Story Idea: Self-Sustaining or in need of Life Support?

A recent workshop topic on the subject started me thinking. How do I know if I have a sustainable plot?

Ordinary People in Extra-Ordinary curcumstances.

I used this rule loosely for many years while I wrote short romantic comedies (some regencies, others contemporary). And it worked great because I'm a plotter. I love the physical comedy and ironies of life. But it didn't work so well with the larger books. It took me a while to figure out what was missing. With the greater word count, I was forced to dig deeper into my characters and avoid the temptation of throwing in too much plot. (please see Candace Havens workshop on Revision Hell.)

A sustainable plot means the premise, internal and external, must resonate with the reader on a deep emotional level. It's been referred to as the Universal Theme. Which is misleading. Let's face it, some of us don't know the theme until the end. (I think I threw darts at mine!) The moniker is misleading in it's sublety.

Ask yourself this: Could I take the internal conflict and move it to any location and still have a story? If your answer is yes, you have a sustainable story.

Yes, really. The external plot, whatever it may be, is (or should be!) crafted around the hero/heroine's internal issues. It's used to drive the protagonist (and the antagonist) to confront their inner angels/demons and change/grow from the experience.

Ponder on this, from Donald Maass's Breakout Novel:

"A combination of high public stakes and deep personal stakes are the most powerful engine a breakout novel can have."

In a nutshell, the two go hand in hand. Who would argue with Donald Maass?

One more lithmus test from Maass:

Ask yourself these questions about your premise.

Does your story have:

PLAUSABILITY -- Could it really happen?
INHERENT CONFLICT -- Does the world of my story have conflict built in?
ORIGINALITY -- Is my premise a truly fresh look at the subject?
GUT EMOTIONAL APPEAL -- Does my story have a strong emotional appeal?

These questions have become so important to me in my writing process, I wrote them on a 3x5 notecard and taped it to my desk. If I can answer yes to all the questions, my story is sustainable.

How about you? How do you know?