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In the day 41 post, I shared questions for beginning to develop our story’s protagonist. Here are my responses to some of them using the story idea based on the Wreck of the Ten Sail. As usual with these posts on how I’m working on this story, pay more attention to how I’m thinking about the problem of story development than the specific choices I’m making. Also note: We don’t have to know everything right away. There are some gaps here that I will come back to.
Story Foundation
What is the basic premise of the story? Captain William Lawford, in the Caribbean Sea, conducting a rescue and salvage mission.
What is the essence of the story? 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.
Character's Relationship to the Story
Is the protagonist entering a new, unfamiliar environment or facing unfamiliar challenges in their familiar environment? Lawford is entering an environment that is new to him. He is newly on station in the Caribbean, and when he is among the locals on Grand Cayman Island, he will be akin to a fish out of water.
What is the protagonist's role in the story's environment? He is the leader in charge of the convoy and the subsequent rescue and salvage missions. He will have other roles related to his relationships with other characters.
What archetypal role does the protagonist embody? Guardian. He is a protector of the convoy, and the lives of the men in his charge. But he is also a guardian of the ethos of his profession.
Personal Background
What is the protagonist's age and level of experience? Lawford is relatively young and inexperienced to be in command of this mission (this is a bit of a departure from the historical event). Lawford will be naive about his ability to influence others.
What is their family background and social class? Lawford is the first in his family to go to sea. He's from a lower-middle class family (his father may be a merchant or a minister). I need to consider the makeup of the rest of his family. Lawford has to work. He hasn't been lucky enough to take many enemy ships as prizes.
Where are they from, and where have they lived? Lawford is from a town in England, but I haven’t decided where. This fact may not be something that comes out in the story, but I’ll need to know because it will affect other details about his life. Since becoming a midshipman, Lawford has lived on various ships (I will need to check history of war between England and France to make sure this works).
What is their education or training? Lawford will have attended to his studies diligently as a midshipman and lieutenant, but may he be fairly unworldly outside of this context and the world in which he grew up.
In tomorrow’s post, I’ll continue to work through these questions. In future posts, I’ll show the more specific questions I’m formulating based on my responses here and how I’m assessing all of the details in light of the story’s essence.
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.