When the Story Feels "Wrong:" My Top 3 Culprits

In the course of a typical developmental edit, I like to start with an initial read through of the story. No editing or commenting, just reading for fun. Often, my initial hints toward the problems in a manuscript will come from a vague sense of “wrongness.” Long before I’ve fully put on my “editor” lens, I can tell that something’s off–even if I can’t quite put my finger on why.

Two more read-throughs later, and I’m able to get to the bottom of things. Almost always, the problem boils down to one (or multiple) of these three things: theme, conflict, and arc alignment. Most readers won’t notice why things feel off, but they will definitely feel it. Let’s talk about how to catch these issues early–before your reader has a chance to catch it for you.

Culprit #1: Lack of Theme

Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and found yourself wondering, “so what?” Maybe the prose was beautiful and the plot was engaging, but something felt like it was missing. More often than not, this boils down to a problem with theme.

Theme is one of the most important parts of developing a good narrative… and it’s incredibly difficult to get right. Without a clear theme, character arcs fall apart, plots start to meander, and the deeper meaning gets lost. Theme gives a story resonance, and readers can feel when it’s not there.

To figure out your story's theme, start by looking toward:

• Character development: Take stock of how your characters change throughout your story. Who are they at the beginning, what do they struggle to overcome, and what choice do they make at the climax of the story? The answers to these questions point toward your theme.

• Thematic questions: Narrative questions ask “what happens?” while thematic questions ask “why does it matter?” Maybe you have a topic or subject in mind for your narrative, like “love,” “loyalty,” or “revenge.” Now, ask yourself this question: what am I trying to say about this topic? What question am I asking the reader to consider? Now, take your basic topic and extrapolate it into a thematic question (example: “What do we lose in the pursuit of revenge?”).

External conflict includes big battles and confrontations, whereas internal conflict is the emotional fallout–or precursor–for these events.

Culprit #2: Imbalanced Internal & External Conflict

Every novel should include a balanced combination of internal and external conflict. External conflict includes events that happen to your characters (ex they’re attacked by bandits, they lose their job, or they get into a bad car crash). Internal conflicts, on the other hand, are all about what’s happening within and between your characters. Think identity crises, interpersonal conflicts, and personal revelations. Things start to get wonky when the balance between internal and external is thrown off.

I like to think of external and internal conflict like they’re the foreground and background tracks of a song. External conflict is like the singer’s lyrics, intended to draw the listener’s attention and give them something to follow from start to finish. Internal conflict is like the instrumentals. It’s a secondary sound that provides context, depth, and emotion. They rely on each other to tell a coherent and impactful story.

The Role of Genre

I’ve come to notice that some genres, like literary fiction, skew a bit toward internal conflict. These stories are pulled along more so by internal conflicts between characters–or within one singular character–than by big, external events. Fantasy and Sci-Fi, however, tend to lean in the direction of external conflict. Big battles, complex worlds, and big bad villains blaze the way, and emotional fallout follows.

When the Balance Gets "Wonky"

Though there is some variation in genre, a good rule of thumb is to keep the balance between internal and external conflict more or less even. A story with too much internal conflict can feel meandering and boring, with an over-emphasis on petty squabbles between characters. Too little internal conflict, however, can create an action-packed story that’s completely devoid of depth and meaning. If your story is feeling “off,” ask yourself: is there enough happening to my characters? And are my characters sufficiently impacted by the story’s events?

Culprit #3: Incongruent Narrative & Character Arcs

Throughout a narrative, there are certain “plot points” that readers subconsciously expect the story to hit. The inciting incident sets the story in motion, the midpoint signifies a turning point, the pre-climax builds momentum toward the climax, etc. Along with overarching plot, the protagonist(s) should also complete their own character arcs–but things can feel “off” when the narrative and character arcs don’t align.

The progression of character (and romantic) arcs need to be directly intertwined with the story’s overarching plot. External plot points should drive character moments, and vice versa. So, what happens when a character reaches the “turning point” of their arc on page 100, but the narrative “midpoint” doesn’t happen until page 250? Things start to feel “wrong” when one arc starts walking to the beat of its own drum, throwing the others out of sync.

Getting Things From "Wrong" to "Right"

Sometimes, things will feel “wrong,” but you’re just too close to the story to figure out why. Whether it be a friend, a beta reader, or a professional developmental editor, it can help to have somebody else put their eyes on your story to figure out what’s missing. I started KnightWriting to make good writing accessible to writers at every experience level, and a big part of that is teaching you how to spot issues in your manuscript long before a reader ever can. Check out the KnightWriting website to learn more about me, check out my other blogs, and access my developmental editing services.