Is My Story Working?

Every writer I know (published or unpublished, fiction or memoir) has asked at some point: Is my story working?  

The question usually arrives somewhere in the murky middle of the writing process, or during a round of revisions when you start to doubt the whole thing. Maybe the plot feels slow. Maybe your characters aren’t showing up the way you imagined. Or maybe you’re just tired and losing perspective. Fatigue has a way of disguising itself as a craft problem.

Whatever brought you to the question, know this: it’s not a sign that you’ve failed. It’s a sign that you care. And caring is part of the work, not evidence that you’re doing it wrong.

Let’s take a breath together, and look at a few gentle, grounding ways to evaluate your story without falling into a spiral of self-doubt. 

What Do You Mean by “Working”?

Before you can answer is my story working, it helps to clarify what “working” means to you at this particular stage of the drafting process.

Sometimes we expect our draft to do everything at once: be emotionally resonant, tightly structured, elegantly written, and publishable. That’s a lot to ask of a work-in-progress. Especially one that’s still finding its footing.

So start by getting specific. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to gain some clarity on what feels like it isn’t working.

Question #1: What’s This Story Really About?

Not in terms of plot, but in terms of heart.

What emotional thread runs through your story? What’s the core idea or transformation? For example:

A daughter trying to forgive her mother
A man learning to let go of control
A woman realizing her silence is no longer serving her

If you can articulate your story’s emotional spine in one sentence, it becomes much easier to see whether your current scenes are supporting it. You don’t need the sentence to be perfect. You just need it to be honest.

If you can’t name it yet, that’s okay too. Sometimes the first few drafts are how we discover the story’s heart. Discovery is not a detour. It’s the path.

Question #2: What Does My Main Character Want?

Desire is everything. A character’s desire, whether it’s love, justice, safety, or a promotion, is what drives story momentum. Even characters who insist they want nothing usually want something very badly.

If your scenes feel static or disconnected, ask yourself:

What does my protagonist want at this moment?
What’s getting in their way?

When you reconnect with character desire, you often rediscover the energy in your plot. Desire creates movement. Movement creates a story.

Question #3: Where Do I Lose Interest?

This one takes courage. Be kind with yourself here. Curiosity works better than criticism.

Print out your manuscript, or read it aloud to yourself. Notice the places where your attention drifts, where your enthusiasm fades, or where you find yourself rushing. Those are clues. That doesn’t mean those scenes are “bad,” but they may need tightening, reordering, or more emotional weight. Your boredom is information, not a verdict.

On the flip side, where are you leaning in? Which lines still spark joy or surprise? Use those as anchors. They know something the rest of the manuscript is still learning.

You Don’t Have to Have it All Figured Out

Sometimes, “is my story working?” really means: I don’t know what I’m doing, and that scares me. If that’s what’s underneath the question, you’re in very good company.

That’s part of the deal. Truly. Every writer feels lost at some point, often at several points. Feeling lost is not the opposite of progress. It’s often a sign you’ve gone deep enough to get disoriented.

So here’s my invitation: don’t try to solve the whole thing right now. Pick one of the questions above and journal about it. Or take one scene you love and polish it, not for publication, but as a reminder of why you started this story in the first place. Small acts of care can restore trust in the work.

You can find your way back. You’re already doing it.
The fact that you’re asking these questions is how I know.

If you need a fresh pair of eyes, or just someone to talk it through with, I offer one-on-one coaching for writers at every stage. Sometimes a 30-minute chat is all it takes to shift the way you see your draft. A new perspective is often closer than we think.