Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)

by Lisa Cron

First, take a minute and review everything you already know about your protagonist. Reread every scene you’ve already written. Make a note of the memories your protagonist might call on during this scene as she struggles to makes sense of what’s happening and what she should do about it. Imagine her boxed into a corner, with no choice but to take action. Or, if she can choose not to take a stand, then make sure that by opting out she would lose something she dearly wants—often the most meaningful, closely guarded thing a person has: their sense of self-worth. In other words, your protagonist has arrived in the land of now or never. Now you’re ready to develop your Scene Card and then write your protagonist’s “aha!” moment scene. If you’re wondering how the hell you’re going to do this, you’re in good company. This is scary, because there is no right or wrong. The goal here is to take everything you know will happen, merge it with what you suspect might happen, and then wing it! Maybe even write several versions. Sometimes the way writers realize that they want their protagonist to perish in the end is by first writing an ending in which the protagonist survives. Or, more commonly, vice versa. But here’s the irony: it’s only when you’re in possession of the vast amount of info you already have that you can effectively wing it. Luck, as they say, favors the prepared.