Element 6 – Refusal of the Call

Part of writing is about raising your reader’s expectations and then…

Wait a tick. Have you ever heard of the Try-Fail cycle? I first learned about it from Brandon Sanderson’s lectures. In a nutshell, when faced with a problem or conflict, your character will try to resolve the issue. This leads to “Yes, but/No, and”.

Let’s say your character, Maya, is running late for work. As she rushes out of the house, she fumbles in her purse for the car keys, but they’re not there.

Maya must now TRY to resolve her missing keys. She goes back inside and checks her coat pocket. Are her keys there?

Yes, BUT so is the note her lover slipped into her pocket to apologize for their fight, which Maya is only now seeing.Maya did find her keys, but now she has a different problem: should she stop to read the note and try to make up with her lover or get to work on time?No, AND Maya’s beloved cat escapes through the door she left open.Not only is Maya going to be late for work, she also has to catch Mr. Scrufflekins before he gets flattened on the nearby highway.[image error]Marcin from Pixabay" data-medium-file="https://mkmartinwriter.com/wp-content..." data-large-file="https://mkmartinwriter.com/wp-content..." src="https://mkmartinwriter.com/wp-content..." alt="Photo of a white woman with dark hair wearing polarized sunglasses. She is looking off screen with a determined expression. Background is indistinct mountains and trees on a sunny day." class="wp-image-5304" style="width:419px;height:auto" />Image by Marcin from Pixabay

Which brings us back to our hero and their recent Call to Adventure. A lot is happening really fast in their world. They’re facing a life-altering decision, or at least something that should feel life-altering to them. Even if they’re excited about this change, it’s still huge and humans tend to be a bit skittish around THE UNKNOWN.

The Try-Fail cycle can show up at any point in your story. Using the Try-Fail cycle helps your reader understand the causes and effects of story events and characters’ choices.

This is where you, dear writer, have to help your MC brainstorm some options. Why? Because that’s what people do. They imagine and reimagine scenarios and how they would deal with them.

Writing Exercise:

Take out a blank piece of paper or open a blank document on your favorite writing programNumber from 1 to 10 along the sideList all the things your MC might do to respond to the Call to AdventureStart with 2-3 obvious onesAdd 2-3 ridiculous onesAdd 2-3 boring onesAdd 2-3 that would be totally out of character for your MCRead over your listMix and match options until you get 2-3 that you likePick the best one – oh, yes, I know. It’s not that easy. If you have a good idea of where the story is headed, pick the one that creates the most drama, conflict, and difficulty for your MC to get from where they are now to where they’ll eventually end up.If you’re making things up as you go along (which is generally how I write my first drafts), pick the option that creates the greatest change in your MC’s situation. In other words, the option with the most amount of story potential.

“But what if my MC wants to go on an adventure?” you ask.

Good question and it ties in nicely with what we were discussing at the beginning of this post about expectations. Your readers expect your MC to be reluctant to go on the mission, to try to weasel of accepting the one last job before retirement, to put up a fuss at leaving the Shire.

But not all MC’s dilly-dally because of nerves or a lack of towel.

Your MC’s response to the Call to Adventure is going to land somewhere on the spectrum from Refusal ︎ Eagerness. Regardless of their feelings towards the adventure, they’re still going to hesitate. I suppose, we could reframe this element as “Debating the Call” rather than refusing, but who am I to argue with the greats?

So why would an eager MC refuse the Call to Adventure they long to accept? Outside pressures. They have other responsibilities, other goals, more important things to do, etc. Do they want to go? Yes, BUT they can only move forward after addressing their external reasons for not boldly going.

As to our classic reluctant MC, adventure, or at least this particular adventure is the last thing they want. Even if there’s external pressure for them to accept, they resist. They don’t feel adequate to the challenge. They don’t want the inconvenience. This is clearly someone else’s responsibility, etc. Do they want to do? No, AND something or someone (see Meeting the Mentor) will propel them forward, whether they like it or not.

Does this mean by the time they set off, they’re reconciled to their quest?

Not at all.

In fact, the MC has only begun their internal transformation.