Photo by Katherine Carlyon on Unsplash
Today, I’m responding to more of the questions I’ve generated to assess the problem of the Wreck of the Ten Sale story idea. These are rough notes to help me make sure the problem is aligned with the story essence as I’ve defined it: "A young captain facing a catastrophic failure must navigate not just treacherous waters, but also human nature and his own limitations, to find a new way forward and leave a positive mark on the world."
Thematic Resonance Check: Consider the major themes suggested by the essence—resilience, leadership, redemption—and evaluate how well the problem explores them.
Resilience
Resilience is the capacity to recover or adapt after things go wrong. In the same way that our muscles and bones are stronger from the stress of exercise, everything that happens to us—good and bad—can be grist for the mill of transformation. This requires a level of maturity to face what is as we find it rather than resisting and wishing things were different.
In facing this potentially career-ending crisis, Lawford is forcing his mind to adapt immediately to a new set of challenges. The two missions—to escort and to rescue and salvage—are very different undertakings. He must quickly solve large problems involving hundreds of people and few resources.
He must retool in the physical environment by using what he has available to salvage vessels that are two miles offshore. He must retool mentally to take stock, prioritize, and create a plan even as he is arriving on the beach in life a boat after abandoning his ship. There is no time to mull over the transition, and he alone is responsible for the life of each sailor and officer and the property damage. This is what’s required when a leader faces catastrophic failure.
The physical challenges are exciting, but I’m most interested in how we adapt our thinking when life throws us an unexpected curveball. This seems very relevant to contemporary readers because the world is changing so quickly.
Leadership
The kind of leadership I’m exploring is not about a title, position, or uniform, but the behavior of someone in carrying out their duties. True leaders consider the welfare of everyone and prioritize according to values rather than their own selfish desires. Stressful situations test how committed we are to our values.
Lawford must weigh the well-being of his officers and crew, the merchant ship officers and crew, and the locals on the island. With so many people to consider, every decision will be complicated. He could use his authority to take what little the locals had, and that might be tempting in the short term. By seeking aid for all concerned, he is playing a long game.
Redemption
Redemption is about repairing, restoring, and making others whole after things go wrong. I want to explore how we make a positive effort and leave things better than we found them—no matter the circumstances. This is an additional constraint that requires more resilience and greater leadership.
There are two things operating here for me. First, if everyone leaves things a little better than they found them, things tend to be better for everyone. I’m reminded of the request to wipe out the sink in the bathroom on a plane. We’re all in this together, and we ought to act like it. That means sharing what we’ve learned with others and not keeping a story to ourselves that could help someone else.
Second, no one achieves anything worthwhile without the good will and action of others. For example, without the excellent scholarship of Margaret E. Leshikar-Denton and the work of the Stuff You Missed in History Class Podcast, I probably would never would have heard of this historical event that has become so meaningful to me.
The situation involved in this story should present Lawford with opportunities to offer his unique gifts unconditionally or selfishly withhold them. It is tempting to consider only our own needs and desires when things go wrong. I want to set up circumstances that force Lawford to make the hard choice over and over.
Wreck of the Ten Sail story development posts: Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 19, Day 21, and Day 26
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 often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.