How Do You Balance Intensity and Inexperience of a Character?

[Dresdenus Prime]

Okay so here's my newest question; I sometimes have concerns that my overall story is fairly dullish. I think it hits some high notes in some areas, but doesn't take off the ground much in others. I actually just pushed my original Chapter 1 to 3 and rewrote a new 1-2 to create a more exciting beginning.

But then I'm wrestling with how much more I can really give this book...It is the first of a series, with a hero that has no idea what he's doing. He's no PI, he's just learning how his power works, and I feel like I need a plot that's not terribly complicated for him to be able to figure out.

In my own opinion, I would like to think that as long as the world and characters are exciting, fresh and interesting that the plot can be a little less exciting, as long as its not completely predictable, but I'd like to know what you all think as well?

[Quantus]

Sticky question, its kinda hard to judge without actually reading said plot and world.  But some general suggestions would be:

Mentor/Guide Character - If your MC is supposed to be new to everything and thus can't believably solve the mystery alone, maybe introduce a Supporting character to supplement his lack.  Not to solve it for him, but to provide some of the pieces of the puzzle that only experience would bring.  In one of mine I have a similarly clueless character starting out, but he gets found by a old hand mentor sort that introduces him to things, then gets said mentor taken and has to rescue him, sorta tossing him in the deep end so to speak.  Granted thats not a mystery situation, and is basically an Obi-Won trope, but it can bridge that gap. 

MC as the "Noble Fool" - Not sure if this is an actual literary term, but its a type of character trait I have always enjoyed.  The basic Idea is that your character doesn't know much of anything about what he's caught up in, but by that virtue he has an open and/or unique perspective on the situation that lets him make simple connections that are otherwise obscured to the people more immersed in the world.  Tavi in CA pulls this a number of times, being the only one around without Furycraft.  The TV show Eureka is built around this idea completely, having the Average guy sheriff in a town full of Geniuses, he's he is able to think outside the box and figure out how to apply various unrelated inventions to solve the weekly catastrophe, when all the scientist get so focused on the science and the intended application, they don't see the other possibilities, but they have to step back and describe it to him in layman's terms, which he then is able to devise new uses and such.  or he just remains a bit more grounded than teh rest, like when everyone assumed the kid had gotten caught in the temporal wormhole bubble of doom and launched a giant search for where he may have come out, and everyman sheriff was the only one that thought to check if the kid was hiding in the closet.

Leave him in the Deep End - Sometimes you can get away with leaving the character completely out of his depth, just getting kinda swept along by the events, and still make it work out ok. Niel Gaiman is great with this.  The MC's often dont have any clue whats going on until the climax or later.  It heavily depends on the supporting cast and the situation to make it work, but the kid just discovering his new powers is a trope that often works with this. 



Thats kinda a ramble, hope it was somehow helpful 

[Aminar]

If your character is just learning the ropes of what's going on then push that learning the ropes into interesting ways.  Don't let realism kill the fun, you're character already has some kind of power from what you said, every once in while have the subconscious kick in and do amazing things and then have he/she/it/potato try to figure out how to do that again or the like.  And remember that every revision you do makes your story more boring to you.

[Breandan]

You can have someone who is a hardcore experienced veteran at their trade, but they are just like anyone else when exposed to a new phenomenon. I've been in the military, law enforcement or PMC contracting for 20 years, yet NOTHING prepared me for the unholy chaos and upheaval that is being a father. I felt like a 17-year-old kid in boot all over again. I actually get MORE sleep and less stress when deployed on a contract, which has earned my eternal respect for stay-at-home and single mothers.

Personal anecdotes aside, there's always some curveball you can throw at a character. I prefer not to use literary archetypes, but instead base my characters off of personal experience and real-world people I know. You'd be amazed at how many new things the average person gets exposed to and has to wrap their minds around when they live even the least bit of an adventurous lifestyle. Likewise, people are a HELL of a lot smarter than Hollyweird and many authors make out. People as a collective are often idiotic sheeple, but a single person- separated from the mass-culture-induced degeneration of intellect- is capable of surprising cunning, courage and ingenuity. I've seen soccer moms at the range for a conceal-carry class, holding a gun for the first time in their lives, outshoot veteran cops before. I've seen a typical high school kid- as average as they come- manage to splint his own broken arm, find food and water, and survive long enough for us to rescue him three days later. I've watched college kids who would rather be drinking suddenly come up with innovative and even brilliant solutions to problems once the professor made it interesting for them. Humanity is sorely underestimated, it just needs the right conditions to shine

[jeno]

I actually just pushed my original Chapter 1 to 3 and rewrote a new 1-2 to create a more exciting beginning.

Be careful with this. I haven't read your stuff, so I don't know exactly what you've done, but from here it sounds like something I've seen a lot of editors and agents complain about - the High Action Intro tacked on to the novel solely because the author was told to have a more exciting beginning. The major complaint with these beginnings is that they often have nothing to do with the rest of the plot. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. Again, I haven't read your stuff so I don't know if this applies to you, but it's something to keep in mind.

[Dresdenus Prime]

Quantus - Awesome suggestions my friend. I think that my character almost has a happy medium between your first and third points. I like the idea of suggestion 2 as well! Very helpful! 

Aminar - You make some great points. After reviewing, reinterpreting, editting, rewriting the same story for almost a year now it's bound to make me feel drained. I still love where it's going though. Even today I jotted down a couple pages worth of notes for future projects in this story world. Also you pretty much read my mind with the idea that his powers sort of manifest themselves at times without him trying. It makes sense for who he is and what he can do!

Breandan - Some of the things you mentioned are funny because of the situation my character is in. In the very first chapter he's on a stakeout. He's never done it before, he has no idea what he's doing, but he doesnt have a group of people in contact with him or even a partner next to him to make him feel flustered. Being alone he's able to concentrate and do a pretty good job at tailing his target. I always loved the saying that people are dumb but a person is smart, no offense to you people 

Jeno - That is great advice, and I completely agree with you. My biggest issue with my book was I didn't want to spell everything out in the first couple chapters, but what I had so far just felt too slow and it worried me that readers/agents may feel it was a weaker beginning. My new chapters 1-2 aren't in any way "throw the hero into a battlefield and hope he can last long enough" exciting, but it has a bit more suspense and action. Previously my book went I think 5 or 6 chapters before any real action revealed itself. My wife "claims" she's being unbiased when she reads it and she was very entertained by it. So we'll see what happens. 

Thanks guys. You all make great points. I think a topic like this is important for a new writer in how to find a good balance of character and plot. 

[Aminar]

Glad to be of help/encouragement.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Aminar - You make some great points. After reviewing, reinterpreting, editting, rewriting the same story for almost a year now it's bound to make me feel drained.

Just wait until you hit year ten on the same story, or year fifteen.

[Breandan]

*coughtwentycough*


What? I procrastinated a lot in my youth

[Dresdenus Prime]

Just wait until you hit year ten on the same story, or year fifteen.

Hopefully ten years from now it will be in the same universe but a different story  We'll see

I do have other projects I plan on working on as well. That way if I grow too stressed over this story I'll move to another temporarily. With some of the ideas I've had I'm suprised that I'm able to focus on just one! 

[meg_evonne]

Everything, but especially plot, are crucial in debut fiction.

[hesitation] [sigh] [ouch, just say it]  [but it's so damn painful]...

It might be that what you have been writing is backstory. So much of what a writer creates is truly for the author. Getting to know the backstory is crucial and the more you know about it the better your final work. Much of this need never go in front of the reader or editor. Some of it might find an eventual home in a flashback, or a story discussed by the main characters as a memory.

One of the first things I heard about story telling is that beginners rarely start in the right place. I don't mean a riveting beginning. Take your work and ask this question:

1. Where does the MC become emotionally invested? (not stumbling through, but dedicated to an outcome and willing to risk all for that outcome--what s/he can do or not do is irrelevant amazingly.) According to many this should be at the 1/4 mark in your book. If when you review your work it happens in the last 1/3? That was where the story should have begun. If it happens in the next book? That is where you should begin.

[now, I'm slinking off feeling horrible and very Eyore like]

[OZ]

I am not sure what you mean when you say your overall story is dullish. Are you saying that if you summarize your main plot it doesn't sound that exciting? Unless the ending is just disappointing ( the character wakes up to discover the whole story was just a dream ) it will be how you get to that ending that will ensnare your readers. If the main plot lacks spice, what about the subplots ( e.g. the characters development of his or her powers; relationships between the main character and others including friendships, coworkers, romance, family, etc.; personal problems such as finances, etc. )? These can be more interesting than the main mystery.

[Dresdenus Prime]

1. Where does the MC become emotionally invested? (not stumbling through, but dedicated to an outcome and willing to risk all for that outcome--what s/he can do or not do is irrelevant amazingly.) According to many this should be at the 1/4 mark in your book. If when you review your work it happens in the last 1/3? That was where the story should have begun. If it happens in the next book? That is where you should begin.

Let me ask you a counter question. How personal does the event have to be for a character to believably become invested enough to risk his life? It's not entirely original, but is it enough that the hero finds out that an event has transpired that could destroy every human on the planet and he may be the only one who can stop it?

I am not sure what you mean when you say your overall story is dullish. Are you saying that if you summarize your main plot it doesn't sound that exciting? Unless the ending is just disappointing ( the character wakes up to discover the whole story was just a dream ) it will be how you get to that ending that will ensnare your readers. If the main plot lacks spice, what about the subplots ( e.g. the characters development of his or her powers; relationships between the main character and others including friendships, coworkers, romance, family, etc.; personal problems such as finances, etc. )? These can be more interesting than the main mystery.

Good pointers about using subplots. I don't think my ending is that dull, honestly I think I'm just being overparanoid about my work. I would love to write about how my hero finds the strength and power to take on five wizards all at once that have the power to shape shift themselves into giant dinosaurs or something, but this book is somewhat of a beginning for him and I have to make a story that's not so hard that he can't conquer it in his rookie state.

[Quantus]

Let me ask you a counter question. How personal does the event have to be for a character to believably become invested enough to risk his life? It's not entirely original, but is it enough that the hero finds out that an event has transpired that could destroy every human on the planet and he may be the only one who can stop it?

That really depends on your character.  If he's an Idealist it would probably be enough.  If he's a more jaded anti-hero he may need something more personal, though self-preservation may be enough assuming he is on said planet; for that matter he may simply need to realize that who/whatever it is he cares about is threatened by the same issue.  If hes a coward he might need a reason to act personally rather than simply run and hide, or try to pass the responsibility to somebody else. 

Good pointers about using subplots. I don't think my ending is that dull, honestly I think I'm just being overparanoid about my work. I would love to write about how my hero finds the strength and power to take on five wizards all at once that have the power to shape shift themselves into giant dinosaurs or something, but this book is somewhat of a beginning for him and I have to make a story that's not so hard that he can't conquer it in his rookie state.

He doesnt have to personally solve the Big problem if it is realistically still out of his league, just give him a scene where he overcomes something related that would previously have been well outside of his ability.  I am listening to Academ's Fury during my commute right now, so Ill use the example I just heard this morning:  Tavi is by no means very powerful (yet ) but he just managed, when he needed to, to beat the everliving crap out of the three bullies that had been tormenting him, all of which had enough power that everyone assumed he would never be able to win against them.  It wasn't the big problem of the book, or even directly related; they were just being petty and delaying him at a moment when he could not afford to be.  It was simply an obstacle that he was not expected to be able to overcome, but he managed to do so in a way that highlighted his previously undervalued strengths; it was a significant personal victory, even if it didnt directly save the Realm or anything.  Others will solve the Big Problem, but he demonstrates personal growth in a smaller venue, which in turn allows him to contribute in such a way that is necessary for those more powerful to be able to do so.   

[synobal]

Okay so I'll toss in my 2 cents, to balance inexperience with a character I'd suggest having him do the right things but making mistakes in doing them.  For example you mention a stakeout, plenty of things can go wrong on the stake out. He gets bored and distracted with something, he falls asleep or keeps trying to. He drinks far to much soda and ends up taking bathroom break(s). He forgets to bring food and ends up spending the night listening to his stomach rumble. He orders indian food and has bad gas or diarrhea.  Soooo much can go wrong in a stakeout but that doesn't mean that the stakeout in the end is a failure.

Have him do the right things just not very well.