Ever written yourself into a dead end? I do it on a regular basis. It usually goes like this: my plan is in place; the plot looks vaguely comprehensible; the script or book is on its way. Then things take an unexpected turn. I follow the turn, then the next. But then it happens: I reach a place where there is no realistic way things can work out well. Worse: I have no idea where I am or how much I have to rewrite!
I have tried a lot of different ways to fix this problem over the years. Chocolate makes me feel better, but doesn’t solve much. Structural edits can be great. Starting again is a last resort but definitely works. But there must be another way, right?
Recently, I had an epiphany, where I realised that behaviour was the tip of a hidden iceberg of beliefs. I went back to the main characters’ beliefs, wants and fears. When I say beliefs I mean what the characters believe about the world and themselves. The wants and fears are the characters’ goals set against what they fear most. It is surprisingly helpful. But why?!
After much thought I realised that writing into dead end often happened because I did not have a clear enough idea of what was driving things. Most of the behaviors were happening without true motivation. When I went back a bit and understood exactly why things happened, I realized that the convenient twists and turns seemed great for the plot but were not true to the character. Those that were true to character stayed, those that were not needed to go.
Have you got another technique or suggestion for solving the “dead end” problem?