Writing Exercise

Element 9 – Tests, Allies & Enemies

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You are now in Act II (this is where all the fun stuff happens!). Before you start writing the next element of the story, pause to examine how it will differ from the previous ones.

In Act I, you did a lot of set up, introduced the MC, established their needs vs. wants, introduced the main story problem the MC will be addressing, established why they must address it, gave them a helping hand (and/or swift kick in the bum) from a mentor, and then your wee little MC crossed the threshold.

They are officially ADVENTURING!

They grow up so fast…

A cartoon black cat crying in happiness

One of the key differences for MCs in Act II to those of Act I is that they are an active participant in the plot. During Act I a lot of things were happening to the MC and they were largely reactive. During Act II, events will still happen, but now the MC is acting according to their own agenda, motivated by their own goals.

Act II is all about Try-Fail cycles. It’s also all about the friends, frienemies, and enemies the MC makes along the way.

Enemies

Enemies come in two varieties: Villains and antagonists.

Both villains and antagonists are the MC’s enemies. Both villains and antagonists cause conflict of the Person vs. Person variety (more on that below). So, what’s the difference?

Black and white photo of a man with short cropped hair wearing a white collared shirt, black vest, and aviator style sunglasses. He is smoking a cigarette with a plumb of smoke beside him and holding a pistol. He has an aggressive expression on his face.
Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay
A white woman with long, curly, dark brown hair in a plait. She glares at the viewer with arms tightly crossed. She is wearing a pale blue blouse.
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay

Let’s start with the role of the villain in your story. They are a bad baddie. Seems redundant, yeah, but bear with me. What sets a villain apart from an antagonist is not that they oppose the MC, but rather why. Unlike an antagonist, a villain is motivated by evil – whatever that means in your story world. They know they are doing the wrong thing, and they’re gonna do it anyway. They might even indulge in some evil chuckling, hand-ringing, and/or monologuing about their plans for Mr/Mx/Ms Bond’s benefit.

That’s not to say the villain believes they’re evil. Almost no one thinks they’re evil. Even the worst of the worst find ways to justify their actions in their own minds. Whether it be for the greater good, because they alone know best, or they are meting out righteous judgement upon deserving miscreants they’re doing it for the right reason…according to them.

Antagonists are a bit more complicated and given the right circumstances, can evolve into villains. But how do they start out?

An antagonist can by anyone. A best friend? Yep. A lover. Sure. A parent, child, sibling? Indeedly do.

Critically, no matter what the antagonist is doing, they are not driven by an evil agenda. Rather antagonists simply disagree with the MC and that disagreement creates conflict, challenges, obstacles for the MC.

A ginger kitten on its back playfully holding out its front paws

Example

Matt wants to adopt a shelter kitty (adopt, don’t shop!). When Matt arrives at the shelter he’s met by Andrea who takes him back to look at the adorable fur babies in need of forever homes. Matt find the perfect orange tom, but as he prepares to take Marmalade home, Andrea tells him that’s impossible. Is Andrea a villain or an antagonist?

Depends on her motives for standing between Matt and Marmalade’s happily ever after.

If Andrea has already decided to add Marmalade to her collection of twenty-seven matching orange kitties, she’s a villain. She’s acting for purely selfish reasons, denying Marmalade the love and attention a single cat can expect while also pulling a bait-and-switch on Matt because she told him he could adopt any cat, despite having no intention of allowing him to do so. She lied!

On the other hand, Andrea might be required to do a home visit with Matt to ensure Marmalade’s going to a good home or she might need Matt to show proof that he has a veteranarian lined up to take care of Marmalade or Marmalade might need to complete a course of medication that needs specialized training to administer.

If Andrea’s motivations for opposing Matt aren’t selfish or ‘evil’, she’s an antagonist, not a villain.

Allies

Like enemies, allies come in a variety of story roles. An ally can be a friend, a lover, family members, a mentor (remember them?), a sidekick, or just about anyone else you can think of who helps the MC on their quest.

Sunset scene with three adults silhouetted against the sky, which is red at that horizon, shading up through orange, yellow, pink, and blue. Silhouettes are a man, and two women.

An ally doesn’t always agree with the MC. There may even be times when the ally is also an antagonist, but their heart is always in the right place and they are ultimately on the MC’s side.

One of the fun things friends contribute to the story is subplot(s). Friends have their own motivations, agenda, and/or goals. Often these coincide with the MC’s, but sometimes they don’t. They might even clash, creating more conflict with high emotional stakes. If the MC can’t resolve the conflict, not only will they fail, they risk losing a friend, and even gaining a villain.

Tests

Enemies and friends are all fine and grand when it comes to Person vs Person conflicts, but what about the other kinds?

Wait! What other kinds? Ah, yes. We haven’t talked about the kinds of conflict yet.

The best breakdown I’ve seen comes from the ever-knowledgable Eric Witchey, who I’ll paraphrase here:

Types of Conflict
  • Person vs. Person – This is where two or more people disagree about something. It can be as small as a brief squabble, or as epic as an intergalactic war.
  • Person vs. Self – This is internal conflict and there should be a good amount of that in any story where a MC has growing and changing to do. Some types of stories, such as literary fiction, rely more heavily on Person vs. Self conflicts than others, but regardless of what type of story you’re working on, your MC should have at least one moment of self-doubt, reflection, awareness, etc.
  • Person vs. Environment – This is when the MC faces non-sentient (because, yes, aliens, fae, and/or humanoid monsters, would fall into the Person vs. Person category) foes. This can literally be the environment, such as in a story of survival, or a less obvious version, such as a human-made systemic challenge. Your MC may be struggling to break free of an oppressive society or fighting against an institutional or structural problem. A lot of dystopian fiction falls into the Person vs. Environment type.

Most stories have more than one type of conflict. For example, a story about a young woman struggling to escape the confines of Victorian society and pursue her dreams of being a naturalist is primarily a Person vs. Environment story. She’s fighting against the culture that is trying to force her into a loveless marriage at a young age and into the role of motherhood, which she may not even want. Within that context, she might have some Person vs. Person conflicts with specific members of society, such as a grumpy governess, or an uncaring father who is only interested in how her marriage will enhance his business interests. Additionally, she might have literal Person vs. Environment conflicts when she goes on an expedition and faces a storm or other outdoor challenge. And through all of this, she’ll be having ongoing Person vs. Self conflicts as she wonders if perhaps everyone is right and she should just give up her dreams and marry Sir Norbert Reginald Forthingham III. Maybe something is fundamentally wrong with her that she so stubbornly resists? And so on and so forth. You get the idea.

Now to pull it all together!

Writing Exercise

  1. List potential Person vs. Self conflicts
  2. List potential Person vs. Environment conflicts
  3. List potential enemies
  4. List potential friends/allies
  5. From those two lists, list potential Person vs. Person conflicts
  6. Get out some note cards, blank pieces of paper, or a fresh document on your favorite writing program/app
  7. Make a list of 10-15 scenes. Bonus points if you can use more than one type of conflict*
  8. Play with these scenes to create a Try-Fail cycle that moves the plot forward in a logical way

Example

Scene – Sean wants to get a latte. He’s trying to cut back on caffeine (Person vs. Self). The lashing rain forces him inside a cafe (Person vs. Environment), which his ex-girlfriend owns and operates (Person vs. Person).

Element 8 – Crossing the Threshold

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Checklist time – you’ve introduced your MC, their starting situation, the main story problem, the MC has wrestled with whether or how to undertake the quest, and gotten some pointers/gear from a mentor. Now what?

Time to get to gettin’

There are several parts of this element. Pick and choose, mix and match as your story requires. Not every piece of The Hero’s Journey need be in your story, nor do they need to be in the order I’ve been discussing them.

So, let’s explore the parts of this one:

The threshold – this a physical boundary the MC must cross. It can be subtle, like leaving a room or obvious, like stopping at a border to make a production of taking the next step. Whatever form the threshold takes, consider how it can strengthen your story’s theme(s). A coming-of-age story might have your MC leaving a playground, symbolizing leaving behind their childhood. A romance might have your MC leaving the site of a failed relationship or entering an area where people pair up, such as a bar, speed dating event, or a shop full of Valentine’s Day wares.

The threshold guardian – a test or challenge to prove the MC’s commitment to the adventure. Up to this moment, the MC can be a passive – things are happening TO them, the world is changing AROUND them. Now the MC must take an active role. Sure, they agreed to the quest, but now they must do something to show, not just tell, the reader that they are willing to do what it takes.

Note: the threshold guardian doesn’t have to be a person – it can be an animal, a puzzle, an inanimate object, or difficult terrain.

Isolation – once the MC has crossed the threshold, they are alone, maybe only for a moment or two. Just long enough for them to realize: “There’s no going back now.”

Writing Exercise

Think back to a time in your life where you set off on a new chapter. What was it like? Butterflies in the tummy or stark terror? Did you leave slowly or suddenly?

Write the scene twice.

Start with the following line:

My adventures in [situation] started when I [way you crossed the threshold]…

First, write about your external surroundings and sensations. What did things look like? What familiar sounds did you hear for the last time? What new sounds did you notice? Smells? Touches? Tastes?

Next, write about your thoughts and feelings. Were you eager to get started? Reluctant to leave? A bit of both? Who were you going to miss the most? Why? Who were you going to miss least? Why? What were you looking forward to and why? What were you afraid of and why?

End with the following line:

Looking back I wish I had…

Element 7 – Meeting the Mentor

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Mentors, those wise, often inscrutable, founts of wisdom. Every story needs one or two.

From the movie “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical”, TriStar Pictures, 2022

In this post, I’ll help you shop for the perfect mentor.

But why a mentor, Precious?

Credit: fergusmcgee / funnyjunk

The mentor has been there and done that. Often they have the T-shirt or knee pain to prove it.

Their role in the story is to help prepare the MC for what is to come. Or at least try to. Many MCs are very poor listeners.

Some helicopter-mentors accompany the MC throughout the story. Others prefer to boot them out of the nest and hope they can fly. Some mentors are very busy and only show up occasionally.

As with just about every character role in a story (apart from the MC) the mentor can and does moonlight in other roles. They can also be a best friend, a love interest, an elderly friend or even an antagonist as we see in the relationship between Elphaba and Madame Morrible from the book, play, and movie Wicked.

Obvious examples of mentors include teachers, trainers, coaches, grandparents and to some extent parents (although they are often the LAST person a young MC is likely to listen to).

It’s important to note that Meeting the Mentor scene(s) can be combined with Refusal of the Call, especially if the mentor is the person who talks the MC through their reservations about accepting the Call to Adventure.

Let’s learn more about what mentors do.

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Any character can offer insight, wisdom, advice, council, guidance…okay, set the thesaurus down and back away!

So what makes a mentor different from a helpful friend?

Sometimes, not much; however, the mentor plays a specific role in that they not only encourage the MC, they prepare them to embark on their quest and often, but not always, help them throughout the quest.

But wait – there’s more. Not only does the mentor mentally prepare the MC to embark on their quest, they may also physically prepare them. Do they need special training? Equipment? A magical item or some kind of cool space McGuffin from the Planet Yürelliax?

Luckily, the mentor either has this or knows where and how to get it and will share that information with the MC.

Quick example: I’m at home and we need tomatoes from the farmers’ market. I grab some money and am heading out the door when my sister says, “You can do it. Get the best tomatoes ever. I believe in you.”

Aww, thanks, sis!

My other sister says, “Make sure you get the ones from the Wild River Farm co-op. They’re heirlooms and they taste the best. Tell them I sent you and they’ll give you some wild garlic, too. And don’t forget the shopping bag by the door.”

Here we have two encouraging sisters, which is lovely, isn’t it? But which is the mentor?

Since you’re smart (you’re reading this post so you must be), you can easily see that Sister #2 is the one providing helpful advice and equipment needed for the tomato quest.

While some mentors can be encouraging, they are frequently more of a swift-kick-in-the-keister kind of person. Unlike the MC, the mentor realizes the importance of the quest and if they could do it themself, they would. But they can’t, so now the MC has to step up.

Writing Exercise:

Write a scene where a mentor is encouraging the MC to do something.
Now rewrite that scene with a bad mentor. How can the MC still learn the skills they need or get the gear vital to their quest?

Element 1 – Big Trouble

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Whether your story starts en medias res or with a loving description of the how the universe began, it has to start somewhere.

Many Western stories follow the Hero’s Journey as described by Joseph Campbell. For the purposes of learning and practicing story structure, this is the model I’ll be using – at least in the beginning.

In the beginning…

Introduces main conflict of the story. As my ever-zen writing workshop instructor Charlie used to say, “What’s the what of this story?”

External Conflict – something threatens the Main Character (MC)’s State of Perfection (SOP)

Internal Conflict – MC is emotionally stuck. They have a deep fear, limiting belief, or conflicting desires.

State of Perfection – Yes/No?

State of Perfection means the MC has a reasonably happy, comfortable life. They are not motivated to change things. They like what they like and they don’t want to have any adventures.

If the MC starts in the SOP, they will be fighting to stay there, resistant to change, reluctant to leave.

It’s a bit more tricky to start with an MC not in SOP because you have to weave in backstory and benchmarks to explain why the MC is not in SOP and what exactly MC thinks SOP is (at the beginning of the story). We know MC’s SOP may change as they grow through the story, but we need a start point to…well…start from.

Worldbuilding:

Whether you’re writing spec-fic filled with nanotech, tentacle monsters, and swords and sorcery, or writing about a knitting circle in Blandsville, Nebraska (sorry, Nebraska, I still love you), you’ll need to establish where your MC is and what they’re doing.

Do NOT dump info. This is the part where you splash your reader with the world, not drown them in it. It’s more important that the reader connect with the characters and care about them than the reader understand how the hyper-drive 7000 works or the exact ritual elements needed to summon Yog Gogiryazhiji.

Instead, focus on the details the characters would care about. Unfold the world through their experience of it and trust that you’ll be able to work in all the cool tech, alien races, ancient elven feuds, and the finer points of the Double Moss Knit Stitch Pattern later.

Spreadsheety Goodness:

I have a spreadsheet and I’m not afraid to use it. Your tools may vary: 3×5 cards, notebooks, whiteboards, various software, a trusted friend or random pelagic bird who happens to be a great listener. Whatever you need to help you organize your thoughts, use it.

Image by Mario Liebherr from Pixabay

If you’d like to use my spreadsheet layout, here’s an example of Act I, Elements 1-9. I tend to ramble when I write, so I have broken down my word count targets based on an 80,000 word novel. That gives me 25% Act 1, 50% Act 2, and 25% Act 3. These are my rough goals to help me stay on track and should not be taken as carved in stone limits.

Additional Resources:

“The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler

Mythcreants has a beautiful post about the Heroine’s Journey that is well worth your time!

Fiction Fluency or really any class you can get from Eric Witchey, who is an absolute wizard when it comes to writing emotions.

Life Insurance

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Once upon a time, things had been different in a grand old sort of way. A life lived on the upper edge as if soaring ever onward on the silver tipped wings of a peregrine falcon. Life had unfurled, striped and bedazzled, beboggled as if agoge at some fantastic celebration. All it lacked were actual fireworks to burst across the sky in torrents of red, white, gold, and green. Fiery flowers dancing in the air, born in a single, shattering explosion to a life of ethereal beauty. All they knew was heaven. From their point of view, the world below was broad and flat and all its inhabitants only so many upturned faces, gaping in awe or cowering in terror.

What divinity, she thought, to live as fireworks did. What divinity and yet, when they were gone, no one noticed. No one remarked on the death of a sparkler, on the loss of a Roman candle. No one mourned that flashy green puff of light in the night sky, ringed by silver drops like angels’ tears. They gloried only in a firework’s life and forgot it ever existed the moment it expired.

So maybe the life of a firework wasn’t perfect, but at least people noticed. At least they cared, if only for a moment.

It was in this wistful and resentful mood that she snatched her red paper cup from the counter, strode out of the shop, and was struck by the number 95 uptown bus, the side of which advertised life insurance.

***

Author’s Note: Found a writing exercise from my time in the Kidd Tutorial program. Still trying to make sense of it. Your thoughts/feels?