Among the big mistakes novice writers make is they don’t allow their protagonist to solve the story’s central problem.
A story always is structured around the main character overcoming some conflict that sets the tale in motion; this is the central problem. The bulk of the story focuses on how our hero attempts to resolve that problem and set the world right again. In the climax, he should do just that.
But what if instead of stopping the alien invasion, our protagonist serves merely as a sidekick to a junior officer whose leadership and strategy achieves victory? What if instead of capturing the bank robber, another crook who wants revenge kills him rather than our police detective or Old West marshal taking him into custody? What if our heroine doesn’t find a way to work out differences with her beloved but instead his best friend talks him into setting aside his stubborn views so the two can be together forever?
Such endings are highly dissatisfying. Your readers have invested themselves emotionally in your protagonist, but these stories offer no payoff. It’s akin to a father who puts together a model that his son had bought and was excited to build on his own.
Never allow another character to do your protagonist’s work in the story’s climax. Even if the scene is tense and tightly written, you’ll undercut your readers’ trust in you as a writer. There are thousands of ways that your story’s protagonist might solve the story’s central problem in the climax. Among the more general, common ones are:
• Special ability – Your main character may possess a superhuman trait or know some unique skill that gives him the advantage.
• Special invention – Sometimes the main character might use a special weapon (often one he has made) or a device that allows him to be victorious.
• Ingenuity – While the main character might be ingenious in creating a special weapon, what is meant here is outsmarting the bad guy or cleverly overcoming the situation. Think Odysseus outfoxing the cyclops.
• Courage – In a number of cases, the character will find the ability to overcome his inner fears or will simply take a big gamble. A good example of this is Henry Fleming in Stephen Crane’s “The Red Badge of Courage.”
• Cooperation – Working with others can lead to a solution. Usually such stories involve the main character deciding to cooperate with someone who he considers an enemy or less than an equal.
• Self-sacrifice – The only way to succeed for some main characters may be to sacrifice something of incredible importance to them, such as a loved one or their own life.
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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the Storytelling 101 writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.
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