Stuck on Your Plot? Change Your Story Question

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A strong plot starts with a compelling question.

A lot of writers I speak with struggle with plotting. They can come up with great ideas and wonderful characters, but getting those characters from page one to the end causes plenty of sleepless nights. And from my many conversations with frustrated writers, I see a common thread.

They’re asking the wrong story questions.

You have an idea, you know your story’s conflict, and you write the plot to solve that conflict (which is what you’re supposed to do). The problem occurs when you get too focused on your plot in a, “this is what the protagonist needs to do to win,” type way, which can sometimes put literary blinders on you.

You’re so caught up on what the right path is, that you forget to let your protagonist make mistakes and struggle to find that right path.

Writing a Page-Turner: Keep the Reader Guessing with Story Questions

By Kris Bock, @Kris_Bock

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Readers keep reading to get answers and discover more about the story and its characters. Kris Bock shares tips on how to add story questions that will keep your readers guessing--and reading. 

Chris Eboch is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers, and Advanced Plotting.

Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs.

Chris Eboch Website | Blog | Goodreads 

Chris also writes for adults as Kris Bock. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest.

Kris Bock Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter 

Take it away Kris...

The Joy of Discovery: Keeping Readers Hooked Through Story Revelations

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The need to know is what keeps readers interested in your novel. Don't let them down.

My husband and I watch a lot of movies, and we often discuss them over a meal afterward. Years ago, we were deciding if we wanted to see Men in Black 3. We both loved the original, felt the sequel was meh, and had read not-great reviews about the third (we did end up seeing it).

Then my husband said something profound (as he often does) that really related to writing and keeping readers hooked in a novel.

"The first movie had the joy of discovery in it that was missing from the second."

Which totally nails why a book, especially in a series, can fall flat.

One of the ways readers stay interested in a story is by learning new things about the world and characters. The discovery of who they are, what they can do, and how everything works, can be very compelling.

Are You Asking--and Answering--the Right Story Questions?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Leaving the right trail for readers to follow is a big part of writing a novel. The right story questions make that a whole lot easier.

I always set aside time to update my outline and prepare for a manuscript revision. Not only is it a good way to remember what I wrote, it helps me ensure I have everything figured out so the revision is easier.

Years ago, I was working on a novel with a lot of layers and mysteries, and I added something new to this process:

Identify the story questions in each act.

Why I hadn't done this before I have no idea, as it sounds so obvious, right? It's likely something you assume you already do (I know I did before I started doing this). But while I knew the main story question of every act, there were a lot more questions readers might ask about, and some of them I didn't do much with in the novel. These little questions were all missed opportunities to deepen my story and keep that all-important tension high.

Are You Asking the Right Story Questions?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A novel is a series of story questions, so it’s important to, A) have enough, and B), make sure they’re questions readers want answers to. Without questions drawing a reader into a story, there’s no reason to read that story.

Story questions also keep our scenes from being just flat descriptions of what happens. They give readers directions to wander through our story worlds, encourage them to spend time with our characters, and challenge them to discover the answers to the things we’ve teased them with.

How Being Ambiguous Can Work in Our Writing

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Most of the time, ambiguity in our writing is a bad thing. It confuses the scene, makes readers pause to figure out what’s going on, and can even create hysterical sentences that ought to be serious.

But sometimes, a little ambiguity creates uncertainty, and uncertainty can be a strong and powerful hook.

The sitcom Angel From Hell is a great example of ambiguity that works (although sadly, as I’m writing this I discovered CBS just canceled it. But the device it uses still works, even if TV viewers didn’t click with it in this case)