Lucille Moncrief
Jul 29, 2017 · 3 min read

How to Make a Great Story if Yours is Drier Than Burnt Toast

Characters.

It’s all about the characters. Don’t even ask about plot. Plot doesn’t actually matter, it’s a red herring. What you need are humans, or at least, compelling composites of some in that addled writers head of yours.

There is a formula for this that works a bit like an inoculation from writer’s block.

Here it is:

Backstory gives characters values, which gives them motivations, which creates conflict.

Your plot is in the conflict, but you can’t get conflict without all those other ingredients.

This is why I advocate outlining vs. “pantsing” longer works of fiction.

Give each major character a backstory. Give them their “rubber ducky” moment in the outline only you will see. The character’s backstory will help you determine what values he or she may have.

Values inform motivation.

For example, Johnny Jalopy was the son of parents who weren’t very good at managing their finances. They played the game “keep up with the Joneses” and not very well at that. They had to have the best cars, live in the best neighborhood, wear the nicest clothes, all at a level unsustainable by their modest salaries. So, they charged everything, and subsequently a few years later, lost everything.

Ergo, Johnny Jalopy will not make the same mistake as his parents.

He obsessively saves everything, and pays cash for all. He wears bargain bin and Goodwill clothes. He insists on renting a tiny apartment and splitting the rent with someone. He drives a jalopy.

Petra Pizazz, on the other hand, grew up in a very poor household. She had to wear rags, she had to take the bus or walk everywhere, and her family frequently moved. Now an adult, Petra Pizazz has done well at her job and doesn’t have to live like how she grew up. And so, she doesn’t. She buys the best she can afford, and sometimes that’s something flashy. She doesn’t mind paying for it on credit sometimes, because she believes she will always have the money to pay it back. And she wants nice things, darn it!

See how the different backstories of these two characters influences their values, and therefore, motivations?

Let’s have them date.

Let’s make it worse; they rent a sublet together.

This is where your conflict ensues. This will drive your plot. This formulaic outlining will hopefully help drive your plot.

The late Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors, once said this:

“Make your characters want something right away even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.”

Keeping in line with this quote and the formula I’ve given, let’s take our composite characters, Johnny Jalopy and Petra Pizazz and give them their “glass of water.”

Johnny’s is save money, don’t ever overspend, pay cash for everything because he never wants to be poor again.

Petra Pizzaz’s glass of water is I want the best of everything because I hated growing up poor.

Do you see how putting them in an apartment together can just drive your conflict without you having to wrack your poor writers brain? This type of outline is an effective way to stave off writer’s block.

So, let’s recap.

Formula is:

backstory → values → motivation = conflict.

Happy writing!

Lucille Moncrief

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