plot, and your plot must work with your characters. you might think of a great story about a guy who’s living alone in a mountain cabin and is visited by space aliens, but what’s he doing in that cabin? why is he alone? how is he going to deal with little green men knocking on his door? and the larger question–is the reader going to believe his reactions?
the most important thing to remember about a novel or story you are writing is that it’s not reality. it’s a world you create. but you must make it look, sound, feel, taste and smell real to the reader. you do that by 