Writers of Whitstable has launched a new Story Craft group. This discussion group will focus on various aspects of writing a novel, with a ‘homework’ exercise before each meeting. The exercises involve looking at published novels and encouraging writers to compare them with their own works-in-progress. The first meeting focused on problems, stakes, and goals—and how these are introduced in a story. Here are a few thoughts on the subject.
Doesn’t this story conflict come naturally?
Absolutely! It would be hard to set up a story without a character hitting a problem, and with no story stakes at all. A character will often have some goal to strive for, or the goal might be to preserve the status quo.
So you’ve written a story with a problem. But are the problems big enough? Do they interest the reader or make them care? Is it a problem that can leave a lasting impact on the character’s life?
Internal vs external problems
It’s also good to consider whether your story offers the right mix of external plot problems and internal emotional problems. This mix will vary based on the genre. Some books are mostly action, adventure, and exciting plot, others are all emotional entanglements, with stirring highs and lows for the main character. Some books are a mix of the two. When you sit down to write do you have an image of your reader, and an awareness of the type of book they are expecting?
In my genre, contemporary women’s fiction, a plot problem is typically caused by an internal character problem or flaw. I love to see characters who cause their own downfall, this adds a layer of complexity to the story. Some characters seem to ‘get in their own way’ of accomplishing a goal. The central character in ‘Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ longs for a relationship with a local musician, but everything about her awkwardness and sad coping mechanisms make the goal impossible. I think this is a great example of an internal problem.
What is an ‘Inciting Incident’?
An ‘inciting incident’ is closely linked to story problems. An ‘inciting incident’ is a key scene that hooks a reader into the story. It’s the spark that starts the story’s journey. It usually introduces the main problem or challenge a character must overcome.
In Story Craft sessions we’re going to look at a wide range of successful books. I’m fascinated to see what we come up with through this research. Is it good to have one big dramatic inciting incident? Or does it work to have a more subtle story set-up? In the hugely popular Hunger Games book there’s a big scene to set up the story problem. The central character faces one unexpected moment and she chooses to undertake a life or death challenge.
In some books the story set up is more gradual. There might be lots of little problems that lead to a much more subtle inciting incident. Think Mr Darcy’s first encounter with Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.
Different genres have different conventions for setting up problems at the start. It’s always useful to read and study books that are similar to your work in progress.
The ‘central question’
When we think about the set-up of problems and stakes it’s useful to consider what this means for the reader. The ‘central question’ is connected to the inciting incident. The inciting incident problem should spark a question in the reader’s mind. A big question is raised and the reader needs to care about the answer. The inciting incident might be the live-or-die brutal Hunger Games. The central question is, ‘will Katness survive?’
Problems and goals in the story set-up ideally spark lots of questions – some of which are impossible to answer. The ‘central question’ is, ‘Will Katness survive?’ The answer is… Of course she will! No way is this going to be a book with an unhappy ending! But the set-up has created a multi-layered problem that sparks lots of additional questions too… Who will die in this life and death challenge? What will happen to Katniss’ family now she’s left? How will the brutal game change her? Will the cruel rulers of this land ever change? These are big intriguing questions we can’t answer. We are sure there will be lots of surprises to come.
A test of a great story?
I’m always looking for a hack to judge the strength of story ideas. Maybe this is one? Is the surprise generated by the plot problem some sort of clue to a story’s strength? Is there a direct correlation between the number of questions sparked by the inciting incident, and the quality of a story? I’m not sure! I do know that I’ll love exploring questions like these in our new Story Craft groups.
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