Do You Know How to Progress Your Plot?

Dear writer,

Actions and reactions, causes and effects; do you know how to progress your story?

You might have heard this golden rule before, that every plot point, character, scene, piece of dialogue and motion in your story needs to be there purposefully. If there isn’t a purpose for something to be there, take it out.

This rule is there for a good reason, I believe. Readers become frustrated when given a piece of information, only to find out down the line that it was completely useless.

You see, reading is almost like solving a puzzle. The reader is given bits of information, and their brain is constantly trying to piece together what will happen next. Part of the reason why mysteries are so popular is because the audience receives an immense amount of satisfaction when they figure out the mystery. Or, when the mystery is revealed, the brain can connect all the bits of information it received along the story line, affirming the solved mystery, which also brings an amount of satisfaction.

There is no satisfaction with useless information.

So how is this rule associated with progression in a story?

When we look at our own lives, what can we notice about progression? Well, we notice that everything that has occurred previously has gotten us to where we are now. Every decision, thought, expression and circumstance has forced us to adapt and move forward in some way. And when I say forward, I don’t necessarily mean in a positive direction. Something could have well and truly set you back in life, but in storytelling, those circumstances are often referred to as redirections.

My point being, in order for there to be a forward motion or progression in a story, there needs to be an action taken or an incident. This could come in the form of a decision, an option, a goal, a mistake, an outside force forcing the character to move in a certain direction, etc.

After this action or incident, there then needs to be a reaction or a consequence. This could be a worldly consequence, an emotional one, a death, a relational consequence, depending on where you want your story to go. This consequence could also be a positive one. For example, if you were writing a romance and a series of events caused the protagonist to reveal their true feelings for the love interest, the consequence of that action could be the love interest reveals their loving feelings in return.

Think: cause and effect.

If you feel like your story has plateaued, and you don’t know how to move it forward, the first step would be to have a clear idea of what your end goal is. So ask yourself how you would like your story to end, where you would like your characters to end up and what you would ultimately like for them to learn along the way.

If you already know the ending and are just stuck at one part, either brainstorm a new action to take place so there can be a reaction that will move the plot and characters closer to the end, or get more involved with the mind of your characters. Ask yourself what they are currently feeling, why they are feeling that way, and what would be the most authentic way for them to react to their current situation. You could even ask yourself: what would need to happen in order for my character to react in a certain way? Always of course, remembering that everything should be purposeful and lead towards the ending.

Something important to understand is: a complacent character doesn’t move the plot forward, it makes the plot complacent too. So make sure the events mean something deep enough for your character to react to them.

If you are a discovery writer and don’t know the ending of your story, whatever plot points you decide to write and internal struggles your character is experiencing, ensure you are also writing the consequences. So even if you don’t know your ending, the plot is moving towards something you will discover sooner or later.

On top of that, with every consequence you write in your story, you also want to make sure the characters learn something from them, whether it be a good lesson or not. This is to reiterate the idea that everything in your story should serve a purpose. You do not want your readers wondering, what was the point of that?

An example of a good lesson could be, in a fantasy when the protagonist is fighting the enemy, the hero could lose the battle but learn the enemy’s weakness in the process.

And an example of a bad lesson could be, in a romance when the protagonist proclaims their love but gets rejected, the protagonist may learn it’s wrong to share their feelings. This will work if you’re writing a story where the protagonist ends up learning that it is safe to share their feelings no matter the outcome, because a bad lesson like this will definitely impact the rest of the love story and will provide a lot of internal conflict.

My last thoughts before I leave you are: always think of the causes and effects when writing your story. Since this pattern resembles real life, the readers will understand the direction in which your story is going, allowing them to follow along and become more immersed.

So remember, when writing, it’s great to always ask yourself:

What is the cause of this event and what is the consequence of it?

This will ensure your story is always progressing, even if there are setbacks. Then, your readers will be able to feel that sense of satisfaction as they follow along and connect the dots along with your protagonist.

Much love,

Elena