5 Essential Questions That Shape Your Plot

(And why they're essential)

From my writing desk. Whatever system works for you is a good system.

My editor brain is always asking, how would a reader understand this? My writer brain is just trying to get the story out. But our ultimate goal is to keep readers turning pages.

Whether you’re slogging through that first draft or trying to get all your ideas together before you start, let’s check if the basics are there. The best part about the creative process is that it’s not linear. You can always circle back, revise, do another outline, or rewrite the whole thing if you feel like it.

Answering these 5 essential questions can fix so many first-draft issues like pacing and confusion, or your main character aimlessly wandering through your carefully constructed plot.

1. What does your character want? (Motivation)

You saw that one coming, didn’t you? In the first novels I wrote, I had such a difficult time answering this question in a way that was actually personal or that stemmed from anything specific to the character’s backstory. I also didn’t understand that this is a want that was inside my character long before the events of the first page. Really? Yes. Before the first page you character wants something. They need it. It’s not something abstract and external like fighting evil or finding the MacGuffin.

Here’s two great examples:

Harry Potter and Duddy Kravitz (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz)

Before Hagrid shows up, what does Harry lack? Family. He has one, but it’s not really his. In fact the Dursleys go out of their way to demonstrate the ways in which Harry is a burden. Family’s love unconditionally. This want is what drives Harry to make the friends he makes, which determine his decisions, which affect the outcome of the plot. He doesn’t go through all those trials alone. His new family is Hogwarts. That’t the story the plot fits into.

Duddy Kravitz remembers his grandfather saying,

"A man without land is nobody. Remember that, Duddel.”

This statement sticks with him from his childhood into his adult years. It becomes the obsession that drives the entire plot. What does Duddy want? It isn’t land. He wants respect. And to do that he needs to become that sort of man.

Why a good answer to this question is essential:

Hero: I want to fight evil!

Reader: Why?

Hero: Because it’s bad!

Reader: I want to close your book.

Hero: Why?

Reader: Because it’s bad.

A true want, a deep lacking, makes your character relatable and believable. We can identify with that want because at its very core, it’s human. And without it, your character falls flat, making it very difficult for your reader to care about them.

This want also influences each of your protagonist’s decisions, which in turn, shape your plot. How is that? Because this want leads to more essential questions.

2. What will they do to get it? (Goal)

Motivation fuels the goal. These often get confused with each other. Best way to distinguish them is to remember that the want is internal, and the goal is external. The want is already present before your opening scene, while the goal evolves with your plot, usually sparked by your inciting incident. Let’s look at our examples.

Harry wants to have a real family. But his parents are dead and his aunt and uncle are horrid. It’s not until he meets Hagrid that his world becomes bigger. He meets a few close friends who like him because he’s kind and brave. As mysteries abound, he needs to find answers because Hogwarts, his new home, is threatened. So what’s the goal? Protect the stone. Protect Hogwarts. Protect his new family.

Duddy wants respect. When a parcel of land comes up for sale on a lake, he does everything he can to buy it. If land was the motivation, the story would have ended. But his need for respect makes him obsessed with buying the entire lake. The dream is worth whatever the price.

Why this question is essential:

Without a clear goal, your character meanders and fumbles their way passively through your plot. Your plot. Not theirs. We start The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz rooting for him and spend the rest of the novel hoping he’ll see the error of his ways. He is both despicable and compelling. But Duddy, just like Harry, drives the plot. Your character needs to do the same thing. If you have a clear goal, you have a proactive path to the climax.

3. What stands in the way? (Conflict)

Conflict is when the desire meets resistance. This could take the form of external obstacles like other characters or forces of nature, but it should also include something internal like a false belief. This usually stems from their childhood and is confirmed over and over again throughout their life. It’s that voice in your character’s head telling them that they’re not worthy of a proper family, and prevents them from growing and moving forward as a person.

Why this question is essential:

Without conflict, we have a fairly boring story. If all your characters agree with each other, the reader starts yawning. We don’t need yelling or arguing, but remember that your side characters are interesting because they have their own agenda. Don’t be afraid to bring that out, especially if their wants get in the way of your MC’s. Draco Malfoy is fairly insignificant in terms of the larger plot, but he’s fantastic as a local antagonist, because he brings out Harry’s best qualities.

4. What happens if they fail? (Stakes)

Why does it all matter? Now maybe you’re thinking I’m referring to the climax going sideways, like what happens if your character doesn’t defeat the big bad evil guy (BBEG). That’s definitely part of it, but the most important stakes—the one that really matters—are the personal ones.

Why this question is essential:

Stakes are why the reader keeps turning pages. That internal conflict is what makes us care so much that we have to find out if your character will conquer their own demons. We’ve watched them confirm their own biases, like the loss of one’s family is a void that can never be filled, or a man without land is nobody. We don’t keep reading because we care about the philosopher’s stone. We want Harry to see that he actually can have a family; it just might not meet the traditional definition. We want to see Duddy understand that true respect comes from integrity and not material wealth. Personal stakes are why we won’t put your book down, so don’t ignore them.

5. Why now? (Inciting Incident)

When I first started at Humber School for Writers, I was writing a Dark Ages historical fiction novel and I had my main character suddenly decide to leave his current life to help a friend. My mentor author asked me why now? I confess, the question surprised me. I was torn between ‘I need them to’ and ‘their friend needs them to.’ I knew enough not to reply with the former, but it all came down to a lack of a great inciting incident.

Why this question is essential:

A good inciting incident requires a response from your main character. How they respond will be consistent with their deep want and their relationship to their status quo. Going to Hogwarts and leaving the Dursleys is a no-brainer. When Gandalf tries to entice Bilbo to leave the Shire, he refuses, needing Gandalf to make him aware of his need to live and experience the wider world. Viewing the Why now? like this connects your character to your world, adding another layer of depth to make us care.