Story Problems

Last time I talked about the difference between a situation and a story. A situation is simply a problem without any resolution, without any growth or change for the character who has the problem. When a character begins to struggle to solve his problem—whether he succeeds or not—you have material for a story.

Before anyone can start writing any story, some basic planning is essential. I’m not talking about creating a story outline, though some writers do work that way. Many writers, however, perhaps most, find it important not to lock themselves in too firmly to the step-by-step progression of a plot before they begin writing. Most of us like to keep an element of surprise for ourselves as well as for our readers. That doesn’t mean, though, that most of us begin writing without any idea of where we want to go. I begin with a number of elements in mind, the most important of which is my main character, someone who has a problem.

So the first thing I ask myself is, Who is this person and what is his or her problem? All else follows from there.

Let’s look at one of my novels, The Double-Digit Club. I began with a girl, Sarah, who has a problem. She has been excluded from an important club. She is nine years old, and during the past year in fourth grade one of the popular girls started a club called The Double-Digit Club. To belong, a girl was required to be ten years old. This is the beginning of the summer, and Sarah won’t be ten until late August. The real problem is, though, that her best friend, Paige, is going to turn ten the next day. Sarah is afraid that Paige will decide to join the club and leave her behind without anyone to play with for the entire summer. A clear problem.

Now, if Sarah handles the situation well, it probably won’t be much of a problem, which means I wouldn’t have much of a story. She and Paige are good friends. Paige will, most likely, choose Sarah over the exclusive club. Story over. But the secret behind many stories is that the main character is likable but less than perfect.

She doesn’t make the right choices, at least not up front. Sarah is so worried about losing Paige that she bosses her, insists on going to the beach where they know the DDC’s will be and even tells Paige exactly what to say when she gets the invitation. And Paige, tired of being told what to do, goes over to the DDC’s. And the story is off and running.

Do you see from that description what is most important to know before you begin writing a story, any story? First, who is the main character? Second, what is her problem? Third, what—or who—stands in the way of solving that problem? In The Double-Digit Club, and in many stories, there is an antagonist, in this case Valerie Miller, the girl who started the exclusive club. But there is often a second antagonist, not another person standing in the main character’s way, but some flaw in the main character herself that keeps her from solving the story problem easily. Sarah is her own worst enemy. By trying so hard to make sure she keeps Paige, she drives her away. And Valerie, of course, is right there waiting to catch Paige.

So last time I asked you to think about some story problems. This time I want you to select one, one that feels important to you, and ask yourself an important question. Why can’t your main character solve his problem easily? Who stands in his way? Is he also standing in his own way? Is there something about who he is that makes the problem more difficult to resolve rather than easier?

When you have that, you will have the beginnings of your story.