The Aftermath
They’re stranded. In the desert. And the only way out is to walk. Sixty miles from home via the road. Or thirty miles to reach help if they take the shortcut through rough desert terrain.
That’s where the inciting incident of the Ordeal episode of The Rifleman leaves Pa and Mark.
The Quest Looms — But First, the Great Debate
Every story needs the reader to care about the characters enough to go on the journey with them.
After the character’s been introduced and something happens that presents the quest, the character has to consider the consequences of going on the quest or not.
Called the “Great Debate”, the length and intensity of weighing the decision about the quest varies by genre.
But the great debate must be there so the reader knows the character thought through the options, and the reason he chose to go or not to go on the quest.
Sometimes the writer increases tension by obscuring or delaying all of the reasons behind the decision. But the writer must put the reasons in the story at the appropriate point.
Why?
Because it’s difficult for a reader to care about a character who acts unreasonably if the reader doesn’t know why. And if the reader doesn’t care, they won’t go on the journey. They’ll stop reading.
In the most exciting stories, all the options for the quest are bad, and the hero chooses the “least bad” one.
In Ordeal, Pa and Mark know if they stay where they are, they’ll eventually die of thirst.
— The sixty-mile trek is flat, but know there’s no water on that route.
— Pa recalls a water hole along the thirty-mile path, but that route means scaling desert cliffs and long stretches of sun-beaten land.
The “least bad” is the thirty-mile option, and the debate is over.
The quest begins and escalating trouble is in their future.
What story do you love that has a compelling great debate?
To Go or Not Go — What story do you love that has a compelling great debate? Share on XJoni Vance is an award-winning author of fiction, essay, and poetry. She loves mystery, history, and how God reveals Himself every day.
May God reveal the mystery of His love in your life story.
FYI – In the next installment of the elements of story crafting, I’ll blog about obstacles and escalating events.
Here are the links for all of my posts about crafting a story (in order). Enjoy!
Reasons Not To Write the Story
I think I love “The Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The great debate was whether to keep moving west or stay where they were. Following Pa’s desires, they kept moving west until Ma finally put her foot down after suffering through all kinds of trauma from always moving and being in strange territories.
Choosing the “least bad” option–it seems like we have many of those situations in our life span. I’m grateful we have a loving Father who guides us in making those hard decisions. Thank you for this thought provoking message, Joni.