Lajos Egri, author of The Art of Dramatic Writing, tells us
“A novel, play, or any type of writing,
really is a crisis from beginning to end growing to its necessary
conclusion.” So the problems are piling
up for the hero or protagonist. How do
they pile up and where are they coming from? That’s up to you, the writer.
The Vedas explain our problems fall into three
categories: adhiatmik, adhidaivik, and
adhibautik. The first are problems which stem from the body or the mind –
stories that deal with physical handicaps or emotional or mental difficulties.
The second are problems from natural occurrences – hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes (the 90’s especially
offered up a slew of such films). The last category are problems caused by
other living beings, most likely, but not limited to, human beings. You need to
have a clear understanding of what type of problems threaten the protagonist.
Earlier I mentioned that the writer needs to clearly know
what the protagonist wants. And the things standing in the way of what he /she wants helps build the
tension or drama. But identifying the problem first comes at the story from
another angle. Maybe your character doesn’t
want anything. Maybe they don’t have a problem. Maybe he/she is just
enjoying the day. Maybe he’s a retired cop who just wants to be left alone. Maybe
he/she is on a cruise ship enjoying a well earned vacation. Then disaster
strikes. Have an idea what problems the protagonist is going to come up against.
Maybe you’ll even find more once you delve into the writing of your story.
Usually the problems of the protagonist should get more
difficult and mount up as the story goes
on. Have fun. This is a chance for the writer to indulge in sadistic tendencies.
Bring on the problems! Have your character crawl in the dirt. The writer can be
merciful or unrelenting. Of course, when a writer gets really sadistic, that’s
called a horror story.
I like Egri’s words “.
. . growing to its necessary conclusion.” That means the ending can’t
erratically emerge out of nowhere. The writer is bound by the story he/she is telling and the ending is formed in the context of that story.
