When "Nothing Happens"
On stories with quiet plots
When I first queried agents, I received a rejection email that’s stuck with me for years. Not necessarily because it hurt (it did lol), but because of what it implied about books and art in general—or maybe just an author’s first book.
The agent said something along the lines of ‘nothing happens in this book and I won’t be able to sell it’.1
They were right. I’d sent out an early draft where there wasn’t a lot of plot.
But I was also surprised they thought nothing happened. In that early version, there was still my same narrator. She was lonely, even if she couldn’t admit it. Wasn’t that something?
I’ve been thinking about this rejection again recently after accidentally reading The Anthropologists and watching Frances Ha and Before Sunrise, all in the same month. These could be considered ‘slower’ stories. They’re not packed with action or mystery.
In The Anthropologists, a couple goes to the bar with their friend and looks for a house. In Frances Ha, a young woman struggles to find her footing in New York. In Before Sunrise, two strangers wander around Vienna all night.
But to summarize them like that misses the point entirely! If you’ve read or seen these stories, you know there are layers of complexity.
In The Anthropologists, the young couple are expats trying to make a home for themselves in a city they’re not from. It’s written from the point of view of the woman, a documentary film-maker, who captures everyday life in a city park, studying others who have made a home in the city. (This is also incredibly, expertly meta—to include art about the ordinary while making art about the ordinary.)
In Frances Ha, a dancer struggles to hold on to her passion while her best friend outgrows her. And in Before Sunrise, we see the very moments a young couple falls in love.
What could be more ‘something’ than all of that?
For as long as I’ve been a writer, I’ve been interested in art that tries to reflect real life. (One time I wrote about how the teal tile of a bathroom at my grad school and was torn apart in workshop. I get it. Not everyone’s favorite subject. But it was about more than tile, it was about delight!)
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romcom and am currently obsessed with the thriller The Better Sister. But there’s something special about art where the plot is soft, almost hidden, and the feelings are strong. When I read or watch something like that, I always wonder: How’d they do it? How’d they pull that off?
Maybe that’s it. Maybe I'm fascinated by these works because, in my opinion, they are more difficult to craft. It takes ruthless cutting and revision to create a story that makes the ordinary watchable or readable. It takes exact sentences, pacing, rhythm, tone, and dialogue to entertain without the trappings of “entertainment”.
They hav a different kind of drama—one that focuses on subtle shifts. They elevate the mundane, like sharing a beer with a friend. They reflect, instead of resolve.
Over the last month, these three works in particular have made me think. And feel. And wonder. They ask questions:
Do you remember your first love?
What does it mean to really connect?
How do you make a home away from home?
Have you ever felt heartbreak from a friendship?
Who do you want to be?
In a world hyper-fixated on being ‘busy’ and having plans every weekend or something to share online, I crave these quiet stories. They feel more and more important. And to me, the moments where supposedly nothing happens are the ones that shape who we really are.
Charlee
P.S.
Have you seen or read any of these? Or something similar where you’ve been blown away by soft plot? Let me know what you think.
Other inspiration & tidbits
If you’re in New York, come celebrate the paperback launch of Loneliness & Company with a craft night at McCarren Park on August 12th! Tickets are limited, snag yours here.
One thousand percent recommend diving in to
’s latest piece on Lena Dunham, fatphobia, and so much more.Have you seen The Cut’s article on our current cake culture? If so, you’ll like
’s response: Let Them Bake “Ugly” Cake.I love how
decorates her journals before diving in. Maybe something to try if your’e a journal-er!
By the way, this is totally fair! Agents have to be passionate about the book and ALSO see some kind of commercial future for it.
I love quiet books and am thankful for the agents that champion them in a world of “high stakes” and “high concept.” I’m in Lynn Steger Strong’s novel generator workshop and recently she described plot as shape and I appreciated that immensely.
I loved The Anthropologists! I also really liked her book White on White. I think of Kitamura’s Intimacies this way too.