On Kinds of Trouble

Most stories start with the characters getting into some kind of trouble or another, and end when that trouble gets sorted out.

There are all sorts of different kinds of trouble.  The kind of trouble your characters get into will play a huge role in the size and shape your story will take.

As a storyteller, unless you're able to invent a totally new form, which would be excellent, you'll likely find that most kinds of trouble will fall somewhere on the following rough chart:

The Y axis, that is up and down, is how big the trouble is.  How many people does it effect, how much effort is it going to take to get it sorted out, what are the consequences if it isn't resolved.  In my mind, story troubles range from small, effecting just one person, to the largest possible, meaning that solving the problem involves saving the world.

So at the bottom of the chart we have troubles on a personal scale; losing a job, losing a loved one, not winning the championship, etc.  These are a lot more accessible to us as people, but because they're so much more familiar, they take a lot more ingenuity to spark interest.

In my personal experience getting lost is generally the small-scale trouble I've had the most. (See above)  Whether it's on the road, on a train, at a state fair, or just in a grocery store. It's a problem I know how to solve, but apparently not how to avoid in the first place.  Does this have anything to do with character?  Something interesting to keep in mind when we get to that.

At the top we have basically the simplest kind of story there is to tell; if the trouble isn't solved before time runs out, the earth and everyone on it will die.  Basically picking the cause of the world's destruction, and its subsequent solution, is the only thing we get to be original about here, but at least it's a livewire when it comes to tapping basic interest.

The X axis, left and right, indicates how clearly the characters can tell what the trouble is. I tend to think of this in terms of effects and causes; generally when something's going wrong in our lives, we're aware of the symptoms long before we're certain of what's causing it.  

So on the left-hand side of the chart we have things going wrong; your car's making an odd noise, swimmers are disappearing from the beach or turning up chewed, the body of the CEO is in the lobby with a bullet in it, etc.  And on the right we have definite causes: a belt in your engine is wearing out, a giant shark has decided to stake out your piece of coastline, the CEO's secretary was passed over for a raise too many times.

One thing to keep in mind on the X axis, the definition of the problem, is that in almost all stories figuring out the cause of the trouble is the first step towards solving it.  Since most stories can be thought of basically as "how this problem was solved," it seems to me that trouble almost always goes from very vague at the start of the story to clear and understandable by the middle of the story, or in the case of murder mysteries, right at the end (since typically once you know who's killing people, all you have to do is lock them up).

One last quick note on the chart above, I think the "vague+large-scale" kind of trouble is a little tricky to pin down in terms of an example, but I've listed historical dramas or biopics because usually these are telling a larger story than one small problem to be resolved

Why did I go with clarity and scale?

For me, these are the two clearest dimensions for me to get an idea of the size and shape of a story at a first look.  For me, these two aspects of the trouble the story is bound up with are the easiest to get a handle on who will be playing, what they will have to do, how bad things are going to get, etc.  Setting and character are just as important, but those of course will have to wait for another article.

Are there other ways to characterize trouble than the above chart?

Of course!  It doesn't have to be a two-dimensional chart, it doesn't even have to be a visual breakdown.  The important thing is to figure out how the balance of your story's plot and payoff will work, and what, in general terms, your characters might have to do to bring the story to a satisfying end.

Some other ways it could be looked over?  Instead of big vs. small it could be universal vs. personal (it's a subtle difference), or urgent vs. weightless, deadly vs. farcical, or even caused vs. causeless.

When laying out a preliminary idea of your story, remember the kind of trouble in your story determines what kind of story you're telling.  Who the trouble effects determines your character's challenges, and as the story rolls on it will probably shape their motives as well.

Finally, remember the story can only go on so long as the trouble isn't resolved, and the more satisfying the solution the more satisfying the story.