Repost: The Little Reasons A Story Works

 

It’s not enough to have something dramatic happen in a story. The reason why it happens is also important.

In terms of impact on a reader, there’s a big difference between a character getting upset about losing their house to the bank and getting upset because their favourite tv show got cancelled.

What happens keeps the reader interested in the short term. Why it happens is what keeps them interested over the course of an entire novel.

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Writing The Other Scene

In every story there are scenes, maybe whole chapters, where it’s all happening. Action, drama, twists and surprise revelations. Hearts are broken, villains behave in dastardly fashion and a hero triumphs. You love writing it, and you know the reader will love reading it.

And then there are the other scenes.

The scenes that serve a purpose. Necessary. Connecting. Functional. Making those scenes come alive is not so easy. In fact it often feels like the best thing to do is make them as plain and straightforward as possible, so you’re in and out nice and quick. Which is an excellent way to bore the reader. 

So how do you make sure you don't do that?

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