In a story worth telling a gap exists between intention and reality.

Just like electricity only flows if there is a voltage, humans (and animals) only act if they feel a desire. The desire is the fuel that triggers an intent and the intent leads to action. And every conscious action has an expected outcome. The gap comes in to make things interesting. It’s when the expected outcome is denied.

For example let’s imagine a story. Our protagonist has a desire. He wants to smoke a cigarette. He gets up from his desk and walks outside, because he never smokes inside. It’s a beautiful day. His craving for nicotine is being complemented by the joy of being outside. There is a package of cigarettes on the window ledge. He takes one and checks his pocket for a lighter. He takes it out. The lighter however doesn’t work. It’s out of gas.

This is the gap. It’s a mismatch between what he expected (he can light his cigarette) and what actually is true (he can’t).

The gap propels the story forward, because the desire is still there. (Unless our protagonist decides it’s a good moment to finally quit smoking. But even then the quitting intention could spin off a whole new story.)

So he forms a new plan of action. He starts searching the cupboards in the kitchen for another lighter. It takes a while. He gets more and more annoyed. His craving increases. Damnit, why is there no lighter? And while searching through a drawer he discoveres a strange letter. It’s addressed to his wife and the address is hand written. And beautifully so. With a man’s name in the sender address. Who could it be? Our protagonist is a jealous type. He feels a rush of envy..

Another gap opens. He was searching for one thing but found another. Should he open this letter? The gap is now between him wanting to know who the mysterious sender is and the rule of respecting another person’s, his wife’s in this case, privacy.

And so forth, the possibilities are ENDLESS. That’s why writing is highly addictive, I believe..

Gaps allow us to create an interesting story that unfolds in unexpected ways.

The opposite would be no gaps. He needs a working lighter and has one. The whole story would be about a man smoking a cigarette outside.

When writing, we can break the pattern of successful action.

Then magic happens.