Should the protagonist not appear, in court when summoned, the judge renders a default in favor of the opposing character, whether they be defendant or plaintiff.
The character has failed to present and/or make her or his case for a story. And so has the author.
All forward motion of plot ceases. No story exists, that is unless the narrative is one of chronicling the central character’s avoidance of what has come to bear.
The absence of story, or rather the character’s ability to show up may seem a bit silly, or a simplistic aspect of fiction writing to address.
Yet, authors beware.
We must also remain aware, and carefully observant to give sufficient thought and consideration to the nature of the conflicts that shape our stories, most specifically, the aspects of situation, problem, and goal that compel our characters to act and therefore drive plot.
And how is it that our protagonist does not show up, or rather fails to appear in court.
We must give a clear and present problem, preferably one that threatens their existence on one or two of many levels: psychic, spiritual, mental, physical.
Our writing must then demonstrate through prose, and most particularly the action and dialogue of each scene, the threat to survival antagonists, and their accompanying obstacles, manifest in varied forms upon the central character.
And here once again, specificity becomes the name of the game.
The details of not only the antagonists, but also the special problems they present the protagonist, define not simply the nature of the central character’s struggle.
They also reveal unique aspects of character and personality and the certain ways in which these traits will evolve and change due to the challenges of the situation and story.
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www.anjuellefloyd.com will be on hiatus during December 2009 for site maintenance and upgrade.
We will return Monday, January 4, 2010.
Until then visit me at anjuelle floyd–the writing life