Discovering your novel doesn’t work is heartbreaking, but there are things you can do to fix it.
Story ideas are wonderful things, because they hold so much potential. Every spark of inspiration has the ability to become the next Great Novel and make a writer’s whole career. Or at least lead to a solid book readers might want to buy.
Not all ideas lead to good books, though.
Sometimes it’s the idea itself that’s the problem, but frequently, it’s the execution—but not in a “badly written” kind of way. The reason the idea (and the novel) falls flat is this:
It doesn’t tell a story, it explains a situation.
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 