I suppose that when you reach a point where you don’t know why something’s not working, or if you do but have no clue how to fix it, it’s time to go back to the basics.
Story arc: the series of conflicts or plot points that build up to a climax that may need some sort of resolution reflected in a change.
Character: developing a depth that reacts to a need or a desire; tied in with the story arc in that this conflict arises out of perhaps what the character is willing to do to gain or move forward.
Narrative structure: timelines composed of flashback if called for, reinforcement or information necessary to understand what gets a character from here to there.
Point of view: the angle from which the whole story is best presented.
Action: movement of story in a series of actions/reactions to progress through the changes.
Voice: the invitation of the narrator to the reader to become interested in what is about to be revealed, to take the time to make the journey.
Conflict: man versus something that stands in his way.
I’ve done it before–gone over one of my own writings to map out the story the way I’ve been taught to find and learn structure and form in the stories of others. I’ve tended in the past to just lose touch with a story and give up after a few attempts to repair in rewriting; having been too close and then too far away–similar to that transition of aging vision when even the bifocals can’t reach to clarify something held right here.
So that’s what I’m looking to see–the blind spot.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology