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One Ring to Rule Them All...



*Every now and then, I plan to write a candid post that goes a bit more in-depth into aspects of my writing process and the "rules" behind how to tell a good story. I hope you find them interesting.


 

There is one universal truth that starkly divides the population of storytellers. Creators either accept it, or they scoff at it:


Stories have rules.


It's a simple fact. There is a blueprint, a structure, that must be followed when crafting a narrative story. And every good story that exists follows this blueprint. It doesn't seem like it at face value, but I can promise you that "Pride and Prejudice" follows the exact same blueprint as "The Hunger Games."


But some creators scoff at the idea that there is some formula they must follow to create a solid narrative. They refuse to believe that their precious ideas should fit into a stock outline, and they vow to buck the trend!


But what these people fail to see is that it's not copying anything. It's just a blueprint. It's a skeleton on which to build your idea. All of us as humans have the same skeleton, but what is built upon that skeleton is what makes us all quite different from one another, so why would a narrative story structure be any different?


So, why am I telling you this? (And why is there a picture from "The Lord of the Rings" in the heading?)


Because one of these rules is why I temporarily had to put my newest book on hold to restructure it the past few months. And LOTR provides a great example as to why.


Have you ever been watching a movie, and the main character does something so outrageous that you furrow your brow and think, "But why didn't she just do this other thing and be done with it?" and then suddenly, you're watching a two hour movie with a premise that spawned from a weak character decision that you found to be ridiculous?


The problem is that these creators ignored the blueprint. They cared more about putting their character into crazy situations than they did making sure the character's motivations were strong enough to warrant those scenes in the first place. (And this happens far more in movies than it does books, because if you mess up a book like that, people will simply put it down and move on because the commitment to finish it is too large; in a movie, most people will just keep watching because it's over in a minimal amount of time, and it's still a good time to watch things blow up while eating popcorn.)


Here's my truth bomb:


I was one of those creators that ignored the blueprint. I had constructed a main character -- we'll call him "David" -- and I had imagined so many cool situations to put him in, and in the end, the joints holding the bones of the skeleton together weren't strong enough to support the epic journey on which I was trying to take my audience. All it took was for me to sit back and say, "I know he's doing this, but why?" "I know these bad guys are attacking, but why?" "I know his friends want to help him on this journey, but why are they giving up so much to do it?"


You get the idea. I realized I had created a situation where people would sit back and think, "Why didn't the main character just do X and solve the problem?"


My character motivation was incredibly weak. The scenes I had written were all very cool and epic. But they were just cool scenes with no substance. And that's not good enough for me.


Gandalf gives the ring to Frodo. Frodo doesn't want it. But the story demands that the hobbit take the ring to Mordor. Frodo could just bury it -- no, the bad guys can sense it and will find it. Frodo could just give it to someone else -- no, only Frodo's heart is strong enough to resist the ring's evil magic. Frodo could just keep it hidden in his home -- no, the bad guys will come to the Shire and slaughter everyone until they get it.


The only option for Frodo is to take the ring to Mordor himself, or everyone he loves will die. It doesn't matter if he wants to do it -- and, in fact, it's probably better for the story if he doesn't want to -- but he still must do it.


That's a strong motivation. And it is the only option for the character. That's what strong narratives do -- they only give the character one option. The character can choose to accept the call to action or not, but taking that one option is the only way for the story to end in a satisfying way.


Strong motivation is key. Right now, I love David, and I love all his friends, and I love the premise and world I've built -- and I do have some really cool scenes for them! -- but before I can fully charge ahead, full steam, David needs his One Ring.


(And I'm really close to finding it.) Until next time,

TB

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