The Idea of Progress

This post was written on January 9 2025.

One of the rules of story writing I heard some time ago is that if something did not change in that chapter, delete it.

Well, obviously, don't delete it but you get the idea.

What that advice is saying is that chapter is worthless because it did not introduce a significant change to the narrative you're trying to write.

There is some truth to this.

We as writers use many tools such as payoff, plot points, twists and reveals to move the story towards its destination, the end.

These tools are no different from the tools we as humans use for personal development such as goals, milestones and dreams.

It shows that life experiences back up the philosophical idea of it. Being Stagnant I remembered one week, I lost over six thousand Jamaican dollars to mistakes I made and miscommunication between workers. But since I am the only male at a wholesale, I had to take full responsibility even if it wasn't my fault.

For a while, a wave of depression hits me. It wasn't just a bit of frustration. I seriously considered giving up and thinking why should I bother living if mistakes like this keep happening. The reason why my depressed-crippled mind kept pounding this into my cranium was because I have rarely won anything in the past.

Most of my life had felt like a series of losts up until that point, so why would I continue it?

It would be the same for the reader.

If they cannot see any progress in the protagonist's journey or the story then why should they bother reading? Payoff So what do you do?

Give them hope or in this case, a promise.

They call it payoff. It is when a writer gives the reader a conclusion to something they promised before.

To do a payoff well, you must have a good setup. Setup is the sequence of events that lay the foundation for a good twist or reveal.

Think of them like breadcrumbs. When a reader follows them, they get enticed and more interested to see where they lead.

It makes the twist, reveal or conclusion all the more satisfying. That's why people like dreams, there is a promise in it. They hope to achieve it. My Life and Payoff When I had my dream of becoming a published writer, I was happy (goal). I made efforts towards that dream (setup).

My first novel was finished but i had a long way to go with the editing process (plot point). Later on, I decided to learn Internet security and every day was a new challenge (mid-point), it rejuvenated me.

Both of those dreams, those promises are dead now (payoff).

My payoff was nothing.

Every day for me now was a rehash of the same old bread and butter.

No breadcrumbs to follow so I was lost on where to go.

That’s what a story with little change feels like, a life without direction or purpose.

Life is more fun with dreams and aspirations.

The same applies to a story. Each needs a destination, the ultimate goal the protagonist is working towards. Expanding on Story Progress But a final destination is not enough.

You need checkpoints essentially, each chapter is that checkpoint.

Each checkpoint introduces a new problem or a change that pushes the character forward on their journey.

But those are minor adjustments to the trail.

Major changes can be done through plot points and the mid-point. Plot points are more significant changes and generally end one section of the story to introduce the characters into another section. Plot points usually add to the stakes and main conflict of the story.

A mid-point happens half way through a protagonist’s journey. The mid-point generally signals a pivotal shift for the protagonist. That shift is from passive to active. Putting it into Practice Case in point, what happened to me in that week.

All those series of events resulted in me losing all that money, the trigger of that story.

I began diving into negative thoughts about my self, the chapter ends with a change in my mind state.

Thoughts of suicide pop into my mind for a while, this plot point raises the stakes for my future. It becomes uncertain with the escalation of negative thoughts.

Then the mid-point, right, I didn’t tell you what happened after didn't I?

Well, the story was dragging me along and so were those mistakes I made.

So I switched from passive to active. I made choices to cut back on some food stuff and implemented better practices to avoid those mistakes happening again.

The mid-point is where the protagonist gets information or a significant enough change happens that they choose to take the reins of the story rather than let the story pull them along.

That’s what I did.

I didn't let the situation drag me down and instead took responsibility for my mistakes, putting forward a plan of action to limit them.

That is change worth cheering on and these are the same tactics that make reading a character that overcomes obstacles worthwhile.

Because they have grown.

Books are a surreal representation of real life though.

Growth is amazing to watch and cheer on but it is important to understand life has ups and downs, achievements and quiet times.

People love to read that growth though.