In a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog, Monica Cox identifies three words that can help you create a powerful story that connects your character’s emotional arc to your plot.
Because Of That.
“At the end of each major scene or chapter, if you were to fill in connector words between them, would they be linked by the phrase AND THEN or BECAUSE OF THAT?” she asks.
“And then” suggests that events happen to your protagonist. In contrast, “because of that” indicates that your hero has made a decision and that the next scene is caused by what happened in the first. “Because of that” gives your hero agency and suggests consquences, which create strong connections between scenes. “One reads like a litany of events while the other invites the reader to engage with the story, to deduce, suppose, and react to the actions the protagonist is taking on the page,” Cox writes.
Cox suggests a few ways to create a strong “because of that” cause and effect chain:
- Make meaning. Review each scene or chapter and summarize the plot points, and then summarize the meaning of those plot points for the protagonist. Do the events have an impact on your hero? What happens as a result?
- Look for connection. Look at the connections between scenes and decide which better describes the transition: “and then” or “because of that”?
- Work backwards. If you find “and then” connections, ask a few questions to identify the problem in the scene:
- Is the problem plot or emotion? “Too much plot without internal meaning-making leaves the action flat,” Cox writes. “Too much internal work without a little external plot means there may be too much backstory or info dumping on the page.” Find what’s out of balance and identify ways to strengthen what’s missing.
- Does your character have agency? Is your character making active choices that carry him/her through the story or do events happen to them? “The beauty in a novel length work is that our protagonists rarely get it right on the first try, so let them make some mistakes and learn some hard lessons,” Cox says. “Just remember, that they need to be in charge, or at least think they are, by choosing to do—or not do—something in each scene.”
- What is the scene goal? Your character needs a goal of some kind in every scene, and those mini-goals should support their overarching desire.
- Can you identify the scene stakes? There should be consequences for failure attached to every goal. “If you can’t identify clear stakes in the scene, focus on what your character stands to lose in this moment and make sure the reader is clear on what that is on the page,” Cox advises.
