Just Because

March 28th, 2010 by Sara

“Just Because” is not an adequate answer for anything. It wasn’t enough when you were four and really wanted Cookie Crisp cereal instead of Rice Krispies. It’s not enough when someone expects you to go along with something, “Because that’s just the way it is.” And it’s never going to be enough of a reason for something to happen in a book.

This week I read a story where the main character has supernatural insight into the life of a long-dead character. In this book, dreams revealed a secondary storyline that was fascinating and mesmerizing.  But not once did the main character wonder why they were having the dreams. Nor did the characters around him, who he shared the dreams with, ask that question either. And not once did anyone wonder if the dreams were real. And while I was intrigued by this unusual plot, I couldn’t help thinking that there was a big “Just Because” involved.

Writers run into this problem a lot in their stories. You want the story to fork this way, so the character makes that decision. The character needs to be outside for this scene so, of course, that has to happen. And these artificial plot-turns jump out at the reader. In fact, they wave red flags and wear gold lamé and shout ‘Hey! Heeeeeeey! I don’t belong!” And most of the time, you, as a writer, know it.

And so, when your critique group or editor asks, “Why does your character decide to do that?” You put your head in your hands and groan. Because you thought, just this once, you could get away with it. And you have no idea how to fix the problem.

But often these Just Because moments open a door for you. They force you to delve deeper into you character and deeper into your story. What if your story didn’t take that fork, but took the other? What if your character stayed inside the house? What would happen then? It forces you to stop and listen to all of your characters. To look at where your story is going and, more importantly, why it’s going there. And when you do this, you find out that your story and characters have something to say, not just to your audience, but to you too.

So I wonder about this book I read. It was complex and rich, but what if someone along the way had asked the author, “Why is the boy having these dreams? What is happening here that is allowing this connection to happen? Is it magic? Are they real?” And what if the characters themselves had asked these same questions? Maybe the author would have discovered something they didn’t know about their story. Maybe, we as readers, might feel a little more satisfied at the end. And maybe the two plots, instead of looping artfully around each other, would have braided and twined together to create one strong, inseparable story.

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