As readers we like
to see characters struggle. It’s entertaining and thrilling. But that’s what
it’s like for the reader. For the character, struggle serves another, less
obvious purpose. One that can easily be overlooked.
When a butterfly
emerges from its cocoon, it is frail and weak. But it has to use up all the
energy it has to break out of the little prison its caterpillar-self made.
However, if you were
to lend a helping hand and make an incision in the side of the cocoon, enabling
the butterfly to emerge quickly and easily, the butterfly would die.
Because that immense
effort isn’t just there to make life hard, it’s there to give the butterfly the
strength it needs to be able to fly. By struggling against its surroundings,
the new body is able to stretch and flex and gain power.
Struggle provides
the conditioning necessary to meet future challenges.
By the way, if
you’ve ever wondered why we live in a world full of disasters and tragedy, this
is the reason. The tougher the challenge, the more resilient life has to be to
survive. Without an opposing force to struggle against life simply wouldn’t
exist, we’d all just be dead butterflies.
In fiction, a
character will face obstacles and overcome them. On an intellectual level we
enjoy seeing this happen, and it can be dressed up in various ways, in different
genres and premises. But on a deeper level we know that overcoming the obstacle
isn’t just about achieving a goal, it’s about the change that achievement (or
failure) has on the character. This change is instrumental in how the character
will face their next challenge; or at least it should be.
In effect, the first
challenge a character faces will prepare them for the next. Sometimes this can
be very direct, other times it can be more subtle.
Let’s say Amy is
married to Brad, and they argue about a recent windfall left to them. They have
a completely different view of what to do with the money and both feel
strongly. Amy wants to splurge on a new car, Brad wants to save it for a rainy
day. This story might continue with Brad dying and Amy having to raise their
two kids alone on a tight budget. That initial fight would be a straightforward
precursor to this later struggle.
It should be noted
that for this to be effective, that initial fight about money needs to have
some kind of resolution. Having them argue for a bit and then leave it to be
decided later achieves nothing. She either wins the argument or doesn’t, and
whichever it is there should be some kind of reaction from her.
On the other hand,
they have the same fight about the money, but the story goes on to be about Amy
meeting another man, a free spirit with no inhibitions and they have an affair.
Now that initial fight is more about showing the distance between Amy and
Brad’s different views of life and providing the foundation for her later
infidelity.
You could also forego that initial moment of struggle
altogether, or make
it so there is no connection, just separate incidents. Amy and Brad fight the bank trying to foreclose on their house, and
then he dies. Or maybe Amy and Brad are very happy and we start the story with
them having a wonderful time together; and then she meets this guy and has an
affair. Such is life, stuff happens.
Both of these
examples are perfectly possible. And they will probably both feel
unsatisfactory.
Life and death are
not meaningless. What appears random and arbitrary from our perspective is
actually a series of dominoes falling. It may not give us the meaning we would
like, or give us the safety and comfort we would prefer, but it has its
reasons. And we can sense it. Even when on a personal level it is unpleasant or
counterproductive, as a species and as a planet, there is a direction to all
this madness. It’s just that we don’t know what that direction is.
In fiction we get to
decide that purpose. It is one of the most powerful aspects of writing. Ignoring
this resource (which is certainly possible) denies the reader a deeper, more
emotional experience.
If you start a story
with the character’s struggles designed to specifically pump up a particular
muscle (metaphorically speaking) and then use that muscle later, it will tie the
story together.
Bear in mind that
you don’t have to win a fight to learn from it. A loss is often a bigger
teacher than success. And what we learn isn’t always good or right. Betrayal
might convince someone never to trust, abuse might create an abuser. The change
in a character and how that affects their future behaviour is what counts.
The connection
between one problem and the next, not in what the problem is but in how the
character approaches and deals with the situation, both physically and
mentally, will provide an invisible thread through the narrative, even when on
the surface the situations seem unrelated.
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20 comments:
Just like in real life. Every challenge prepares us for the next one.
I think we expect to see the lessons in fiction. In real life the meaning of loss and tragedy often escape us.
After I've figured out the struggle which the MC must fight and win by the end of the story, I try to go back and make sure he fights (and loses) a similar battle sometime in the first or second chapter chapters.
I think I heard this same example in one of the episodes of "Lost."
No matter how many words we've written, we always need this reminder! Thanks for sharing.
The struggle is the story, without a doubt. Going too easy on your characters is to stifle them.
Challenges actually strengthen us, they toughen us up. "Bear in mind that you don’t have to win a fight to learn from it. A loss is often a bigger teacher than success. And what we learn isn’t always good or right." This is so apt, Mooderino, I feel that losses teach us more than victories or success.
There is a saying here that humans learn the best lessons in the hardest ways. I love to give my characters plenty of struggle but I haven't been so keen about domino effects.
Sometimes I think we writers are pretty mean when we make our characters suffer a whole lot. But who wants to read about a character's perfect life where nothing goes wrong? :P
Totally agree! That's what makes a story interesting is seeing a character overcome obstacles through struggle. And I love that butterfly picture!
Sarah Allen
(From Sarah, With Joy)
@Alex - life is preparing us even when we aren't aware of it.
@susan - Real life is very unreasonable when it comes to making the point of it all clear.
@Ken - that's a good (and sneaky) way to do it.
@Mike - if ever there was a show where the point wasn't clear...
@Carol - you're very welcome.
@Squid - struggles should be hard but they should also be connected in some way.
@Rachna - True, but still hard to deal with. A pleasant way to learn would be nice.
@Al - showing how the lesson continues into the next struggle or problem adds a lot to the story.
@Trisha - Cruelty never felt so good...
@Jerry - surely you are right.
GREAT post! thanks! :)
I'm with you. Struggle is required for character growth, and that's in fact what makes a story worthwhile. (To me, in any case.)
Another insightful post Real life tells us everything happens for a reason, and all things link up, like a plot, when we look back on our lives. :)
shahwharton.com
As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! I do love reading about characters whose hardships only change them for the better. :)
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
There is nothing less engaging than a character with no difficulties to overcome.
@Margo - you're very welcome.
@Misha - that's very true. but the type of struggle and how it connects to later events is also key.
@Shah - the advantage of being a writer is we get to control those reasons. If only real life were the same...
@nutschell - gives us all hope that our lives may get better even if it's not so great right now.
@LD - although personally give me a quiet life every time.
Hi Mooderino,
This is a wonderful post. The advice you've shared about how the key factor being is how characters deal with problems and situations can help us to mould their personalities for the benefit of of our readers.
Thank you.
@Hiten -you're very welcome.