Oh the Tangled Webs We Weave...

Parataxis · Aug 21, 2011

...when we practice to snare our protagonists.

I recently started a new WIP, and I'm pantsing it, for the first time ever. Things were going pretty well until my protagonist was trapped in a cell surrounded by 3 foot cement walls with four locked steel doors and 25 armed men between her and the outside. She needed to escape before morning, which was just a few hours away. It was all very exciting and suspenseful.

Until I realized that I had no idea how she was going to get out of this.

I banged my head against the wall and couldn't come up with a single viable escape strategy. I looked back at the lead up and everything rang perfectly true. She ran to her mentor because she was scared, her mentor betrayed her for good reason, and most of all I had already established the existence of this cell on the premises where this all takes place. The people involved would have to be morons not to use it.

So I talked to a writer friend about it and it turns out she has this problem all the time. She gets her protagonists into trouble she can't get them out of.

So it makes me wonder, is this a common writing problem? Have any of you ever gotten your protag stuck because you planned your trap too well?

thebloodfiend · Aug 21, 2011

The one rule I must constantly remind myself of is this: I am the God of my world.

Anything situation that I created, I can, conversely, destroy. Whenever I write myself into corners, I go back to the situation that created the distress. It hurts to delete pages, but I remind myself that it's for the benefit of the story.

Or, you could pull a Stephen King. Either or.

pangalactic · Aug 21, 2011

Of course, you could go the route that she doesn't escape. What are the consequences of that? What direction could that send your novel in, and could it work even better than what you'd already planned?

missesdash · Aug 21, 2011

I stay a few steps ahead of myself, like I'm playing chess. That allows me to head off any problems.

Problem solving is one of the few things I do well, though. I also think you need to give every structure a weakness. I do that early and it offers a lot of work room. I have an advantage though, since I write with supernatural elements.

bertrigby · Aug 21, 2011

I have this problem all the time. See: this thread. Needless to say I needed to rewrite a lot of the ending and I'm still working on it!!!

This is why I shouldn't pants. I've vowed to myself to make sure I have an ending planned in future, so I don't dig myself into such gaping holes next time.

MAP · Aug 21, 2011

Parataxis said:
...when we practice to snare our protagonists.

I recently started a new WIP, and I'm pantsing it, for the first time ever. Things were going pretty well until my protagonist was trapped in a cell surrounded by 3 foot cement walls with four locked steel doors and 25 armed men between her and the outside. She needed to escape before morning, which was just a few hours away. It was all very exciting and suspenseful.

Until I realized that I had no idea how she was going to get out of this.

I banged my head against the wall and couldn't come up with a single viable escape strategy. I looked back at the lead up and everything rang perfectly true. She ran to her mentor because she was scared, her mentor betrayed her for good reason, and most of all I had already established the existence of this cell on the premises where this all takes place. The people involved would have to be morons not to use it.

So I talked to a writer friend about it and it turns out she has this problem all the time. She gets her protagonists into trouble she can't get them out of.

So it makes me wonder, is this a common writing problem? Have any of you ever gotten your protag stuck because you planned your trap too well?

Yes this happens to me, but you can get her out of it. She may need help or you may need to plant some information at an earlier spot in your story, but you can get her out. And when you do, it will be awesome.

Keep at it.

JSDR · Aug 21, 2011

LOL. I've run into this scenario. One time, I was describing my problem to a friend and he said "Why doesn't he just ____?"
I was gobsmacked. I had been trapped in the situation with the MC that I couldn't figure out what was going to happen next!
So yeah, it helps to pull yourself out of the cement hole and play god with your writing. And yes, maybe she just stays there, or maybe she gets help.
One thing I noted about your quandary: the fact that she's stuck in such an impossible-to-get-out-of situation is very appealing.

legendary bum · Aug 21, 2011

Was it Just Ella where the girl dug her way out with a spoon? Lol. EDIT: Just realized this isn't applicable, since the floor is cement.

I agree that you should consider what possibilities exist if she doesn't escape from her cell. Maybe she could escape while she's being taken to her execution (just assuming that's what going to happen

)? Seducing a guard? Being helped by a random stranger? Pretending to be dead? I think you can get out of your web.

Parataxis · Aug 21, 2011

I had really imagined this thread as a more general discussion of the issue with maybe some story sharing, but thank you all very much for your advice.

The source of the situation is my inciting incident, so I don't think going back and undoing it will help very much, since other ways. I have considered what happens if she doesn't escape--it's a very different story, interesting in it's own right. However, it causes several major changes I'm not sure I like, such as killing off the LI (Who is also in the cell) and majorly delaying the reveal of the story's central concept. (Since the main character goes from running from the people keeping it secret to working for them).

As for playing a few moves ahead--I think I am, just the wrong side is wining. I am also working in a quasi urban-fantasy setting, and both of the characters in the cell have special power. The Protag can change the states of matter of things around her, and the LI can conjure simple things out of nothing. Both powers are fairly limited

But I really like what missesdash said about giving every structure a weakness and I was inspired! So how does this sound?

The cell is meant for holding the few, the proud, the magical, so in addition to all the precautions I mentioned, there is also a surveillance camera installed. My problem so far has been that my antagonists plan too far ahead, so what if they thought that the camera could be tampered with and installed a small window which allows the men in a guard station to visually confirm what the camera is showing? Then, the LI disconnected the camera and conjures a bomb to blow out the doors. This immediately summons all the guards in the area which includes the two in the room. Then the two escape into the guard room through the window using the protag's powers to make it intangible. From there I guess they can find some other window to clamber through.

Does this seem credible for an escape? (Keep in mind that this is chapter 3)

EDIT: Lol, I think she'd consider the spoon thing before realizing it's ridiculous.

JSDR · Aug 21, 2011

If the protag can change the state of matter, why not change the cement?

If they are being monitored, could one play dead and have guards come in and check?

I would say that your ability to think as the antagonist is a huge advantage, and may end up making your escape more believable if the protagonist really has to work at escaping

Parataxis · Aug 21, 2011

JSDR said:
If the protag can change the state of matter, why not change the cement?

If they are being monitored, could one play dead and have guards come in and check?

I would say that your ability to think as the antagonist is a huge advantage, and may end up making your escape more believable if the protagonist really has to work at escaping

She could change the cement into a gas, but there's nowhere to go. Best case scenario she would hit the dirt under the cell, or the guard room, or the hallway full of guards. (Somehow not making the air toxic in the process) In worst case, she runs out of energy and gets stuck in the cement.

The guards are really the problem with just blasting the door, since the protags are 15 and 16, and the 25-30 guards are fully grown and armed. Similarly, taking out the guard who comes in to check on them would probably be noisy enough to attract other guards in the area. If they found some way to tunnel out, it would take a like time and they'd have to cut power to the camera, which would alert the guards.

Yeah, I guess thinking from the Antagonist's point of view helps me to avoid some cliches. But my hope is that it can make them a bit scarier, since they actually know what they're doing, ya know?

sadbeautifultragic · Aug 21, 2011

Just make it blow up.

Oh, wait....

Sorry I couldn't help. I have this problem all the time as well, just in a more contemporary setting. Except for me... I'm an idiot, so normally it's because it wasn't thought out enough.

missesdash · Aug 21, 2011

I'm sort of laughing that there are so many guards. It's almost absurd.

maggieuc · Aug 21, 2011

I try to create an ending and work backwards. In this way I solve the problem before I create it...

Becca C. · Aug 21, 2011

legendary bum said:
Was it Just Ella where the girl dug her way out with a spoon? Lol. EDIT: Just realized this isn't applicable, since the floor is cement.

Yes, it is Just Ella. I think she manages to get her servant girl friend to get her a shovel, though, which she starts using once she has a big enough hole to hide it in.

That's one of my favourite fairy tale retelling books

Parataxis · Aug 21, 2011

missesdash said:
I'm sort of laughing that there are so many guards. It's almost absurd.

It is kind of absurd. But Magic users are very rare, there are at most thirteen in the entire city of six million people. Having two of them in the same not-quite-secure-cell has them on red alert.

There are also precedent for rogue magic users to become deadly fighters (And, in one case, a nigh unstoppable serial killer) so they don't wait to call back up.

maggieuc said:
I try to create an ending and work backwards. In this way I solve the problem before I create it...

I sort of did that, expect my solution was basically "They use their combined powers to escape." Which has turned out to not be as helpful as I'd have liked.

cscarlet · Aug 21, 2011

Parataxis said:
Best case scenario she would hit the dirt under the cell, or the guard room, or the hallway full of guards. (Somehow not making the air toxic in the process) In worst case, she runs out of energy and gets stuck in the cement.

Can she control what changes and what doesn't?

Like, maybe there's a way to change the door.... Certain gasses are is heavier than air, so she if she could figure out a way to push the "toxic" gas only into the hallway (instead of her cell), the guards would start choking. Eventually she could throw a wet towel over her face and just bolt through it. She'd still get sick or lightheaded, but she'd be out and not dead....

AlishaS · Aug 21, 2011

My MC spent over a month ducted tape to a chair because I couldn't figure out how to get her out of the situation... The novel ended up taking a slightly different direction than I had hoped, and I'm still unsure, but I did manage to get her out of the situation.

Sometimes walking away and work on something else helps, talk it through with friends, or work backwark.

And yes, we are God when it comes to our novels, if we can put them into a situation we can get them out, sometimes it just takes a little bit of time

jaksen · Aug 21, 2011

If she can change the state of matter of things - think about what that means. (Try thinking about the real science behind it, I mean.)

Things change their state of matter due to changes in temperature. All elements, and compounds, have a point at which they can change from solid to liquid, liquid to gas, gas to liquid or liquid to solid. (They can even go from solid to gas, a process known as sublimation. Ice cubes do this when they sit in your freezer for too long. They seem to 'shrink,' but they are actually sublimating.)

Hence, this must mean she can play with heat - temperature, correct? She is able to manipulate energy. If she wrapped her hands around the camera and melted it - by bringing the metal or plastic in the camera to their melting points - that would catch somebody's attention, wouldn't it? Or if she looked at the camera and said, watch this, and put her hands on the cement and it started to liquify.

Causing changes in the state of matter seems to be an awesome 'power' or ability to have. I'd do some brainstorming on what this ability or power really means and work it to my advantage. (Or the MC's advantage.)

Parataxis · Aug 21, 2011

I'm a chemistry major, and I've thought a lot about the science behind this. Unfortunately, then I made a character who can create something out of nothing and the hard science basis went out the window.

The character's power is technically "To Change", which in it's current reduced form is limited to changing the shape of materials to a degree and changing the state of a localized area. It actually blatantly defies the laws of physics--she can change any state to any other without change in temperature (except plasma obviously, without seriously hurting herself). I felt like this both allowed for more freedom in making powers, and it also added this layer of a rational world trying to deal with something that doesn't make sense.

It is a very powerful ability--If it ever got to it's full potential, her power is a game-breaker. The previous owner of the "to Change" power was a serial killer who was, multiple times, surrounded by swat teams and slaughtered all but one agent, who would live long enough to deliver a message before his deformed heart gave out. (Yes, he reached his hand into the guy and changed the shape of his heart so that he would live just long enough to deliver a message.)

Unfortunately, this does not make her immune to bullets (Yet!) and she's in this situation because the people involved are scared to death by her. "Showing off" is more likely to end up with a bullet in her brain pan than escape.

Ashes Oh Ashes · Aug 21, 2011

Man, I write myself into this problem all the time.

"Hey MC, go do something incredible!"

Mc- "Okay."

"So, how's it going, MC?"

"Well, I've just been captured by a bunch of invincible creatures."

"Oh..."

*And from there I spend a week before I discover the way to overcome the obstacle.

wormglow · Aug 22, 2011

That's quite a conundrum you've landed yourself in!

How rigid are the rules surrounding the LI's powers? Is he only able to conjure things he's seen or touched, or is it purely imagination-based? The only thing I can think of is that they somehow combine their powers—the LI conjuring something and the MC changing it to a more useful state and using it to free themselves. Something that would corrode the cement in a liquid state but not as a solid? That's just a poorly though-out example. I'm not really sure what it would be they'd use, to be honest, but it seems like a fun way of having them both involved, and it could be potentially quite interesting if the factor which allows them to escape is something that neither could accomplish alone without the other's input—i.e. if the other wasn't there with them, they'd be unable to escape at all. Just my two cents.

n3onkn1ght · Aug 22, 2011

The line between a Deus Ex Machina and a satisfying conclusion is often just a character's motivation away.

Maybe the Mentor has a brief change of heart, and helps them escape? Seeing a character struggle with his awful decisions is the cornerstone of good fiction.

The Protag can change the states of matter of things around her, and the LI can conjure simple things out of nothing. Both powers are fairly limited

How about the Gambit solution? That is, take a playing card, and charge it with kinetic energy so that it explodes, preferably under the door's lock.

And also, there must be a toilet, otherwise the cell's going to get awfully smelly.

Ergo, steam, to cover their escape while they force their way up the corridor outside.

She's not that powerful yet? Well, look at the obvious: she's stuck in a cell. What else is she going to do with her time? Learn to knit? Solve the Arab/Palestine conflict? Make hot sweaty fun time with her Love Interest?

Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. But methinks learning to hone her powers would be near the top of the list.

JennieRose8 · Aug 23, 2011

thebloodfiend said:
The one rule I must constantly remind myself of is this: I am the God of my world.

Anything situation that I created, I can, conversely, destroy. Whenever I write myself into corners, I go back to the situation that created the distress. It hurts to delete pages, but I remind myself that it's for the benefit of the story.

Or, you could pull a Stephen King. Either or.

lol, the Stephen King thing. Yeah, it kinda annoyed me how he fixed some of his fixes. Like in Salem's Lot and Needful Things- the way they defeated the big boogie men just didn't cut it for me.

Saul Tanpepper · Aug 23, 2011

These are the best and worst scenarios to be in as writers because they force us to think harder than we usually do. As long as we're skating along, so is the story. The harder it is for our characters to escape a situation, the more exciting for the reader. The risk, of course, and the temptation is to write an unlikely and too-easy escape. Resist this temptation. Come up with a solution that is consistent with the world you've created. And good luck.

Oh the Tangled Webs We Weave...

Obsessive Plotting Disorder

Cory

Gargling blasters

You can't sit with us!

Dysfunctional dystopian

wants moar baddassery.

needs to change her sheets

Obsessive Plotting Disorder

wants moar baddassery.

Obsessive Plotting Disorder

You can't sit with us!

Obsessive Plotting Disorder

AW = Procrastination.

Is swimming with creativity frogs

Caped Codder

Obsessive Plotting Disorder

Honest, not Harsh

writer of spec fic