How I stopped killing my stories

You know, I’ve always loved writing, but there was a time when I felt like I was hitting a wall—hard. No matter how much I brainstormed or planned, my characters just weren’t working. They had names, backstories, quirks…but they felt flat. Honestly, it was discouraging. I’d pour my heart into a story, but something was missing, and I couldn’t quite figure out what.

I’ll never forget the moment it clicked for me. I was re-reading one of my drafts, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: my characters weren’t driving the story. They were just…there. They weren’t making decisions that mattered or changing in ways that felt real. And the story? It felt aimless because of it.

I knew I had to figure this out, so I started asking myself some tough questions. Why is this character even in the story? What do they want, and what’s stopping them from getting it? What are they afraid of? And…wow. Once I started answering those questions, everything changed. My characters came to life, and suddenly, the story had energy and purpose.

That’s when I decided to create the Character Framework Worksheet. I needed a way to keep myself accountable and make sure I was digging deep into every character I wrote. At first, it was just for me—a way to stay on track and keep my characters from falling into clichés. But then I started sharing it with other writers, and they loved it. They told me it helped them solve the same problems I’d been struggling with.

The worksheet is simple, but it’s powerful. It asks the kind of questions that force you to think about your characters on a deeper level. Like, what does your character want on the surface, and what do they really need deep down? Those layers of desire create tension and drive your plot forward. The worksheet also digs into how societal and family expectations shape your characters. Are they fighting against the norms of their world, or are they caught in the expectations of others? How does that impact their decisions?

And then there’s the part that really changed the game for me: understanding how a character’s current reality—their job, relationships, even the political climate around them—can create barriers or opportunities for growth. For example, a character who dreams of freedom might be trapped by societal expectations, but those very challenges can lead to the most compelling arcs.

I’ve seen this framework work wonders for writers who were stuck on a protagonist’s arc or couldn’t figure out why their villain felt one-dimensional. One writer told me that exploring how a character’s family opposed their true desires gave them the breakthrough they needed to finish their novel. Another writer said it helped them finally connect their character’s internal growth to the external stakes of their story—and the difference was night and day.

If you’re tired of feeling stuck or frustrated with your characters, I get it. I’ve been there. But I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to stay that way. The Character Framework Worksheet is here to help you ask the right questions, dig deeper, and create characters that feel real, relatable, and essential to your story.

So, grab the worksheet, and let’s do this together. You’ll find questions that spark new ideas, examples to inspire you, and a structure that ensures your characters don’t just exist in the story—they shape it. Your story deserves characters that leap off the page, and you deserve to feel excited about writing again. You’ve got this—and I’ve got your back.