two factor Decision making

Charles_Dyer · Oct 4, 2017

Sparing you a blog post, My book had been sitting at page 59 for a while because I couldn't make a decision as to how a character would react in a given situation. I was thinking it would be some mix of bliss and panic but I wasn't sure how to actually decide.

I was going to do the two columned pros and cons list but I was having trouble doing that so instead I opted to make it like a coordinate plane, drew a big plus shape on my dry erase board and scribbled a quick note as to what the extremes of each of the four outcomes would look like. it became apparent that some of the four weren't what I had hoped them to be, so I crossed them off quickly making a decision that I had been mulling over for weeks.

I hope this proves useful.
EXAMPLE:

Ellie is a young lass on her way home from the market with a basket full of ingredients, but as she reaches the bridge a troll jumps out and blocks her path. how does she respond?

so my knee jerk response as to the two facets are "Wonder" and "hostility" and so the graph would look like this where hostility the hoizontal:

"what... Are you?"	"Get back! what are you some kind of monster?"
"I really must get going, excuse me"	Ellie screams and runs away

but yeah, tell me about your decision making processes for all life's questions?

The JoJo · Oct 5, 2017

Sometimes I'll imagine a debate between two people in my head, each advocating for a different point of view. Eventually I'll go with the strongest argument, or just my gut feeling if there isn't much between them. I know what you mean about chewing things over, though, I've been stuck on how my second novel opens even though I've written more than half of the first draft in the last couple of months. It'll probably end up being the last part I decide!

Ihe R.G. · Oct 5, 2017

The advice I've gotten on similar issues is this: always go with whatever choice gives the best/most amount of conflict (internal or external) going forward. Conflict is usually the most important element of any story, more so than dialogue, structure, plot, or characterisation. No conflict=no story.

One would do well to prioritise the potential for conflict at those forks in the road, unless there are special considerations of pacing and mood. The second best option for me would be the one that sees the MC being proactive, and the third the one that encourages engagement/dialogue. The worst option is the completely reactionary action (unless you're in the first quartile of your story).

blacbird · Oct 5, 2017

Charles_Dyer said:
Sparing you a blog post, My book had been sitting at page 59 for a while because I couldn't make a decision as to how a character would react in a given situation. I was thinking it would be some mix of bliss and panic but I wasn't sure how to actually decide.

Flip a coin, and proceed with writing whichever choice heads or tails tells you. Save that version in a copy of your manuscript, and go back and write it with the other option. Compare and see which works best for you, but don't throw away either version. You may want to revisit it once you are further along in the story. I can't see any good reason to get hung up on a point like this.

caw

dot-dot-dash · Oct 24, 2017

Looking at a menu, we only struggle to choose between good choices. I don't like spring rolls, so they don't make the shortlist.

One thing that I learned from teaching composition in music, and transferred to my own writing, is that if you've agonised for more than a minute over an A/B choice (and sure, many choices aren't like that), then the choice quite likely doesn't matter. If one option were significantly better than the other, you wouldn't have agonised over it. So yes, flip a coin (and if you're disappointed with the outcome then you've got your answer too, ignore the coin-flip).

Layla Nahar · Oct 25, 2017

^
Just chiming (!) in to say that I find the comparison to music composition interesting. When stories and music have in common, as I see it, is that they develop over time toward some end-point.

There was a thread recently talking about 'tension' in stories. Not sure where I'm going with this right now, but it's what's in my mind.

I also agree that it's good to keep in mind how your story choices affect the conflict.

Elenitsa · Oct 25, 2017

Ihe R.G. said:
The advice I've gotten on similar issues is this: always go with whatever choice gives the best/most amount of conflict (internal or external) going forward. Conflict is usually the most important element of any story, more so than dialogue, structure, plot, or characterisation. No conflict=no story.

One would do well to prioritise the potential for conflict at those forks in the road, unless there are special considerations of pacing and mood. The second best option for me would be the one that sees the MC being proactive, and the third the one that encourages engagement/dialogue. The worst option is the completely reactionary action (unless you're in the first quartile of your story).

This is how I am thinking too. And when I am ambivalent between two possible outcomes, I make a pro and cons chart and I decide based on it.

DanielSTJ · Nov 8, 2017

Ihe R.G. said:
The advice I've gotten on similar issues is this: always go with whatever choice gives the best/most amount of conflict (internal or external) going forward. Conflict is usually the most important element of any story, more so than dialogue, structure, plot, or characterisation. No conflict=no story..

Agreed. There is no story without conflict. Or, at least, not one that people will be interested in.

two factor Decision making

Charles_Dyer

The JoJo

Licensed to chill

Ihe R.G.

blacbird

dot-dot-dash

..-

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Elenitsa

writing as Marina Costa

DanielSTJ

The Wandering Bard