Have been re-reading Jon Franklin's Writing For Story.
How to Find a Story
1. Find a complication. (Joe is injured in a car wreck.)
2. Test the complication. Is it significant to the character involved? Does it have universal significance? (Example: Joe is paralyzed.)
3. Define the resolution of the complication in 3 words noun-verb-noun. (Example: Joe overcomes paralysis)
4. Define the actions the character took to resolve the complication. Define actions in 3 words noun-verb-noun. (Example: Joe learns therapy. Joe does therapy. Joe designs crutches. Joe walks home.)
5. Define the character. Why is this complication important to the character? Is there a moment of full insight that changes the character? Is the character sympathetic.
If the story meets all these tests, proceed. If not, scrap it.
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