Perhaps you’re like me, where stories typically start from a scene in my head or a character in a particular situation. Sometimes I can start writing about someone I saw at the doctor’s office or at the grocery store.

Writing ANYTHING is always good. Practicing that art every day is our goal. But going from a cute scene or scary scene or funny character to an entire novel is not as easy as 1,2,3.

Sometimes it is. Sometimes we write out a story and it comes to our heads so clearly and quickly that we finish the book within a few weeks or months and Voila! We’re on our way.

BUT there are times, regardless of how much writing experience you have, that clarity in one particular story or with one particular character doesn’t come, even after writing 40,000 words….

Having Story Clarity will help you avoid this.

If that’s you or if you’re starting a new story and don’t want that to be you, let’s begin:

Before writing, you should be clear about one thing first: what you want your story to say to the world. This can take some time, but most likely there is something that you’re trying to say to the world. Be it a very deep philosophy or a simple fact. Knowing what your story is about will help you focus your writing more clearly and get the kind of story clarity that will help you write through the muddy middle without getting stuck.

What could your story be about? In the general sense? Let’s look at a few options:

“Life is better lived with friends.”

“Your prejudices can lead you to miss out on the greatest love of your life.”

“Just because someone doesn’t look like you doesn’t mean they don’t have something to offer you.”

“It’s better to have loved and lost.”

Cliché? Yes. But we aren’t writing our blurbs yet. And the point is, each book has something to say. Or it should, anyway. How did fiction start in the first place? To teach the younger generation how to survive in the world! 

Myths told the children to not let their guard down just because a giant toy horse enters the city. 

Or that taking the risk of fighting the dragon could get them a marriage ticket to the princess.

Or that treating people kindly will eventually work out well for you, even if you have a few years of suffering.

Every story worth anything has something to say. About love, about loss, about what’s worth fighting for, about overcoming or learning a hard lesson.

Even if your book is romance or space opera, you are trying to say something to the reader, without being preachy, hence why you chose to write fiction rather than nonfiction.

Be patient! Take a few minutes to find the story clarity

I know some of you are thinking, “This is silly. Who cares about writing this? This is a waste of time, since this won’t help me get clarity on this darn story!”

But believe me, it will. This won’t take much of your time, and yet it isn’t as easy as you think. And it will help you get clarity, because if you know what you are trying to say with your story, if you are VERY CONCRETE on that, you’ll be able to do several things with far more ease:

1. See when the story is deviating from the main idea

2. Write your book blurb and any copy necessary for promotions

3. Tell a stranger about your book in three minutes instead of third

4. Pitch it easier

5. Know how to craft your character and plot around what you want to say in a deeper and more specific way.

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