Idea for a book

[maninahat]

I've been writing and submitting short stories for awhile. While some of gotten published, mnay have gotten rejected. And the number one reason the editors have given me is that my narrative isn't strong enough. Oftentimes, I tend to use my characters as vehicles to explore a cool idea.

So I worked up a little formula to help me every time I write;

1) "A" tries to do "B" because of "C" = plot
2) "D" prevents "A" from doing "B" = conflict
3) How (or if) "A" resolves D" = story

If your protagonist just goes mad and doesn't care, there's no story.

But what if he does? What if he actively tries NOT to go mad? What does that entail? Who does it impact? What if there's a small permanent physical change every time he gets violent? How would people react to seeing it? What if you wrote it in first person so everyone (including the reader) knows he's going nuts EXCEPT him?

Every idea can make a good story. It just depends on what that story is.

To expand on this, typically character has a thing they want, and trying to get what they want is what guides the story. Not being able to get what they want because of some obstacle is the conflict. But there is also a thing they need, and this isn't often the same as what they want. In a lot of stories, around two thirds of the way through, characters will come within grabbing distance of the thing they want only to find they don't want it anymore; they're about to discover what it is they need, and getting that need fulfilled is what concludes the story.