McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

I have a problem--I don't have a problem

(1/4) > >>

belial.1980:
I've heard a lot of people say that essentially a story should be about the protagonist overcoming a problem. In bare bones form a story should involve a character being presented with a problem, struggling to overcome it then either succeeding or failing after the climax.

I've been struggling with the plot of my novel for some time. I think one of the major reasons I'm having troubles is because I haven't been able to construct a single unified problem to present to my MC. So far it seems more like I've been throwing minor problem after minor problem at him, like the ape in Donkey Kong rolling barrels at Mario. The issue is that he doesn't have a clear set goal.

I'm writing is an origin story. The MC is unestablished and he learns about his world at the same rate as the audience. On top of that he's bumbling, naive, and helpless--not much of a hero. He has a strong spirit and struggles with the fact that he is helpless and powerless a lot of the time. He wants to do more but he's inexperienced and lives in a world that's not cut and dry. This results in actions that end up ineffective or antiheroic at best.

But then a thought occured to me: can the quest to become a hero suffice? How about I establish the fact that from an early age he wants to become a hero. His major struggle will boil down to performing a single heroic deed.

Does this seem viable? Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions!

LizW65:
This sounds like a workable idea to me.  I may be wrong, but it sounds as though you are writing a character-driven, as opposed to plot-driven, story, which is perfectly acceptable.  Your protagonist's journey from bumbling naivete to maturity and strength is enough quest in itself to drive a storyline.

Gruud:

--- Quote from: belial.1980 on July 23, 2009, 12:56:07 PM ---I'm writing is an origin story. The MC is unestablished and he learns about his world at the same rate as the audience. On top of that he's bumbling, naive, and helpless--not much of a hero. He has a strong spirit and struggles with the fact that he is helpless and powerless a lot of the time. He wants to do more but he's inexperienced and lives in a world that's not cut and dry. This results in actions that end up ineffective or antiheroic at best.

--- End quote ---

Sounds like a qualifying problem to me.  ;)

Seems to me like you will need to do a lot of inner voice type stuff, as he struggles through his shortcomings, etc. As was said, a character driven story.

Then perhaps you could use several of these minor problems as an inner growth vehicle for him ... with a chance to overcome more than just the material obstacle that confronts him.

Although to become a hero, there will have to be a few major problems as well. Perhaps those could be linked to some extreme physical or mental problem that he has, such that as he moves forward he also walks the path toward overcoming that.

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: belial.1980 on July 23, 2009, 12:56:07 PM ---I've heard a lot of people say that essentially a story should be about the protagonist overcoming a problem. In bare bones form a story should involve a character being presented with a problem, struggling to overcome it then either succeeding or failing after the climax.

--- End quote ---

This is one of these pieces of advice that, while true, is so vague as to be of really limited use.


--- Quote ---So far it seems more like I've been throwing minor problem after minor problem at him, like the ape in Donkey Kong rolling barrels at Mario. The issue is that he doesn't have a clear set goal.
I'm writing is an origin story. The MC is unestablished and he learns about his world at the same rate as the audience. On top of that he's bumbling, naive, and helpless--not much of a hero. He has a strong spirit and struggles with the fact that he is helpless and powerless a lot of the time. He wants to do more but he's inexperienced and lives in a world that's not cut and dry. This results in actions that end up ineffective or antiheroic at best.
But then a thought occured to me: can the quest to become a hero suffice? How about I establish the fact that from an early age he wants to become a hero. His major struggle will boil down to performing a single heroic deed.
Does this seem viable? Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions!

--- End quote ---

You have, I think, defined his problem fairly clearly here.  His overall problem is growing up.

A cohesive arc, clearly learning things from the challenges along the way, and fitting them together into some form of structure where we see how he grows, would work to solve that issue.  Having the smaller problems be part of some larger issue - a plot issue perhaps, but just a personal development issue would also do - will solve that.

A climactic heroic deed is one way of getting the resolution you want, but a climactic realisation - possibly even the realisation after taking care of another of the ongoing issues that hey, he's competent, he's up to this, he's not a kid any more - could also be made to work.  It would take somewhat sharper writing than a big pyrotechnic climax, but I think you might get a better book for it.

meg_evonne:
I agree.   And even though it is character driven, I have learned the joy and delight in outlining.  Primarily because I've done the head work and don't end up at impasses AND because it speeds up the actual writing time!  Rather than realizing that clues were 'too conveniently' discovered and thenhaving to go back and add in a step process so the new power is logical and not one of those 'I'm the author needing to write my character out of this corner -- so kapow! You have to consciously avoid providing convenient new powers to solve the problem situations. 

Remember in this process--that your main character has to make the reader CARE about them from the first pages.  The character has to have an innate something that let's the reader know that s/he has the ability to obtain these powers or a strong motivating factor which will make the character change. 

Eh, didn't say that right at all.  Someone want to reword that last paragraph to better explain it?  It came from a writer's podcast with two sci fi writers that was excellent, but I can't remember what the podcast series was named?  It was posted here more than a couple times.  Good stuff in those discussions about conflict, about writing sympathetic characters that readers will want to over come their adversity, and developing villains as strongly, with motivations.

Happy writing!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page