A few weeks ago, I attended a seminar given by author and story consultant Lisa Cron. You may know her from her popular column at Writer Unboxed, her TEDx Talk, or her book Wired for Story.
Her approach to writing fiction is a bit unconventional. She says that everything we have been taught about writing is wrong. (A bold statement!) “The conventions of writing—voice, structure, drama, plot, all of it—are the handmaiden of story…” In other words, focus on the story first and worry about crafting beautiful metaphors later.
But even those diligently outlining their plot with the Hero’s Journey firmly in mind may still forget the critical questions. Stories are not “a bunch of things that happen.” As she reminded us over and over, your story hinges on what those things mean to your protagonist.
Most authors (I’m looking at myself here!) get well into their novels and hit a wall. It’s usually because the events of the story are not connected to the decisions the protagonist makes. Lisa wants you to set aside your outline and stop filling out that character questionnaire. Instead, know your protagonist.
She suggests you ask yourself these five questions before page one:
1.What is y
our point? Why do you care about it? (Not, what is your theme? Let’s get rid of the word theme, she advises.)
There is something you want readers to take away from your story, something with implications for human nature. It may sound a bit cliche at first (It’s better to have loved and lost…), but that’s okay. This is just something to ground you in why you’re writing this story in the first place. Answering this question and returning to it will help you through the difficult times when you want to throw in the towel.
2.What does your character enter the story wanting? What would need to happen for your protagonist to get what she wants and be happy? Whether or not the character is right about what would her happy or cannot articulate it (for example, a child), there is something she thinks would solve all her problems.
Here, the more specific the better. Winning the lottery is not specific. Picture, in detail, what that would look like for your character. Now you know what getting it would mean to her.
3. What is the misbelief that is holding your character back? This was a big one for me. This smells like the dreaded B-word: backstory. Backstory is the kiss of death, right? Wrong, Lisa says! Often the thing your character thinks is protecting her is actually hurting her. Dig to find the origin of this misbelief. Where did it come from, and why does she believe it?
It is key to understand your character’s misbeliefs as they relate to the problems she is going to face. Pinpointing this in detail will give the reader a sense of urgency and something to be curious about.
4. What is the plot problem that will force your character to struggle with this misbelief? The story problem “grows, escalates, and complicates.” Does this story problem have the power to force the protagonist to face her misbelief?
Most characters will struggle mightily to hold onto their misbelief. It is what has protected them all these years—until now, that is.
5. What is your protagonist’s a-ha moment? This is where the story makes its point. (See question 1, above.) It can come before your character has to do that really hard thing, right in the middle, or just after.
Maybe your protagonist gets what she wants, maybe she doesn’t, but readers can only care if they know what it means to her.
The huge payoff of attending Lisa’s talk was overcoming my apprehension about backstory. (That would be my misbelief!) But, as she pointed out, your protagonist had a life before page one. She didn’t step out of a bubble and into the framework of the novel. To disregard what came before eliminates what made her her. This post just scrapes the surface of Lisa’s new book Story Genius.
If you feel stuck and need some guidance in generating story ideas, please consider signing up for my new online class The Writer’s Muse: Explorations in Creativity. This class will be a mini writing retreat with inspirational exercises to help you move through the world as a writer and cultivate your curiosity in a friendly environment. Hope to see you there!
As a writer or a reader, how do you feel about backstory?
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I just bought her book!
I’m reading “Julia” by Straub and his backstory is too early. Nothing has happened yet! It’s goofing up the pacing. So much of what we learn and incorporate is intuitive. It takes time to sink in, so we can write with it in mind.
Her advice to know your protagonist is key! It’s why my first book needed so many rewrites. I’ll have to study her book knowing you got so much out of it. Thanks for the tips!
I hope you find Story Genius as useful as I did! Let me know what you think.
Also, I worked on several of the exercises she gives throughout the book, and they helped me to focus on my protagonist in a more substantial way. These exercises will go a long way to creating a well rounded character, I think!
I haven’t heard of her before but this is very interesting. I’m now thinking in more depth about my main character!
So glad you found this post useful! This book helped me ask my character different questions to gain new insight into her motivations. I hope it does the same for you. 🙂
This is so excellent, Jackie. I just shared it in the private FB page for my writing group. We’ve been talking a lot about a character’s motivation, etc.
Thanks for sharing, Nina! I hope this post provides a bit of inspiration. 🙂
I like this thinking. I can answer a few right away. I’ll recommend your class, Jackie.
Her ideas about how to get to know your characters really made sense to me. (I was thinking about your WIP and thought you have a lot of these points already in the bag!) Thanks, Amy!