Finding out your main character's big problem...
Without a big problem, stories are boring and don’t make any sense. I show you how popular stories have characters with big problems to solve and give you ideas for coming up with problems of your own.
Firstly, think of books you have read. What is the big problem the main character(s) face at the beginning of the book?
A Darkness of Dragons by S.A. PATRICK
At the very beginning of this book, Patch Brightwater is at first mistaken for an ice monster by the children of the village of Patterfall. He has been through a terrible journey in the snow and nearly died.
He has lost his memory (PROBLEM NUMBER ONE).
He knows there are important details he should remember, but the only thing he can remember is that he is a piper. He remembers his training and his songs.
The people of Patterfall have a problem too: RATS – for which they need a piper (obviously).
And then, the next problem for Patch: the simple but beautiful song he plays, ‘The Dream’, which should have woken the barnful of fat, snoring rats and had them scurrying after him and out of the village HAS NOT WORKED!
He needs to play a song called ‘The Dance’. The Dance is extremely dangerous and extremely ILLEGAL!
so, you see, after three very short chapters, we are well and truly hooked. and the reason for that is that our friend, patch Brightwater has two very serious problems (He has lost his memory and he has to do something highly illegal).
you try reading the first few pages of your favourite book and see if you can find the main character's problems.
EG: Harry Potter and the Phylosopher’s Stone:
- Harry is an orphan;
- His aunt, uncle and cousin treat him really badly;
- Strange things keep happening (like if his hair is cut off, it grows back overnight).
So, where can you get your own ideas?
Have you ever caught yourself wondering ‘What if…’ ? That could be the beginning of a really good problem.
- What if the sun never got up again?
- What if the tooth fairy left a dragon’s egg instead of a coin?
- What if someone could never tell the truth?
- What if I had a dark secret that I could never tell anyone and it was eating me up inside?
- What if my brother was actually a troll?
- What if someone came from another country and couldn’t speak any English?
- What if aliens landed in the back garden?
I keep a notebook by my bed. That way, I get into the habit of writing ideas down before I forget. (More than once I’ve woken up from a dream and written something in the dark in the middle of the night. That doesn’t often work out, by the way. My writing is terrible in the dark!!)
Where do your best ideas come from?
Check out my other resources for more ideas to help with your own stories and see more about me and my work here.