The rejection letter says: “His story, on the surface, seems to be well told and has attractive characters. However, the writing is episodic; the story lacks direction.”

You frown. Hey? Does the story lack direction? How could I do it? Your main character is in a search; How much more direction could you have than that?

Clearly, this editor doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Oh good. All kinds are needed … gather your manuscript and send it to the next editor.

Six rejections later, you feel more than a little upset. This is a good story; everyone in your writing group says so. His writing style is fluid and accomplished (some editors have even said that).

So why the hell do they keep rejecting it? It has something to do with the plot; that’s clear. But what?

If you are lucky enough to receive comments, look for clues in the comments that have been made. The moment you see the word “episodic”, that’s the biggest and best clue you could have. Not all publishers will use this term. They might say things like ‘what is the question in the story?’ or ‘the character does not have a clear objective’ or ‘there is no growth of the character’. All of these things may indicate that your story is episodic.

1. What does “episodic” mean?

If someone tells you that your story is ‘episodic’, it means that your story is a series of episodes, or events, that are very loosely linked. The “events” crop up one after the other as a way to entertain the reader, but there is little character growth between one episode and the next. Nor can we easily see how one event emerges from the previous one.

Some examples of how a story can be episodic:

(a) The “Little Tommy has never had such an exciting day!” theme:

FIRST: A child starts out in a normal / boring situation. Then something happens that changes things. (A child can find an entrance to a magical kingdom, take a balloon ride, stay at the grandparents’ farm, etc., etc.)

SECOND: Child sees series of amazing sights / participates in various fun activities / experiences various spooky incidents.

THIRD: The boy says: “What a beautiful day I have had. I will keep this fairy land a secret, but I will keep coming back for more fun with my new friends!” (Or: “Ugh. I’m glad it’s finished. I’m so happy to be back home!”)

What about this? There is not plot. Just a bunch of ‘things’ that happen to complete the time.

(b) The “fantasy trap”


FIRST: The main character is dragged into a different world or discovers that he / she is ‘the chosen one’.

SECOND: This character is presented with a ‘mission’ to prove his worth to take up the mantle of the Chosen One. (You may have to free a character / being from an enchantment or imprisonment, OR to learn how to use magic that is buried deep within, OR to correct a big mistake, etc.)

THIRD: The character begins his search. Along the way he faces challenge after challenge (Menacing Fantasy Creature # 1, Hypnotic Field of Flowers, Gruesome Sucking Swamp, Shapeshifter, Menacing Fantasy Creature # 2, Deadly Dark Forest, The terrible abyss, the Mountain of Sorrows, Menacing Fantasy Creature # 3 and so on …)

FOUR: The character overcomes each obstacle in turn. Finally release the imprisoned Queen or find the Sword of Fate or whatever. He saves the earth from annihilation or closes the door between two worlds and keeps evil at bay for another 1000 years.

Yawn. Finish another clichéd fantasy novel.

Now, before you start indignant to point out the many classic (and popular) fantasy novels that fit the formula above, let me point out why some books work and others don’t (even though they seem to have the same ‘ingredients’). This applies to any gender.

1. The character is reactive rather than proactive.

In other words, he passes the book stumbling from one obstacle to another, reacting to whatever comes up. Don’t sit back and formulate a clear plan of action. Very often, other characters guide the result.

2. There is no question of history.

The ‘story question’ is the question that arises in the reader’s mind at the beginning of the story: “Will the boy get the girl?”; “Will Mary get to take over the business?”; “Will Xanor take his rightful place as Head of the Galaxy Alien Committee?”; “Will Laura locate the serial killer before he becomes the next victim?”; “How will Toby find his way back from the Land of the Giants?” and so on.

You can see why the “Little Tommy’s Exciting Day” type of story fails. Tommy doesn’t set out to do anything or solve a problem (other than getting bored) and he doesn’t face any challenges along the way. Things just happen.

Any book must answer the question of history, but it must be more than a simple yes or no. It must show HOW the main character achieved his goal, and it must show how the character grows and changes as he pursues his goal. You need to have a plan of action. Inevitably, he will have to adapt to the circumstances, but with each new obstacle, the main character must (1) react; (2) evaluate the plan and make any necessary changes, THEN (3) move on. In most episodic stories, the character simply reacts and then moves on to the next obstacle WITHOUT making any more plans. Very often, the older / wisest / strongest supporting characters will decide the next step for him. It is not a good idea! This gives you a weak main character.

3. The reactive character does not operate from its strengths.

He magically finds new abilities when he needs them, rather than possessing them beforehand. Overcome every obstacle with luck, someone else’s intervention, or an amazing new talent that surprises you.

2. What you can do to save an episodic story

  1. Give your character a goal. for example, “Maria is forced to leave her son behind. She is determined to come back for him.” Then start the action plan. (Mary’s first step is … ??? What other action does she plan?)
  2. Give your character important strengths and some weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses will determine your plan of attack and ultimately reveal the flaws in that plan.
  3. Decide the obstacles the character will encounter on his way to the goal.
  4. Decide how your character will react to these obstacles and how this will affect his action plan. Your reaction should be governed by your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the circumstances. She will overcome obstacles, circumvent them or turn them into opportunities. Each setback will require a new plan of attack. Each triumph will determine the next step. Other people can help, but make sure your protagonist makes the most important breakthroughs.
  5. Go through each scene to make sure the story progresses. How will the scene affect the growth of the character and the end result? Are you getting closer to achieving your goal? Has your success been earned? How does each scene relate to the opening question in the story?
  6. Make sure each scene flows logically from the previous one.

If you can see that your story is episodic, take the time to find out what you need. You may be able to fix the plot with minimal rewrites, but that’s unlikely. By having your main character make more decisions, you could easily find out that they would have chosen a different direction. It’s probably a good thing … you’ve discovered that you’ve been more of a puppeteer than a wise author who lets his characters learn from their mistakes.

Grit your teeth and get to work. Once you’ve diagnosed an episodic plot and then operated on it, you’ll be a much better writer.

(c) copyright of Marg McAlister