There’s an implicit, central dramatic question driving every compelling story.
Will Santiago catch a fish? (The Old Man and The Sea)
Will Clarice Starling catch Buffalo Bill? (Silence of the Lambs)
Did Kya kill Chase? (Where The Crawdads Sing)
The trick is drilling down to the essential question your story asks. Because that’s what’s urging your reader through to the end.
In this episode, you’ll drill down to your story’s essential question by answering 3 questions.
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Episode at a glance:
[01:03] Your story’s essential evolving question is what lures your reader scene by scene, page by page, sentence by sentence. The reader will intuit that question because it’s imbued in your story. And it’s got to be urgent enough to sustain the rest of your story.
To drill down to your story’s central dramatic question, answer these 3 questions.
[03:49] Question 1: What does your protagonist want?
What’s the one thing he or she wants more than anything? What’s the concrete goal? What need is underneath? Your character’s desire creates a story gap and a reader hungry to close that gap.
[07:07] Question 2: Who or what is interfering with her getting what she wants?
What’s the main story problem? Who or what is interfering with her getting what she wants? The interference can be a person, a situation, a culture or religion. It could be the weather. It could be nature. There may be many things that stand in your character’s way. But there will be one main opponent. Think of this as an alpha opponent.
[10:08] Question 3. What will her life look like if she does or doesn’t get what she wants?
What are the consequences? What hangs in the balance?
Link mentioned in this episode:
Episode 129: 5 First Chapter Mistakes You Can Avoid
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