I build stories the 'wrong' way

Your biggest writing flaw might be your secret strength

I have a writing weakness.

For years I was really insecure about it and I thought it made me ‘not a proper writer’.

It is …

I don’t start writing a book by thinking up a character. In fact, character is the bit I have to work hardest at.

OMG, I hear you panic. This is terrible! But character is everything! Character IS the story!

Before you freak out too much, I’m not saying I CAN’T do character. I can. I’m saying I’m better at world-building, and better at plotting, than I am at making characters. I tend to invent a world, think of a dilemma or situation and then think ‘what kind of person would this happen to?’.

I kept this process secret for a really long time because, all around me, writer friends said they always started with character; that they could hear their characters talking; that being with them was like being in love.

I often start with a map (this is how I started The Magic Potions Shop series)

Then one day, I heard Sarah Perry talking about writing character. She said:

‘For me my characters are plot devices enabling me to tell the story I want to tell in the way I want to tell it.’

https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/resources/how-sarah-perry-develops-characters/

and I felt an immense sense of relief because YES this is it for me too. And Sarah Perry IS a proper writer. From that moment on, I embraced my wonky process, which is:

I write a very rough draft of the whole book (with a blank, cardboard-cut-out character) then think – who is the best person to tell this story? Who is the most unlikely person? Who needs this to happen to them in order to grow/learn/develop?

I go back and put that person in as the main character. I give the character a concrete thing they want and something like a misbelief about their world or a set of faults that trigger plot points I want - because plot and character are linked.

Next, I think of an antagonist who wants the same thing or the opposite thing.

Then I design side characters to act as mirrors or foils.

I weave all this into the draft and work and rework until it all merges and nobody can see the joins.

But this post is not about how to write character, because I’m sure you already know how to do that in a different way and your way is probably much better than mine. This post is about embracing your weakness.

Writing is a craft and you will get better at it the more you understand your process and the more you are honest with yourself about what you are less good at.

So, what do you do when you spot your weakness?

1. Remember that every writer has one

It does not mean you are ‘not a proper writer’ if you have to work hard at a particular aspect of your craft; it means you are a craftsperson. Writing isn’t magic. It doesn’t come totally from nowhere. It’s a slog (well, for me anyway) and it takes edits, revisions, confusion, frustration and a lot of hard work.

2. Admit and acknowledge your weakness to yourself

That way you will actively look for help.

There are so many incredible podcasts, articles, courses out there to help with all parts of the writing process. Once you know what you are less good at, you can drill down into it and learn and practise. Then you will be a better writer. And, to paraphrase Peter Wimsey in Gaudy Night: ‘so what if it hurts if it makes a good book?’

3. Read authors who do your weakness well

Try to spot their techniques. Do they get backstory in smoothly? Do they do they use an engaging interior voice? Does their book have a strong sense of place? Note down HOW they did it, WHY it had such an effect on you. I have a word doc file where I list clever techniques I’ve seen. It helps when I’m stuck.

4. Cultivate writer friends

This is the biggest tip I have. Find writers who are good at the things you suck at. I have a collection of fantastic writer pals who are incredible at character and always say very wise things. Pick people who are honest and brave enough to tell you the truth. You need to hear it.

My brilliant writer pal Caroline Green once told me ‘You don’t put your characters at risk enough. They need more danger, more emotional or physical peril’.

I think about that every time I write.

5. Celebrate your strengths

I’m fab at creating worlds. I’m great at wonder and imagination and fast-paced excitement, and those writer friends I go to for character advice often come to me for plot or world-building advice.

The genre that I write in really plays to my strengths. I don’t write adult literary novels because it wouldn’t suit my writing (and I wouldn’t enjoy it). I write exciting adventures. I think of them as thrillers for young kids.

Once you find what you do well, and a process that works for YOU, lean into it. Pick the genre that suits your style. As Dolly Parton said

‘Find out who you are and do it on purpose’.