IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
There are times when writers have to recognize that one of their stories, for whatever reason, isn’t coming together on the page. Perhaps you’ve been there, working and reworking a story using reliable elements of craft and still feeling like you aren’t getting any traction within the story. Anyone who’s taken an MFA-style workshop can relate to the sting of sitting in silence as others pick apart your story, pointing out the aspects they think aren’t working. While these critiques can be helpful, it’s just as helpful to realize that while they might not be entirely right, they could be onto something.
It is crucial for a writer to look at their work objectively, to be able to recognize and understand why a story is falling flat. This can be one of the hardest things to learn how to do since to maintain the stance of objectivity, you must first remove yourself from a piece and look at it
