Into The Unknown
The Character's First Steps
Congratulations! You've successfully started your book. You've cleared the first chapter, the hook, and the Inciting Incident. You've established the kind of journey your character is on.
Now it's time for your MC to try to get out of this mess at all costs.
Remember how we talked about hard choices? Every challenge your MC comes across should be part of a decision - or a consequence of their past choices. The next part of your story is all about how the MC reacts to the Inciting Incident, and to the following repercussions of their choice.
Kicking & Screaming
More often than not, the character(s) wants nothing to do with the ways their life has changed. Forced out of their comfort zone, they're uncomfortable. Terrified. Livid, even. Every cell of their body wants to claw their way back to the way things were before. Their words, actions, and decisions should naturally reflect this.
Not 'reflect'. Scream. Shriek at the sky like a wild animal, if necessary. They never wanted their life turned upside down like this; they just want to go back home.
They can't, though. Not until they deal with whatever is in front of them. Grudgingly, they begin to realize that the only way out is forward - through the trouble they've worked so hard to avoid.
There is, however, a glimmer of light in the distance: the possibility of attaining the thing they want most. It's not enough to get them all gung-ho for this adventure, not yet, but it's enough to influence how they react.
They know what they want, and they're about to go through their own version of hell to get it.
Reaction vs. Response
I'd like to make myself clear: Although the MC may be reacting to the external and internal conflict with a knee-jerk type of action, this does NOT mean they're a passive plot device. The story - your story - is not about the plot. It's not just 'what happens next'.
It's about how the conflict affects the characters, and how they change and grow as a result.
So although the MC is by no means passive - they're still making decisions, taking action, and struggling with their internal conflict - the first half of the book usually sees them reacting to things with a certain desperation to survive them without facing their fear. Later, after the midpoint or plot twist, they will begin to respond and take more definite action as they become who they were meant to be.
But they're not quite to that point yet.
The First Pinch Point
So your MC has experienced the internal debate of pain vs. pain: Crawl back to their comfort zone and forfeit their heart's desire for eternity, OR venture into the unknown (is anyone else singing this in their head???) to achieve said heart's desire - while still avoiding their fear at all costs.
Naturally, they're going to choose the latter option or there would be no story to tell.
This leads us to the first pinch point, where we catch a glimpse of the villain or antagonistic force looming up ahead, and you get to do all the foreshadowing and suspense your little heart desires.
- Sweet, Sweet Suspense
You might be wondering why you can't keep your villain or antagonist under wraps as a surprise plot twist for later on. (Note: I'm not going to talk about actual Twist Villains in this post, we'll get to that later.) The short answer is: You're at the point in the story where you need to add an external force that stands in the way of your MC getting what they want. Their fear isn't the only thing holding them back anymore.
But how to go about introducing said antagonist? The final battle is still many chapters away. How do we add tension without setting the climax in motion too soon?
There are a lot of different ways to do this, depending on what type of villain you're writing, but here is my favorite: Give the villain an agenda.
They may be evil. They may be heartless. They may want to burn the world to the ground and dance on the ashes - but they MUST have a reason why the MC is part of their wicked plot, and they MUST have their own list of steps to get what they want. And as they begin to go down this list, using increasingly diabolical methods, it will clash with the MC's agenda and play on their deepest, darkest fears.
As this goes on, the villain will get closer and closer to the MC - whether they know it or not - adding the suspense that grips your reader to the core.
That said, I know not every story has a villain. Sometimes it's more abstract, like a disease or natural disaster, or somewhere in between. So to break down the suspense factor even further, all you need to do is make sure that the reader either: 1. Knows something the character also knows that is eating them alive, or 2. Knows something the character DOESN'T. I tend to prefer the second option, because the payoff is even better in the end.
A round for the table, mate; you've made it through the first third of your story! You may find your motivation flagging a little at this point, and that's okay - next week, we'll work on how to make the middle of your book as engaging and gripping as the beginning.
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Best of luck to you on your writing journey, mate!
- Lydia
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