Characters and No Plot

fictionwritingtips:

A question I received today prompted me to write this post because it seems like a lot of writers are struggling with this problem. When you have everything else you need to tell a story, but you can’t figure out the plot, what should you do? The good news is that you really don’t have a lot more to figure out. Once you have your characters down and what their motivations are, the story will begin to tell itself.

Your characters are really the driving force behind your story. They will decide what happens next, they will reveal what should be said through dialogue, and they’ll be there every step of the way as you form your story. They’re in charge. As long as you let them take control, you’ll be able to figure out your plot. But how do you do this? How do you let your characters take charge if you’re the one that created them?

Really know your characters’ motivations.

Your character wants something. If they don’t, they should. Your character has obstacles that stand in the way. If they don’t, they should. Your character has to figure out how to reach their goals. The story is all right there. What does your character want? How will they get it? What stand in their way? How will they overcome these obstacles and get what they want? Will they ever get what they want? Every single character in your story should want something, even if it’s something small. Their motivations and goals will lead to a journey of some kind. They will change. They will have to tackle those issues or people that stand in their way. How they do this will reveal the plot.

Don’t overcomplicate your story.

Writers often worry about a story that’s too simple OR they’re too focused on avoiding what’s been done already. A plot can be super simple, but it can still be extremely interesting. Say your story is about a character who is trying to find a loved one. That might seem like it’s been done to death, but stories about love and friendship are stories that people have loved to read forever. It’s just what you do with it. What world will it take place in? How can you switch up the relationships? How can you add something unique to it? The basic plot of your story can be simple and somewhat cliché as long as you add your own personal touches to it. Also, the original characters you bring to it will add life.

Recognize why you wanted to tell this story.

What idea first inspired you to tell this story? Was there a specific world you wanted to build? What’s so important about this world? What’s the main problem with this world? Focusing on a line of questioning like this for yourself will help you brainstorm and come up with the plot. You really need to remember what led you to tell this story in the first place and what you want to focus on. Even if you just wanted to write a cool protagonist, think about what makes them cool. What do they want? What do they represent for you? Share that with your readers.

-Kris Noel