Writing: Don't Kill Your Story Tension With These Three Elements
The danger doesn't have to be physical. It could be emotional, financial, social, spiritual... but there has to be tension in the story.
The reader thinks that they want the tension relieved, but actually, if the tension drops off, the reader grows bored.
Yet sometimes, the writer, in a fit of misplaced pity for the character, forgets this cardinal rule, and tries to relieve tension for the character (reader), inadvertently killing the story tension.
I've seen this done in a couple of ways. I'll list just three of them here, for now, and then suggest some remedies.
Problem: The All-Awesome Main Character (a "Mary Sue" or "Marty Stew"
This is the worst. If you have a character who's simply a stand-in for the fantasies of the author, to the point that this character never does wrong, is liked by everyone, wins every fight, develops new skills without having to work for them, it kills the story from start to finish.
Fix: Stop spoiling your MC.
Sorry, there's no easy fix for this one, because your MC needs to carry the story. Start over and create a real character with human flaws.
As important and difficult as this is, I'm going to gloss over it here, because this is a huge topic that deserves its own focus.
But look at the first conflicts your character is in. Does she suffer defeat or victory? Generally, unless your character suffers defeats early on in the story, the later victory won't mean anything. It's a progression story, which involves a series of victories against progressively more dangerous villains, make sure that each early "victory" is hard-won and causes more problems... that it leads directly to the higher level villains/problems your MC has to face.
And give your MC several dimensions that are in conflict. If you MC is like most people, she's trying to do several things at once: be a good daughter to an ailing mother, be a good defender of the village against the snail-men, win the love of that handsome stranger... make it so that in order to win in one area, she loses in two others. Yes, she slew the snail-men, but she had to leave her mother alone in the house and it turns out that the handsome stranger really likes snails. Or whatever.
Problem: The All-Wise Side Character
Sometimes it's not the Protagonist who's the problem, but there's still a character who is basically a stand in for the author. The All-Wise Side Character explains to the hero what to do, essentially giving the hero an easy out.
I see this in Romance far too often. The Heroine and Hero are great, flawed characters, driven apart by some misunderstanding. But then, instead of forcing them to figure out their own feelings, the All-Wise Side Character comes in and explains to one or even both of them that the other person really does love him, etc.
Now, in real life, it's wonderful to have a best friend or older relative or mentor who can help you save your relationship if it's on the rocks. But in Romance, it's a cop out.
Fix: The Side-Character Has an Agenda
The fix is that they side-character cannot be a stand in for the "right" solution, or for the author. Side characters, like main characters, have to have their own flaws and limitations. Let them have their own agenda or their own misunderstanding, so that they don't give good advice. Or, if you want to keep them wise, they give what would normally be good advice, but bad advice for this situation. Or they give good advice, but the MC dismisses it.
Problem: The MC Finds the Garden of Eden
This is a weird one, yet I've seen it popping up in fantasy novels. The hero stumbles upon an enclave of Super Awesome People, often Diverse and Environmentally Friendly to boot, where somehow the problems between magic types or magic and nature or whatever is an issue in the rest of the series simply doesn't exist. Because these people are so super awesome. They don't have conflicts like that. It's as if they live in the Garden of Eden and never ate the apple.
They won't actually help the MC achieve any goals, but they may allow the MC to stay with them a while, to marvel at their awesomeness.
The more time the MC spends in this enclave, the more boring the story is. Also, the more powerful the Super Awesome People are, the more unsettling it is that the Super Awesome People are so useless in the rest of the story world.
Fix: Put Eden in Jeopardy or Show Just a Glimpse of It
The way to fix the Garden of Eden problem depends on how it fits into your theme. Tolkien notoriously introduced some characters who were so good they almost didn't belong. One was Tom Bombadil and his wife, who were basically nature personified. Tom wasn't tempted by the One Ring.
People argue about why Tolkien included him in the book, but I think it was to show that there was another world, a perfect world, a true Garden of Eden, beyond Middle Earth. That was important, because that is where Frodo sailed after he destroyed the One Ring. As long as Frodo stayed in Middle Earth, he could never escape the shadow of having been the Ring Bearer, but because a perfect reward awaited him, he could still have his happy ending.
The Elven enclaves, both Rivendell and Lothlorien, are so beautiful and idyllic, that they are almost like edens. But Tolkien uses both of these lovely places to emphasis what will be lost, defiled and destroyed by Sauron if Frodo fails. Thus, these beautiful places do not offer an escape for the MC. Rather, they must be rescued by the hero as well as his own homeland.
That increases the story tension.
Furthermore, the Elves (unlike Tom) have their own agenda. That makes them real characters, whose sometimes unpredictable goals and antagonism may impede the heroes, or whose friendship can aide them.
In Blood, I have my heroine face a number of different villains. In addition, she's also pitted against some allies and the man she loves. You can read it for free by clicking here, just be aware that this is Book 6.
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