Speaker 1: 0:50

Stakes are what give your story emotional weight, and they answer that really important question why does this matter? And without clear stakes, even the most beautifully written manuscript is going to feel hollow. So what are stakes really? Well, stakes represent what your protagonist stands to lose or gain based on the outcome of their journey. So stakes can be external things like life or death, winning or losing something tangible, things like that. Or they can be internal stakes, so things like their identity, their beliefs, relationships, things like that.

Speaker 1: 1:24

Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works. I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. So each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away. So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started.

Speaker 1: 1:52

In today's episode, I'm sharing the five most common big picture problems I see in first drafts. Now, these aren't line level concerns like grammar or word choice. Those come later. And if you're curious about when exactly those come in the editing process. I have a freebie that you will want to download that walks you through the 10 steps to editing your first draft. You can grab that by going to savannahgilbocom forward slash edit.

Speaker 1: 2:17

Now, like I was saying, the issues that we're going to talk about today, these are the foundational story elements that, when they're working, when they're strengthened, can really transform a struggling manuscript into a compelling novel that readers won't want to put down. So we're going to go through each mistake. I'm going to talk about how I see these mistakes manifest and then I'm going to give you some quick tips for fixing these mistakes, if you've identified these problems in your manuscript. So let's go ahead and dive in, starting with mistake number one. And mistake number one is that the story starts in the wrong place, and this is one of the most common issues I see with first drafts.

Speaker 1: 2:53

The story either begins too early or too late. Now, I know that finding that perfect entry point of where to start your story can really feel like trying to hit a moving target sometimes, but it's crucial in terms of hooking your reader from page one. So let's talk through some signs that maybe you've started your story a little too early. First, if your opening chapters feel like they're building up to something significant, but that something doesn't happen until several chapters into the story, then you probably have started too early. Another sign is that you might find yourself including extensive backstory, character introductions that don't connect to the main plot, or lengthy descriptions of the world before anything meaningful happens. Essentially, this is all like clearing your throat before you speak, right? So let's talk about an example. Let's say your story is about a detective who needs to solve a murder, but you spend the first three chapters detailing her morning routine, her childhood and her drive to work before the body is discovered. In that case, you've likely started too early, and that example perfectly summarizes the two things I just talked through building up to something that doesn't happen until several chapters in, or including too much backstory, character introductions or lengthy descriptions before anything meaningful happens.

Speaker 1: 4:08

Okay, now let's flip this around and let's talk about some signs that you've started too late, because I see this happen too, and in this scenario, readers will feel like they've just been dropped into the middle of chaos with no orientation, so they're scrambling to figure out what's happening or why they should care, who they should care about things like that, and sometimes important relationships or events that really should be shown on the page are referenced as if they've already happened. So an example of this I saw the other day. I was looking at the first draft of a romance novel and what happened in this story was it started a week after the characters first meeting. So that left readers feeling like they missed a crucial moment in that relationship's development and remember key scenes like this one in a romance where the couple is first meeting. That's a really significant moment in that type of story. So when you don't include things like that on the page, readers will feel cheated. Now let's talk about why this matters.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Why does it matter to start your story in the right place? Well, we all know that readers make decisions about whether they're going to keep reading a book within the first few pages. If you start your story too early, they'll get bored, waiting for something to happen. If you start it too late, they're going to feel confused and disconnected from your story and your characters. So let's talk about a quick fix for what to do if you've started your story too early or too late. I would ask yourself this one question what is the inciting incident that truly sets your story in motion.

Speaker 1: 5:35

I will link to another episode of this podcast. It's episode number 26, where I talk about how to write a great, inciting incident for your story that sets everything into motion. So if you're not sure, I would definitely recommend listening to that episode and identifying this moment in your story. And the reason is is because the ideal starting point for your story is usually just before this event, and that's because we want to give readers just enough context to understand its significance without that unnecessary preamble starts in the wrong place. So either too early or too late, all right.

Speaker 1: 6:16

So the second big mistake I see is that there's just not enough conflict, and I really should say there's not enough compelling conflict. And we all know that stories without strong conflict are like cars without engines they just won't go anywhere. Right, but a lot of first drafts I see suffer from conflict that's either too weak, too vague or just entirely missing. So what does compelling conflict look like? Well, compelling conflict isn't just quote-unquote bad stuff happening to your character. Really, it should be a direct opposition to what your protagonist desperately wants or needs, and it should force difficult choices and create tension on every single page.

Speaker 1: 6:53

So here are some signs that the conflict in your story isn't strong enough. Number one your protagonist gets what they want too easily. Number two there's no clear force of opposition, whether that's a person, society, nature, themselves, whatever. Number three nothing truly challenges your character's beliefs or forces them to grow and change. Number four your protagonist is mainly an observer rather than an active participant in the story. And number five your scenes feel pleasant, but they lack tension. So those are five signs that the conflict in your story isn't yet strong enough.

Speaker 1: 7:28

Now remember that the best way to get your character to grow and change is going to require you to put pressure on them, and that's because people rarely change without being pushed to their limits, and the same is true for our characters. Without having sufficient conflict pushing them towards that change, your protagonist is just going to remain static, and static characters rarely make for compelling stories. So let's say that you've made this mistake in your draft, or you've identified that the conflict in your story just isn't strong enough. How do we fix that? Well, here are two questions that you can ask yourself to really hone on what you'll need to do to fix it. Number one what does my protagonist want more than anything? And then number two what's the worst yet believable thing that could stand in their way? The answers to these two questions will help you form the backbone of your story's conflict. So if this is something you need to work on in your story, I want you to consider both external conflicts, so these are visible obstacles, like antagonists or natural disasters or things like that, and also internal conflicts, so inner struggles, like fear, guilt or competing desires.

Speaker 1: 8:35

The most powerful stories, the ones that stick with us for years and years. These often feature both types of conflict working in tandem and on that note, I'm going to link to two different podcasts for you in the show notes, if this is something you need to work on. So the first one is episode number 149, and in this episode I share five questions to help you develop your antagonist. So if you need help getting to the root of who your antagonist is, what they want and why, go listen to that episode and that'll help you flesh out the external conflict that your character faces. I'm also going to link to episode number 145, which is all about how to develop your character's backstory. So if you haven't done this work yet, or if you're feeling like the internal conflict your character faces could be stronger, then I definitely recommend listening to that episode.

Speaker 1: 9:20

All right, so that is mistake number two. There's not enough compelling conflict to move the story forward and make the story impactful. Mistake number three is that there's a lack of narrative drive, and narrative drive is really just what keeps readers turning the pages. It's what pushes your story forward through clear cause and effect relationships between events. So what does that look like? So let's say that your current draft features a series of disconnected scenes where things just kind of happen to your protagonist rather than because of their choices. Then you're likely lacking that sense of narrative drive. So this might feel like this happened in this scene, then this happened in this scene and then this other thing happened in this other scene, with no real clear connection between each scene or each event. And this is what I like to call the.

Speaker 1: 10:09

So what problem? Readers finish a scene and instead of being pulled into the next one, they pause and they think, well. So what problem? Readers finish a scene and, instead of being pulled into the next one, they pause and they think, well, so what? Why should I care what happens next? And this is important because, unlike real life, which is often random and chaotic. Stories need to follow an internal logic that creates meaning. So each scene needs to grow naturally from what came before it and plant seeds for what comes after it. This deliberate type of cause and effect chain is what's going to distinguish a story that's well crafted from a story that's full of just a sequence of events.

Speaker 1: 10:42

So if you think you have this problem in your draft, let's talk about how to fix it. I want you to go through each one of your scenes and ask yourself does this scene happen because of choices made in previous scenes? Does it force new choices that will affect future scenes? If not, then you might need to strengthen all the connections between scenes or reconsider whether a particular scene belongs in your story at all. And if you want to zoom out and just kind of evaluate the biggest picture of your story, so maybe, like your main plot points, you can just ask yourself this exercise is going to quickly reveal where that sense of narrative drive in your story breaks down and or where it needs reinforcement. And if you want to go deeper into this topic on narrative drive, I'm going to link in the show notes to episode number 13. That one's called five things that kill narrative drive and how to fix it. So if you think you have this problem in your draft, I highly recommend checking out that episode. All right, so that is mistake number three a lack of narrative drive.

Speaker 1: 11:38

Now, mistake number four is that there's nothing significant at stake. Stakes are what give your story emotional weight, and they answer that really important question why does this matter? And without clear stakes, even the most beautifully written manuscript is going to feel hollow. And without clear stakes, even the most beautifully written manuscript is going to feel hollow. So what are stakes really? Well, stakes represent what your protagonist stands to lose or gain, based on the outcome of their journey. So stakes can be external things like life or death, winning or losing something tangible, things like that. Or they can be internal stakes, so things like their identity, their beliefs, relationships, things like that.

Speaker 1: 12:13

So here are some signs that the stakes in your story aren't high enough. Number one the consequences of failure feel minimal or unclear. Number two your protagonist could walk away from their goal with little or no cost. Number three the reader feels no anxiety about potential outcomes. Number four characters don't seem truly invested in the results. And number five the story feels safe and predictable.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Now let's talk about how to raise the stakes in your story effectively, especially if you've identified this as one of the problems in your manuscript. And contrary to popular belief, raising the stakes does not mean making everything bigger or more dramatic. Instead, I would recommend focusing on making the stakes more personal and specific to your character, and to do that, you can ask yourself these three questions. Number one what would be the worst possible outcome for this specific character? Number two what matters most to this character personally? And number three what is this character afraid of losing specifically? And the answers you come up with should guide you toward stakes that feel both significant and authentic to your story.

Speaker 1: 13:22

Now, something else I want to mention here is that different genres have different expectations for stakes. So, in a thriller, the stakes might be around saving lives, while in a romance, the stakes center around finding or losing love. So, yes, I want you to ask yourself the questions we just went over, to get to know what's at stake for your protagonist specifically, but I also want you to think in terms of your genre, because understanding the expectations readers will have of a story like yours is just going to help you deliver that kind of emotional experience and reading experience that they are seeking. Okay, so that is mistake number four. There's nothing significant at stake. And that brings us to mistake number five unresolved story promises.

Speaker 1: 14:04

And what I mean by this is that every story makes promises to its readers, starting from that very first page. These promises create expectations about the type of story being told and the emotional experience readers can anticipate. And when those promises go unfulfilled, readers feel cheated, even if they can't really articulate why. So what are story promises? Well, story promises can include elements like genre signals. So, for example, if there's a dead body in chapter one, that's going to promise that a mystery will be solved. So, for example, if there's a dead body in chapter one, that's going to promise that a mystery will be solved. So it promises that if they keep reading, we will find out who done it or why done it.

Speaker 1: 14:41

Story promises can also include elements like character goals that were established early on in the draft. So, for example, if your protagonist wants to win a competition that seems really important to them, readers are going to expect to see this play out and they will want to know did that person win or lose? Story promises also include elements like themes introduced at the beginning. So if you're exploring forgiveness early on in your story, then readers are going to expect some kind of resolution or some kind of lesson learned on this theme. And then, lastly, your story's emotional tone also makes a promise to the reader. So, for example, if your story starts out feeling pretty humorous, that's going to set expectations for a generally lighthearted or humorous story. So just some things to think about.

Speaker 1: 15:28

And I wanna tell you kind of the biggest way that I see this mistake manifest, and it's what I like to call a story with a genre identity crisis. So what this looks like is a story will start out being one type of story and then it ends being another type of story. So, for example, imagine you start out reading a draft that feels like a romance and then at the end there is an emphasis on solving a crime instead of resolving the relationship. Now, of course, you can write a story where both things happen, right. You can write, let's say, a crime story with a romantic subplot or vice versa, but there does need to be that one central through line that makes the promise in the beginning and delivers on the promise in the end. And let's talk about why this happens, because it is more common than I think most people would believe. So often, writers will discover new and interesting directions while they're drafting, and then they follow these new paths without circling back, to fulfill their initial promises, and this type of exploration is really valuable during the first draft.

Speaker 1: 16:27

But once you're done writing the first draft, it's time to make deliberate decisions about what kind of story you're telling, and then, throughout the revision process, you can make sure your story delivers on whatever you've decided, all right. So let's talk about how to identify if your draft has this issue. What you can do is review your opening scenes or chapters and note what kind of expectations you're setting. So what kind of questions are being raised? What type of story are you promising Then? What would a satisfying resolution to these elements look like? Then I want you to go to the ending of your story and compare it. So do the final scenes or chapters deliver on those early promises, or has your story drifted into a different territory? If it's the latter, that is okay, but you will need to either revise your beginning to align with your actual story or adjust your ending to fulfill your original promises, all right. And if you want to go deeper into learning more about how to craft a through line for your story.

Speaker 1: 17:22

I want you to go back and listen to episode number 118. That one's called how to Find the Major Dramatic Question of your Story and I will link to go back and listen to episode number 118. That one's called how to Find the Major Dramatic Question of your Story and I will link to that one in the show notes as well. All right, so that is mistake number five unresolved story promises. Now let's do a quick recap and then I have some final thoughts for you. So don't go anywhere just yet, all right.

Speaker 1: 17:42

So mistake number one is starting your story in the wrong place, either too early or too late, and remember, the fix to this is identifying your story's inciting incident and starting your story just before that event occurs. Mistake number two is not having enough meaningful conflict, and remember this isn't just about having bad stuff happen to your character. It's more about creating meaningful conflicts and obstacles that will put pressure on your protagonist and eventually force them to grow and change. Mistake number three is a lack of narrative drive. So what this tends to look like is just a bunch of stuff that happens with no clear cause and effect from scene to scene. So to fix this, you'll just want to review each of your scenes and think about how the scenes before it are affecting that scene, as well as how that scene will affect the scenes that come later. Mistake number four is that there's nothing significant at stake. And remember, fixing this is not about making things bigger or more dramatic. It's really more about making things more personal and specific to your character. You'll also want to consider the typical stakes of your genre and see how that plays into things as well.

Speaker 1: 18:46

And then, lastly, mistake number five is unresolved story promises. And, as I said, usually this manifests as one half of the draft will look differently or be a different type of story than the other half of the story is. So to fix this, you'll just want to compare your beginning and your ending and say did I raise the appropriate question in the beginning and did I answer that in a satisfying way at the end? All right. So if you've identified some or all of these issues in your manuscript, that doesn't mean your story's broken. So just take a deep breath. Having this kind of awareness and being able to recognize these problems in your draft is such a huge skill that many writers never develop. So, yes, I know it's a little painful to realize there are issues you need to fix, but again, that's what first drafts are for right. First drafts are supposed to be exploratory, and that's because sometimes the only way to discover what your story is truly about is to write all the way through to the end. So now that you have all that raw material to work with, you can start the revision process with clarity and purpose.

Speaker 1: 19:48

And if this still feels overwhelming, I want you to go download the free guide that will walk you through 10 steps to editing your messy first draft, because in that guide, it's going to tell you how to approach revision strategically. So what I don't want you to do is to dive right into line level editing before you've addressed these big picture issues. You've probably heard me say this before, but there's no point perfecting your sentences in scenes that might ultimately be cut or significantly changed. So that's what this guide will help you avoid doing, and it will also help you make a strategic plan for tackling your revisions. You can download that for free at savannagilbocom forward slash edit. So one more time, that's savannagilbocom forward slash edit. Now the last thing I want to say is that, as you revise, please be patient with yourself. These big picture foundational elements do take time to get right, but doing all this work, investing your time in this now, is going to pay off tremendously in terms of the quality of your final manuscript. So trust that your story is worth the effort and keep moving forward.

Speaker 1: 20:53

So that's it for today's episode. As always, thank you so much for tuning in and for showing your support. If you want to check out any of the links I mentioned in this episode, you can find them in the show notes listed in the description of each episode, inside your podcast player or at savannahgilbocom forward slash podcast. If you're an Apple user, I'd really appreciate it if you took a few seconds to leave a rating and a review. Your ratings and reviews tell Apple that this is a podcast that's worth listening to and, in turn, your reviews will help this podcast get in front of more fiction writers just like you. And while you're there, go ahead and hit that follow button, because there's going to be another brand new episode next week, full of actionable tips, tools and strategies to help you become a better writer. So I'll see you next week and until then, happy writing.