Get Out Of The Dungeon

I’ve been watching the TV show Galavant (ABC) because I love musicals and characters that make me laugh, and this show has both. But the last couple episodes spun its wheels without going in anywhere – in the literal sense, as well as the figurative.

The reason was simple: the majority of scenes took place in the dungeon.

Now, there is nothing wrong with having a dungeon scene. It can be a perfectly respectable addition to a story. A dungeon scene has the weight of tradition behind it.

The problems begin when the dungeon stretches to more than one scene. See, dungeons are used for a finite number of things: torture, death, daring escapes, or waiting for any and all of those three. There’s not a whole lot for characters to do. They’re static. And that’s the problem.

Every scene should move the plot forward in some way. That’s Writing 101 (and something I still struggle with). And it’s really, really difficult to move the plot when its instruments – your characters – are stuck, unable to move themselves.

Of course, it is possible to write a story that takes place wholly in a dungeon and make it a fascinating, gripping tale.

And if you can do that, I want your autograph.

The point of this post is not a diatribe against dungeon scenes. I’ve written quite a few of them, and will continue to do so. It’s not just dungeons that are problematic.

The point is that sometimes a story can stick in an unhelpful way simply because of character location.

If you get stuck and aren’t sure why, or you’re wondering if the sticking is setting-related, here are some possible questions to ask: what is this type of space generally used for? How am I using it? How does this scene develop my plot?

And my personal favorite for every time I start to feel stuck: what do my characters want at this juncture, and what are they prepared to do about it?

Happy writing!

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