Don’t Go There

We’re getting really close to completing the first draft of Grandson of Science Novel. We have also been tinkering with Son of Science Novel a bit in parallel. Is it still a first draft, or have we begun revisions? That’s a deep question, and is not the topic of this week’s post.

The topic is, how much does the main character know about the dark dealings of the villain? Is it possible for the hero to know too much?

This villain does some really ugly shit. Quite a variety of badness, actually, most of it in secret of course. The good guys have to dig to find out just how awful their adversary is, and in the current draft they uncover the shittiest deeds. But, we’re going to pare back the amount that they’re able to learn. They’ll know enough.

There is a school of thought that would say this is a mistake, that every source of conflict and tension has to be maxed out. Um, no. The sources of conflict and tension that you want to capitalize on are only those that form the basis of the story you’re telling. If you have, say, ten things happening that might drive conflict, all of which are pushed as hard as you can, then the two or three that resonate with your theme are drowned out.

This does not mean that you shield your character. It’s not about avoiding real conflict, but about making choices of what conflicts your character will face. In our case, to give our hero this knowledge would force the entire rest of the plot to be about that. It’s so awful, so upsetting, that it then must become the thing driving the hero to seek justice, or else we pivot to a story of guilt over not seeking justice. Or else (if we try to pretend these issues aren’t there) we get a story with a main character who seems unconcerned about injustice.

The tale in which our hero knows those details is a different story than the one we’re telling. Of course, the villainy itself remains. That’s not up for debate. All we’re doing is withholding some information from our protagonist, which lets us put her into more nuanced peril (moral and mortal).

When you need to figure out the thorny dilemmas of your characters and your plot, it’s very helpful to talk them through with someone who’s familiar with the project. Just another way that a good writing partner makes everything better.