartbreak and love again?
·
Do
you have the courage to fight back?
·
Is
there hope after grief?
The Story
Question is that question your character is asking as the book opens, ignited
by the inciting incident and lingering in their mind throughout the story. All the tidbits of truth your character
discovers along the way contribute to the answer they discover at the epiphany
moment of the story.
Consider one of the classics – Casablanca. Rick is a broken-hearted soul who can’t
forgive the woman he loves for abandoning him.
He’s become apathetic and refuses to get involved in the lives of those
who come to his bar. Then, one day, his
lost love, Elsa walks into his gin joint and suddenly the story question
ignites. Can Rick love again? And, if he does, will it change him into a better
man?
This question is at the heart of
countless stories through the ages. One
of my favorites is The Count of Monte Cristo. A man, wrongfully
imprisoned, vows revenge on the man who stole his life. The external journey is his quest to enact
revenge. However, his inner journey is
about forgiveness. The story question
asks, can a man so wrongly aggrieved, forgive? And could it finally set him
free? Ironically, this is also the story
question in my current release, The Way of the Brave. My hero has been
betrayed…and now he’s called to rescue the very person who betrayed him.
The
external plot only causes the character to grapple with the big question of the
story. One
might say that the entire purpose of the external plot is only to cause the
hero to confront the big story question and find an answer, with the hope that
because of it, he changes and becomes a better man.
Frankly, isn’t that what life is
about?
If you build your story correctly –
creating a character we like, who has a real problem, and wants something for a
good reason, someone who has something to lose and who goes on a quest to find
that solution, you have a solid plot. But it’s the why of the journey
that differentiates your book from others. What is the question the
character—and the reader—is asking?
Your story gives them at least a glimpse
at an answer. And if it’s one they like, they just might pass the book along.
_____________________________________________________________
Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling, Christy,
Carol and RITA award–winning author of more than seventy-five novels whose
compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and
reviewers alike. In addition to her writing, Susan is an internationally
acclaimed writing teacher and runs an academy for writers, Novel.Academy. She’s
taught at conferences around the world and helped many novelists onto the
bestseller list.
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