What makes great stories great is that they are specific, yet also universal. At their core, they tell the truth about what it’s like being alive and because they do, we can find a truth in them that we understand.

If you’re struggling to get a hold of your own story because the material seems improbable, the characters distant and the plot formulaic, start by asking yourself how this is your story. You may have never experienced what the characters are experiencing, but there should be something in your story that you can latch onto emotionally.

What about this story relates to you and how can you relate to it?

Once you know what you relate to or what elements you can relate to depending on how you switch things up, you have an emotional in into the story.