What if she knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him?.To achieve this, ask “What if?” and the questions that naturally follow: The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes that decision carries, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement. Don’t make one of the choices “the lesser of two evils” after all, if one is lesser, it makes the decision easier. If there’s an easy solution there’s no true moral dilemma. (5) The character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions. (4) That choice deepens the tension and propels the story forward. (2) There’s no easy solution, no easy way out. (1) Something that matters must be at stake. Take him through the process of dilemma, choice, action and consequence: ( How to structure a killer novel ending.) Key #3: Force Your Character Into a Corner.ĭon’t give him an easy out. (2) What would it take for him to commit perjury and send an innocent person to death row?Īsk yourself: What does my character believe in? What priorities does she have? What prejudices does she need to overcome? Then, put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities come to the surface. (1) How far will Detective Rodriguez go to pursue justice? (2) What would it take for her to choose to be buried alive? (1) How far will Angie go to find freedom? (2) What would it take for him to stand by and watch the one he loves die when he has the power to save her? (1) How far will Frank go to protect the one he loves? Plumb the depths of your character’s convictions by asking, “How far will s/he go to … ?” and “What would it take for … ?” What’s the worst thing you can think of happening to your character, contextually, within this story? Now, challenge yourself-try to think of something else justĪs bad, and force your character to decide between That’s the exact opposite of what needs to happen in order for our fiction to be compelling. As a result we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations. As writers we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. Look for ways to bribe and extort your characters.
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