{"id":350,"date":"2012-02-09T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-09T17:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/blog\/2012\/02\/09\/thursdays-tips-where-does-it-end\/"},"modified":"2015-11-25T12:23:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-25T19:23:15","slug":"thursdays-tips-where-does-it-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/thursdays-tips-where-does-it-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursdays Tips: Where Does it End?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nI\u2019ve noticed a lot of buzz lately about story question. Many
\nwriters\u2019 blogs are covering this great topic. I want to today as well, only
\nfrom a different angle. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFirst, though, let me define what story question is. Story
\nquestion (also known as main dramatic question or dramatic question, etc.) is
\nthe essential hook you include in the very first scene of your story that snags
\nreaders\u2019 attention and keeps them reading. It\u2019s the question your story will
\nanswer before it\u2019s through.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFor romance, story question is simplified: Will the H\/H
\n(hero and heroine) overcome the obstacles and get together? Of course, with a
\nromance, you can include other questions: Will Fred save the ranch? Can Suzie find
\nlove again? But the story question in a romance is whether they\u2019ll end up
\ntogether. And to fit the romance genre (rather than the \u201clove story\u201d genre),
\nthe answer to that question is \u201cyes\u201d and the story should end HEA (happily ever
\nafter). (The \u201clove story\u201d genre can end with or include a tragedy where either
\nthe hero or heroine dies–not an HEA ending.) <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFor a mystery, the story question is linked to the case: Can
\nthey solve this mystery?<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFor women\u2019s fiction, the story question is as varied as your
\nheroine\u2019s problems. You\u2019ll have to choose a problem and ask if it can be
\nsolved. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nStory questions are tied to moral premise and theme, but
\nthey\u2019re personalized to your character because character sympathy is what keeps
\nreaders reading. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAnd this brings me to my article\u2019s point for the day: How do
\nyou know when your story is finished, when the tale has been told? <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWhen you\u2019ve answered the story question. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThat\u2019s why romances often end with implied good times ahead.
\n\u201cWill you marry me?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d Sometimes, you can include the wedding itself. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nYes, readers want to read on to see the characters thrive
\nnow that the bombs have stopped going off, but not for too long. Don\u2019t drag out
\nyour ending. Readers have imaginations. Let them carry the story forward if
\nthey like. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSo, here are some tips: <\/div>\n
    \n
  •       
    \nKnow your genre.<\/li>\n
  •       
    \nKnow your story question and write it out to
    \nrefer to as you go. It\u2019ll keep you on track as you write and essentially advance
    \nyour characters toward the answer.<\/li>\n
  •      
    \nMake the story question obvious in the first
    \nscene so readers know the \u201cgoal\u201d of the story.<\/li>\n
  •      
    \nKnow how your story ends.<\/li>\n
  •    Once you\u2019ve answered the story question, end the
    \nstory. The story\u2019s over.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \nSo, do you know your story question? Have you answered it? Don\u2019t
    \nlet word count overly influence story length because then there\u2019s the
    \ntemptation to stuff the story with fluff. Story question should influence
    \nstory. If it does, you\u2019re more likely to have a strong, logical story from
    \nstart to finish. <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019ve noticed a lot of buzz lately about story question. Many writers\u2019 blogs are covering this great topic. I want to today as well, only from a different angle.  First, though, let me define what story question is. Story question (also known as main dramatic question or dramatic question, etc.) is the essential hook you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[504],"tags":[238,10],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editing-writing-advice","tag-story-question","tag-writing-craft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}