This week we’re going to examine two more of the Story Elements: Action and Solution. We’ll also touch on a bit of non-fiction: Memoir.
Most of the action in a story will be as a result of the conflicts the Hero has to deal with, whether they are Physical, Mental, Emotional, or Spiritual. In any case the action is there to drive the Hero towards the end of the story and his eventual Transformation.
The best kind of action is one that your reader will find not only logical, but also familiar, something the reader himself might do (or might have done) in the same situation. The easiest way to force those actions is to find conflicts that you’ve personally endured. Many such experiences are common to all, so that way the reader can connect with the Hero (and you, as well). All the action should be there to move the story forward towards the satisfying conclusion.
And as to that conclusion, the main object there is to answer the Story Question (posed by the Inciting Incident in Act I). The only good ending is the one the reader accepts as plausible—yet didn’t expect. That type of ending will be supremely satisfying to the reader, but you need to remember to avoid giving away the end when you’re sprinkling all those red herrings throughout the story. Lead the reader, but don’t reveal all, until the very end, showing how the Hero has changed. We want an ending that will get the reader running all around, telling friends, family, and even strangers how wonderful your book is.
I had mentioned Memoir in the intro…so how is memoir different from any other story? Not much, really. It has all the same fundamental parts: Heroes and Villains, Conflict and Conquest, Failure and Triumph. The only thing is that it is easier to write! The plot is your life, the characters are you and your friends (or kin), the action is what you did when you encountered conflicts, and the solution is where you are now, after surviving all the struggles of life.
So, go ahead and tell us a story, whether based in fact or only loosely connected to reality. Either way, the reader will be entertained and might even learn some important concepts along the way.