Why Writing Fiction is so Difficult: The Bumpy Road Ahead

Writing a school paper and crafting fiction have their similarities. You start with a thesis and fill in the words, trying to adhere to the rules of grammar as best you can. During a typical paper, you present arguments and bolster them with cited facts–typically three paragraphs’ worth. And when you end, you restate your thesis along with any conclusions you arrived at and turn it in.

In fiction, one must create from thin air, to a certain extent. But one starts at (or just before) the moment the main character’s life changes relating to the plot, and you typically end the story with a reflection on how far that character has come since the first page.

Instead of arguments, a writer would plot out the events that led the character from who they were at the beginning to who they are at the ending, or how the world around them has changed, etc. In other words, the ending often ends up as a “mirror” or “mirror-opposite” of the beginning. This allows readers to reflect upon the changes that occurred while drawing their own conclusions.

Writers fill in the middle with words, trying to adhere to the rules of grammar as best they can, presenting scenarios that back up the themes while bridging the beginning to the end in as efficient and evocative a manner as possible.

I’m going to make two contradictory statements about fiction, and both are true:

• There’s a lot more work ahead of you than you think.
• There’s a lot less work ahead of you than you think.

A certain amount must be … figured out to tell or even begin a competent work of fiction, short story or long. If you’ve completed a short story, the good news you should be able to complete a novel. (And so should I!) Most of the storytelling concerns are the same.

Here’s an impromptu (and incomplete) list of things that are worthy of your consideration, in my opinion:

The Beginning:

• How/When/Why/Where does the story begin; Is it as close to the ending as possible?
• What’s the great idea(s) that sparked this project?
• Does this story need to be told, and can you prove it to the would-be reader by the end of page one?
• What is the “strange attractor”?
• Does the opening line have built-in peculiarity?

The World:

• What are the rules, and does the story consistently adhere to them or have I betrayed my own continuity?
• Has the suspension of disbelief been maintained?
• Is there any superfluous worldbuilding that doesn’t add to the plot?
• Has my prose gone purple; Have I wasted reader’s time by answering questions the story didn’t ask or shouldn’t have asked?
• Does the world feel greater than the sum of its parts?
• Does the world’s atmosphere feel unique?

The Characters:

• Which characters are unnecessary; If they can’t be dropped, can they be merged with others?
• Is the main character active or passive for the majority of the story?
• What do each of the characters want and how does this lead to satisfying conflict throughout the story while reinforcing the main theme and underlying themes I wish to convey?
• Does reality bend itself, giving the central characters too much plot armor?
• Was a certain character in a scene made to look better or seem right just because other characters around them were “nerfed”?
• Did I try to tell readers how “cool” a given character is or how loved a given character should be?
• Have I left any character arcs betrayed and incomplete just for the sake of cheap shock value?
• Are the characters distinct enough that the reader can tell who’s talking by dialogue alone?
• Does each character have at least one memorable feature?
• Are my characters given powers and abilities for free, or did they have to earn them?
• Are any of my characters an expert at too many things?

The Story:

• Is the main conflict established early?
• Which scenes are unnecessary?
• Is the narrative focused or does a secondary narrative come in to overshadow the main conflict?
• What is the main theme I wish to convey?
• Are there any action scenes there for action’s sake, or does each active conflict either cause a character to change or cost a character something, either mentally and/or physically?
• Are the conflicts challenging enough to satisfy the reader, or do things come too easy?
• Are any conflicts resolved in the same paragraph they are introduced, or are they leveraged for tension?
• Am I too heavy-handed, or do I leave room for the reader to draw their own conclusions?
• Have I held off on my key revelations until the most ideal times to maximize their dramatic effect?
• Am I writing in service to the story; Do I have to betray truth to get my message across, or does the story follow truth through its natural path?

The Ending:

• Are all the conflicts and dangling questions (that you wish to provide answers for) satisfied by the end?
• Does the story end too abruptly?
• Does the ending drag on too long?

That’s a lot to think about, but that’s where the Farmer Mindset comes in. There’s a lot of words and drafting ahead before we iron out these many wrinkles, and refining your craft bakes most of this into any story you’re trying to tell. The only way to refine your craft, of course, is to show up and write. Consistent writing means many of these considerations will find their way into your story subconsciously.

The Farmer Mindset reminds the writer that good stories take time. YOU are the sunlight, nutrients, and water the story needs, giving it strong roots. It’s a mindset that gives your stories more time and room to breathe–to “grow”–as opposed to rushing to meet some last-minute deadline.

Just think of how robust that vegetable will look and taste vs. a gangly second one that barely got any time in the dirt and sun. Now, maybe that second farmer is a seasoned pro who knows shortcuts beyond the grasp of the first farmer and came up with an impressive result despite the short growth period, but even so, I guarantee you less tender-loving care was put into Farmer B’s final product. And Farmer A will learn those same shortcuts in time, especially if he keeps getting his hands in the soil on a daily basis.

(Now, I’m Farmer C. I’ve spent so much time in the house, I forgot to water and harvest my crops before the season was over. Plenty of dead roots, but not much else. Don’t be Farmer C.)

As I said, even though there’s a lot more work ahead than we think, there’s also a lot less. All one has to do is spend some honest time with their manuscript and put in a fair share of work to be blown away by how far along their story gets, the same story they thought they couldn’t write.