A few days ago I talked about finding a misbelief for my protagonist, well seems that’s only part of the picture.

Guess I need to dig deeper. 

Okay, now that I’ve figured out her misbelief, what other questions do I need to ask?

• What is her deepest desire?
• We’ve all heard to ask what does the protagonist want but take it a step further.
• What does her misbelief have to do with her deepest desire?
• Is my protagonist loveable?
• Can the reader relate to her misbelief and her desire?

And before I can go any further, do I know how this story ends?

• Will her desires be fulfilled or will she fail and plummet into despair?

Now that I’ve answered these questions, I’m ready to write to the middle.

I’m learning so much from Steven James in Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules, which won a won a Storytelling World Award. Unlike some bloggers who write “how to” books, Mr. James is an award-winning novelist of suspense including two Christy Awards for best suspense, The Suspense Zone’s Reviewers Choice award, Suspense Magazine‘s Book of the Year award. Mr. James also crosses genres, which gives me hope.  

Hope you don’t get tired of me sharing on my blog as I learn. But I love, love this book!

What questions do you ask your protagonist?

Anything special that breathes life into your characters?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

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Want to read a little bit of Story Trumps Structure? Then click on the link for a sample.

 PS:

On a personal note, I’m getting closer to finishing my next children’s book. Just received six more images from illustrator. Fingers crossed!

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