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In my Day 13 post, I explored the problem of my story’s premise to better understand it and to check if it aligns with my story’s essence.
I asked and answered these questions:
What is the problem from your premise that your protagonist faces? In my Wreck of the Ten Sail example, the protagonist, William Lawford, must conduct a rescue and salvage mission after ten ships run aground off of Grand Cayman Island.
Why is this a problem for the protagonist? Because his ship is wrecked, it means the mission is unsuccessful, and he will face a court martial inquiry into the loss of the ships. But his immediate problem is rescuing the sailors from the wrecked ship. They will need to be fed and housed until they can be evacuated. He must also see to the other vessels that didn’t run aground and begin a salvage mission to recover as much of the cargo as possible.
What is the external source(s) of their problem? The environment including the ocean currents and weather pose a danger. The merchant captains are antagonists whose behavior meant some ships were lured onto the reef. The locals on Grand Cayman Island don’t have the resources to take in so many sailors and want them gone. French Navy ships or privateers could appear while the convoy is vulnerable.
How does the protagonist first become aware of this problem? During the voyage at night, one of the ships in the convoy signals for help because they have run aground.
Some good stuff came out of this exercise, and it all seems consistent with the problem and source. But it’s circular. I used the premise to nail down the story’s essence, and the premise includes the problem in brief.
So how do we make this step meaningful? How can we check that the problem is working before we begin thinking about the events we use to dramatize the story’s essence?
We use more questions to go a little deeper.
First we consider how the elements of the story’s essence create tension or conflict within the problem.
Note: The Wreck of the Ten Sail is a historic event that I’m using to jumpstart this story idea. I’m consulting research on the event, but because my story is fiction, I’ll be changing some of the details.
Catastrophic failure: How does the wreck challenge Lawford's identity and self-perception?
Before the wreck, Lawford is a Royal Navy commander who has never failed in a mission or lost a ship. He’s been successful in his career. Obviously this doesn’t mean he’s never faced challenges or made mistakes, but losing ten ships in his care is a big deal. He will face a court martial where his performance will be reviewed in excruciating detail. This could be a career-ender.
Lawford knows that if the merchant captains had followed his orders to the letter, it is likely the convoy would have sailed past Grand Cayman Island without incident. Still, as a conscientious person, Lawford will experience some doubts and replay all his actions based on what he knew at the time, what he should have known, and what he knows now. In many ways his own assessment of his conduct will be harsher than that of the court martial. The event will cause a crisis of confidence, and if he doesn’t metabolize the event and recover, he will not be able to salvage the cargo or his career.
Treacherous waters: In what ways do the physical challenges mirror Lawford’s internal struggles?
The reef around one end of the island extends three-quarters of a mile from the island and lies near the surface of the water. At night, this is very difficult to spot. This is a great analogy for other obstacles Lawford can’t observe and therefore can’t plan for. He will need to learn to spot anomalies in people’s behavior faster in order to make wiser decisions in the future.
A strong current and weak winds act on ships passing by so that their actual location is not what they expect. Strong, unseen forces operate and exert pressure, and Lawford must become aware of them to avoid further trouble. The Admiralty, merchant captains, and other naval captains may have goals and concerns that are in conflict with what Lawford is trying to accomplish.
The wind and currents prevent the other ships in the convoy from approaching to render aid in the morning following the wreck. The conditions that create the original problem continue to operate to make it harder to rescue crew members and salvage cargo and gear. So much is beyond Lawford’s control (environment and people), and he will need to find a way to work with these conditions if he’s going to be successful. In addition, he has no control how people will interpret the facts. The stories people tell about what happened will influence their behavior and his ability to solve the problem.
A recent hurricane has left the inhabitants of Grand Cayman without the resources to support the hundreds of survivors of the wrecked ships. The things Lawford needs to be successful are scarce. The station at Jamaica is hundreds of miles away, and he must wait for a friendly ship to happen by or send one of the merchant ships to get help. Lawford will have to improve his ability to take stock of what remains (people, food, wreckage, equipment) and make effective decisions quickly.
Human nature: How do the various characters (crew, locals, merchant captains) complicate the rescue and salvage efforts?
Before the wreck, many of the characters have the same goal. Everyone wants the mission to be successful and to reach Britain as soon as possible. Once the wreck happens, the goals of certain individuals will change.
Lawford needs to focus on rescue and salvage. To do this, he will need the cooperation of his own crew, the merchant captains and crews, and the locals.
The local people want the ships’ crews to leave right away. It’s already been explained that they lack resources to feed the hundreds of survivors. But it’s also true that the more cargo is left, the more they can recover after everyone is gone.
The merchant captains (anc crews) whose ships were not wrecked are losing money while they wait for an escort to Britain. They may feel pity for their fellow seafarers, but their interests are best served by getting under weigh. Because Lawford’s ship was also wrecked, they lack a war ship to protect them from the vessels of other countries, so some may prefer to wait until another ship can escort them.
The merchant captains (and crews) whose ships were wrecked, depending on their cargo, may want to try to salvage as much as they can or travel to Britain or a local port to find another ship on which to serve.
Lawford’s own crew members have a much more difficult job ahead of them than they anticipated. Survival is a strong motivator. They will work with Lawford so long as it is in their best interest, but some may desert.
Individual limitations: What specific personal weaknesses or inexperience does this situation expose in Lawford?
The mission began as a challenging one, and now Lawford must work with a huge setback in terms of his work and reputation.
Lawford hasn’t known most of the people he must work with very well. He is newly arrived in the Caribbean, and his ship, HMS Convert is a recent prize acquisition from the French with a new crew.
Lawford was unable to influence the merchant captains to follow his orders before the wreck. Afterward, some will be forced to work with him for their survival, but this may not make it easier.
I have much more to explore here, but these questions based on elements of the essence are helping me fill in some of the gaps and test that the story problem is one that will explore what matters most to me in this story. The problem of the story sets up the conflict and provides the opportunity for the protagonist to develop and change for the better. You might think of it as a nutrient-dense food that takes time and energy to digest, but if the protagonist sticks with it through the pain and suffering, they come out the other side with hard-won knowledge and wisdom that no one can take away.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will typically be longer than 400 words.