Copyright
© 2013 Joan Y. Edwards.
“Will It Cost an Arm, a Leg, and His First-Born Child?" by Joan Y. Edwards
What is the cost of what your main character wants or needs? Will your character's problem cost him an arm, a leg, or his first-born child? It has to be an extremely high cost. If there’s no cost for your main character, there’s no story. Your main character can't continue doing what he's done in the past. He's forced by inner or outer circumstances and emotions to change.
Picture Book
The witch twitched her head around and poked the polka-dotted princess on the forehead, “Princess, princess, so forlorn. Give to me your very first-born.”
Adult Fiction:
“How am I going to get to California from Charlotte? Are you kidding? Even a tank of gasoline costs an arm, a leg, and your first child.” John looked at his overalls with paint stains from his last paying job and hung his head low.
When you’re writing a story, usually the main character has three tries, three steps, or three levels to get something. In money, the first try costs $100.00. The second, $200.00. And the third, $300.00. If he’s willing to pay $600.00, make it cost him double. If he’s totally sure of himself and brags a lot, triple the cost. It could cost him physical pain. It could cost emotional pain with loss of family, job, and pride. Looming through the experience might be embarrassment, frustration, betrayal, and abandonment.
What? Your character is as tough as ten giant boulders, none of these things would hurt him. If that's the case, up the emotional, physical, and monetary costs. Brainstorm to find three or more things that make him wince and whine, but he'd still be willing to do them to gain his reward, to win the battle, to get the job, to solve his problem. If your character really wants or needs something, he will do whatever it costs. Even though he is scared, tense, and angry, your character will do anything to get his goal. He will even risk death to get it. He will not give up. He might come close to it. But his determination keeps growing. No matter how hard you fight to keep him from getting it, your main character will keep on going.
Up the cost of what your character wants. Make him jump through hoops he’s never even heard of. You created this character. Don't be afraid of hurting him. He is strong. He can take it. Write your story. There's nothing your character won't do for what he wants. He's willing to pay an arm, a leg, or a first child for it.
Thank you for reading this article. In your favorite stories, what did the main character want and what did it cost him? Please tell me all about it in a comment.
Keep on Writing
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
I think we know more about the cost of attaining something once we've paid some of the prices ourselves.
ReplyDeleteJoan, another good one! It's all about the conflict, the boulders the character needs to jump over, go around, crawl under, or blow up to reach his goal.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Joan! Wonderful advice. Once we get over the hurdle of "I love my character too much to inflict terrible things on him/her" it can be much more entertaining--for writer and reader--to create bigger conflicts, raise the stakes higher, and invent ways for your character to rise above them.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite characters is the disagreeable Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden. Mary could have simply watched her garden grow, but when she discovered her equally disagreeable and problem-laden cousin Colin, the stakes rose so high the success of Mary's garden became tied into the success of Colin walking again, being reunited with his father and dealing with the death of his mother.
You're so right, Joan. Troubles, problems, conflicts and how a character solves them make for a great story. Good advice.
ReplyDeleteJoan,
ReplyDeleteAuthors must face another question...At some point, they must ask themselves how much they are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their craft. What will it "cost" them?
Dear Vivian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. You're exactly right. We do know more about the cost of attaining a goal when we've paid some of the prices ourselves. Remembering some of those painful times can help us describe how it is for the main character in our stories.
Celebrate you and your guidance for writers and illustrators.
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Dear Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. I'm glad you thought it was a great post. You're right we don't want to hurt the characters we created and love. I agree with you raising the stakes higher and inventing ways for your character to rise above them is what good writing is all about.
Thanks for sharing your explanation of the blending of the goals of Mary(disagreeable, as you say) and Colin in the Secret Garden. Good observation!
Celebrate you and your love of reading and writing.
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Dear Beverly,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. I'm glad you believe this post contained good advice. Of all the books you've written, which one was the hardest to figure out the complications for the goal of the main character?
Celebrate you
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Dear Linda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing. You are right, authors must ask themselves how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to be able to write.
Thank you for the time you spend responding my blog and to the blogs of other writers you respect. It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to others, too.
Celebrate you and your gift of encouragement
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Dear Karen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. I appreciate your compliment. I love your description and agree that "It's all about the conflict, the boulders the character needs to jump over, go around, crawl under, or blow up to reach his goal." Your sentence says it quite clearly.
Celebrate you
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Great way to remind us to up the stakes, Joan. EVen when we think it's upped, we can increase it. Appreciate the post.
ReplyDeleteDear Janet,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. You're welcome for the post. I'm glad you thought my post was a great way to remind you to up the stakes. You are right, even when we think it's upped, we can increase it more.
Celebrate you
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards