Stop me if you’ve heard this one: 

I stopped in my favorite bar this weekend and ordered me a whiskey and coke. The bartender set me up and asked me if I wanted to open a tab. I said, sure, open a tab, and stepped over to the pool tables. I racked up the balls on an empty table, chalked up a cue and got to work. The three-ball dropped into the corner pocket off the break. I dropped the one-ball, and then I dropped the two-ball, and then I dropped the six-ball. And then… 

Okay, just stop me.

Odds are, you have heard this story — or one just as painful — and you were begging them to stop just like you were begging me to stop about the time the three-ball landed in the corner pocket. At the very least, you were waiting patiently, politely for something to happen. Waiting for me to run into some obstacle, some setback. Waiting for something unexpected to happen. 

Because without an obstacle, a setback, something unexpected, it isn’t much of a story, is it? 

And if it isn’t really a story, why am I wasting your time? 

And Then, And Then, And Then…

Recently, I began to feel like my work-in-progress, a psychological thriller set in Appalachia called The Big Deep, wasn’t really going anywhere. My protagonist kept doing things, going places, but there was this nagging voice in the back of my head screaming, “so what?”

I was getting bored with my own story.

I’ve written in a previous blog about the method of reverse outlining I developed when my MFA program forced me to renounce my pantsing ways and bend the knee to their plot-ocracy. So, I returned to that reverse outline to find out where I’d gone wrong. Turned out I was still on track.

So, why had the last several chapters felt so bland and boring?

Creating Purpose with “But…Therefore…”

I first learned about the “But…Therefore…” technique from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Regardless of your feelings about South Park, when it comes to story telling, you must respect their authoritah! These guys are expert story tellers, and they explain in the video below how to use “but” and “therefore” to ensure that your story isn’t just a succession of events with no real impact on the protagonist or the story. 

So, I applied Matt and Trey’s “But…Therefore…” technique to my outline. And here’s how:

I opened a fresh Word doc and filled the page with alternating statements: 

And, starting from the beginning of my story, I began laying in the major plot points: 

By the time I reached the scenes I was struggling with, the solution was clear. I could easily place “and then…” between the last several chapters. There was no obstacle or challenge — the “but” — to stand in the way of my protagonist’s goal, which meant there was no decisive action — the “therefore” — for my protagonist to take.

Each plot point, each scene, should include a goal, a setback, and a resolution that results in a new goal, thus restarting the cycle.

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This simple technique allowed me to easily determine what scenes or events needed to be rearranged, added, or removed to keep the story moving, and keep the protagonist motivated and challenged. 

Whether we’re pantsing or plotting, we often fail to realize that our scenes don’t have any real impact on the story or the protagonist’s growth. We’re writing one exciting scene after another which leads to a twist and a happy ending, so we must have an exciting, satisfying story, right?

Not necessarily.

Each plot point, each scene, should include a goal, a setback, and a resolution that results in a new goal, thus restarting the cycle. The “But…Therefore…” technique is an incredibly useful way to ensure that happens. 

How to Use “But…Therefore…” as a Pantser or a Plotter

The best part about this technique is that it can easily be used regardless of where you lie on the pantser—plotter spectrum. If you’re a pantser, just keep it in mind as events are tumbling from your head onto the page, or use it during your editing process.

Here’s three questions you can ask yourself as you write or edit:

If you’re a plotter, create a stack of “but” and “therefore” index cards or sticky notes and place them between your plot points or scenes. Read them aloud and see if they make sense.

If you don’t believe this is an easy and effective technique, just take a look at the boring story I opened with, but apply the “But…Therefore” technique.

My wife left me, therefore, I stopped in my favorite bar and ordered me a whiskey and coke. But the bartender…

It’s immediately more interesting. But the bartender what???

I don’t know. You tell me. Leave your version of a “But…Therefore…” story in the comments, or use the contact form to send it to me and I’ll share it on social media.

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