Fiction Is About Facing Problems

One of the main tenets of writing
story is to make the reader as the question: What happens next?





But this question shouldn’t be
aimed at the writer, or even the story. The question should be aimed by readers
at themselves.





And they shouldn’t be sure of the
answer









Any question posed in the right
way will offer an unknown to be revealed, that doesn’t make it interesting. I
could ask you to guess what colour socks I put on this morning. Just because
you don’t know the answer doesn’t mean you want to know.





It’s only when characters are
placed in situations where if readers were to ask themselves, If that was me what would I do? And they
don’t know, or even better, if they know the options but they don’t want to
make the decision, then seeing someone else have to make the choice is a
rewarding experience.





That’s true even if the character
ends up making a total hash of things and tragedy ensues. Seeing someone else
deal with difficult situations is what makes fiction better than real life.
Because in real life we can’t afford to take outrageous risks or pursue
outlandish dreams. Gambles rarely pay off and forfeits tend to be severe. But
in stories, the less ordinary paths can be explored.





So while in real life we want
things sorted out in the easiest and quickest way possible, with the police
doing their job, lovers remaining true and illnesses being treated in good
time, in fiction the opposite is true. 





That’s the case whether it’s a
man trapped in a cell about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit, or a
girl in love with a man who ignores her and is in love with his job.









Readers want to see scenarios
they would never want to be in, with characters forced to do things they would
never dream of doing. They want the character to take the more difficult path
and they want to see it handled with insight, creativity, ingenuity, sacrifice
and surprise.





Of course, that requires the
writer to produce those elements. No easy task. So it’s understandable that a lot of aspiring authors write about characters
who get what they want in fairly straightforward fashion.  





Characters face problems they
just happen to be perfectly suited to deal with. Like James Bond finding the
gadget he’s given at the start of the movie is exactly what he needs to defeat the villain
at the end. And those sorts of stories have an audience. People like to be
comforted by the idea that their fantasies might come true, that we might
have a fairy godmother we didn’t know about who will grant our wishes.





But the story where the character
has no easy or obvious way out, where none of the paths available are without
consequences, is a story readers will be affected by and react to with genuine
emotion. They will care about what happens. They may not want to know what
happens next, they may dread what they suspect, but they won’t be able to stop
themselves turning the page to find out.





Don't forget, Alex Appreciation begins today (annual event?). Stop by the many, many people showing a little love to our own Ninja captain, Alex Cavanaugh. You can find the linky list here.



For myself, it's been a pleasure to encounter such a generous spirit on the interweb. Cheers, Alex.