Skip to content

What could someone do?

David Gane
David Gane
— 1 min read

A story is about a character wanting something, but something else standing in their way. There wouldn't be much of a story if something wasn't in the way.

The central part of the story is the character trying to find a way around the obstacle to get their want.

A similar thing happens in our lives. We want something, but something else stands in our way.

The central part of our lives is finding our way around the obstacle to get our wants. Either we succeed, or something new gets in our way.

When we're stuck, it's often because we can't figure out a way around the obstacle. If this happens, ask yourself what someone could do in this situation.

You may get many bad and useless ideas, but you might find one that works.

Blog
David Gane

David Gane Twitter

Co-writer of the Shepherd and Wolfe young adult mysteries, the internationally award-winning series, and teacher of storytelling and screenwriting.

Comments

Related Posts

Mistakes happen

Yesterday's newsletter didn't go to the right group, so I had to resend it tonight. It may even come out after I'm finished with this blog post. I finished it early yesterday, did several edits, then had my wife read it before I sent it. Yet, it still failed—but

Pebbles

Write a blog post every day. Write your book every day. Show love to those close to you. Take walks. Exercise. Read. Each of these is a small pebble in the pond that ripples forward and backward through your life. Throw enough, and eventually, they'll ripple back. (h/t to

My first posts

I first started posting on Tumblr in May 2007. I shared family stuff and links until I eventually started writing about writing. Usually, it was about trying to convince people to write. A lot of it is uncomfortable to read now—a little too cocky and unsympathetic to people's challenges.