The Book Stacks

By
Thomas M. MacKay
http://members.cox.net/thomas.mackay

Writing fantasy fiction, you would expect it would always be easy to think of a way to get your characters where you want them to go, but sometimes you just get stuck. You’ve introduced your (insert fantasy race here) hero to the reader, and now you want to get him/her/it into trouble so you can have fun writing a way out of it. Or even worse, you’ve gotten your character into so much trouble you can’t figure out how he could possibly get out of it. When this happens to you - and it inevitably will, if you keep writing - here are some tried and true plot devices to get things moving.

The MacGuffin

The term “MacGuffin” was made popular by Alfred Hitchcock to refer to some object that all the characters in the story value as being supremely important. This is typically an object whose importance is far beyond the value of the object itself. The microfilm in a spy story or the loot in a thriller; the key to the MacGuffin is that it doesn’t matter to the plot what the object is - in the spy story it could just as easily be secret papers, a disk, a DNA sample, or Hitler’s pen - the plot revolves around everyone wanting it, not what it is.

This is a common device in fantasy stories, typically appearing as the object of a quest which your hero must acquire to save the kingdom. Once your protagonist knows what it is and what it’s for, the plot is off and running.

I believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else…

Mistaken identity is a great way to get your character involved in situations that do not progress naturally from your protagonist’s own actions. Whether this is the evil twin, the long lost brother, the bad guy using magic to look like the protagonist, or just someone wearing the same clothes - there are a wealth of opportunities to get your character in trouble.

Another common variation on the mistaken identity device is when the protagonist herself is mistaken about her own identity. She believes that she is a simple woodcutter’s daughter, when really she is the hidden heir to the kingdom, or the prophesied heroine that will fight the dark. This is the unknowing heir variation of mistaken identity, and typically the bad guys know the truth before the protagonist herself does, which provides the initial momentum for the story.

The “get out of jail free card”

This is one to be careful with; used too much it becomes deus ex machina and robs the story of any real sense of drama. But used sparingly it can be surprisingly effective at lending a sense of mystery to the story - always a good thing in fantasy stories. There are essentially two variations of this plot device: the Rube Goldberg machine, and the prescient patron.

Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who is famous for drawing cartoons of extremely complex and indirect machines that perform very simple tasks. The idea is to have your character do something the consequences of which are apparently insignificant, but which cascade into other consequences in a continuous chain until it comes back around at just the right time to help the character out. We’re talking mechanical, not spiritual - this is not Karma coming back to help out, but a side effect of a seemingly rational chain of events.

The protagonist knocks over a pitcher of milk that attracts a cat who is chased out by the barmaid who accidentally trips the delivery boy with the broom who stumbles against the innkeeper who drops the cask of brandy he’s manhandling right on the toe of a guardsman who jumps up with a curse and disrupts the spell of the evil wizard, allowing the protagonist to get away. This is a crude example, but when around that same number of connections is stretched across a longer work it can be an effective and humorous way to get the protagonist out of one dire situation.

Use it more than once and it quickly becomes tired, but it can be an easy device to retrofit back into a story once you’ve written your protagonist into a corner you can’t get him out of.

The prescient patron variation is much simpler; a minor character your protagonist encounters gives her a seemingly low value gift - typically as a reward for a good deed. It’s not until your protagonist finds herself in a nearly inescapable situation that she realizes that the gift is exactly what she needs for this one situation. The implication is nearly always that the giver had some foreknowledge. Again, this is a device you can typically only use once in a story without it losing its effectiveness, but the thought that there are really no coincidences is a staple in fantasy literature so don’t be shy about using the “get out of jail free” device.

The Tasks of Hercules

Literally a classic, the Tasks of Hercules are a set of quests, each building on the last, which the protagonist must complete in order to attain a single ultimate objective. The tasks are usually imposed by a single authority figure, as opposed to arising naturally from the development of the plot - this device is a plot driver, not a plot consequence.

Often the Tasks of Hercules are intended to prove the quester’s worth, though typically the authority figure assigning the quests will have a hidden agenda opposing the success of the protagonist. Your protagonist must be already skilled and knowledgeable in some arena for this plot device to work; after all, nobody would bother to assign a series of quests to the pot boy.

The nice thing about the Tasks of Hercules is that they can be used in even short works since you can jump into the story at the beginning, middle, or end of the series of tasks, depending on what you want to write – and the classic nature of this plot device requires little explanation or set up.

Out of left field

More commonly known as deus ex machina, or “god from a machine�, this plot device relies on something the author introduces suddenly without any plot setup in order to resolve a thorny plot situation – like the fairy godmother appearing just when Cinderella needs to get to the ball. Use of this plot device is generally frowned upon, as it can be jarring and will tend to disrupt the reader’s willing suspension of disbelief.

There are a couple of ways to get away with using an “out of left field� plot device.

At the very beginning of a story this can be effective to get the ball rolling, as long as you later do something to tie the divine assistance back into the plot – to explain why it happened. You can also combine this plot device with the mistaken identity device; the super-powered assistance or act of god was intended for someone else, and your protagonist just received it by mistake. The rest of the story is your protagonist trying frantically to keep up because the real hero missed the message and is off somewhere sipping margaritas and chatting up dryads.

You can actually reuse this plot device in this type of story, deriving humor out of the increasing puzzlement of the powerful messenger with long suffering questions like “Are you sure you’re a hero?� adding spice. Even with this setup, though, it’s easy to overuse this device. There just isn’t that much dramatic tension when the protagonist doesn’t have to work for his victory, and the joke will eventually get old.

The Joker’s Death Machine

Everybody is familiar with the Joker, of Batman fame. The Joker was constantly capturing poor Batman, tying him up, and unleashing some diabolical and slow acting death machine, and then going away – the better to savor the elimination of Batman over chianti and fava beans. Of course, Batman always had time to figure out a way to escape. When your protagonist is surrounded by overwhelming odds, and you don’t know what to do, let them be captured. The construct some reason why they can’t just be hacked to bits, but must be subjected to some longer, more elaborate demise.

For example, staked out alone in the holy grove beneath the light of the second moon, there to be eaten by the gnarly grue. This provides ample opportunity for the hero to figure out an escape. Then you can get back to your plot, and begin building up the suspense once again.

Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Oops. So you got your hero to the finish line too fast. Now what do you do for the next 30 pages? No matter how sure success seems for your protagonist, the story isn’t over until the last word is written. The magic staff can be stolen, or turn out to be a fake. The princess can be kidnapped moments before the wedding. The villain can escape from the guards – they’re only henchmen, after all. How good could they be?

There are a variety of misfortunes that can befall your poor hero even after he has success within his grasp, any of which can set him dearly back – and next time, it won’t be so easy. This plot device is a great tool in the toolkit for when you’ve made your hero too good. Kick him in the shins a few times, steal his wallet, spray paint graffiti on his shield, and he won’t look so shiny.

Readers prefer a hero with a few dings, anyway. Repeated setbacks can be frustrating for the reader, so like all plot devices moderation is the watch word, but we all sympathize with the guy who loses when he thought he was winning – and we’ll cheer the more for him when he makes a come back.

Along for the Ride

Everyone is the hero of their own story. Tolkien understood this perfectly well. The hero of the Lord of the Rings is, perhaps, the least assuming person on the cast. Gentle, well mannered, anything but a fighter – quiet dignity and iron determination perhaps best characterize Frodo.

It would have been easy to cast Gandalf or Strider as the main protagonist of the trilogy, but the character that is best beloved - that captures the imagination - is Frodo. Poor Frodo, who wanted nothing more than a prosaic life in the Shire, is dragged along by Gandalf, events, and an unwanted legacy into an adventure from which he emerges changed beyond all fit with his past, but with the respect of the most powerful and wise in the land.

This plot device is based on linking your protagonist to another character or characters whose nature or position naturally leads them into an adventure, with your protagonist dragged along almost unwillingly. This allows your protagonist to be just an ordinary guy who emerges a hero through sticking to his basic principles through extraordinary circumstances. It’s much easier for readers to identify with this type of protagonist than one who is preternaturally wise, powerful, or strong – since few of us experience those qualities in our daily lives.

The Djinn’s Bargain

Sometimes your protagonist needs to accomplish an objective that is so large in scale or scope that there is no way for the character to do it by herself. You need to be able to get her some powerful help, but without detracting from the character’s own struggles. This is when you’ll use the device of the Djinn’s Bargain.

In this device, the djinn is any powerful person or being who has the power to help your protagonist, but who will do it from their own motivations and goals – and who inevitably will exact a price for the assistance. This could be a political ally or enemy, a demon, a dark wizard – generally the “djinn� in this device is someone whose natural inclinations are opposed to those of your protagonist. Then your heroine gets to deal with the consequences of her bargain, which allows you to preserve the scope of your outer conflict and add a tangible inner conflict as well. Lovely!

Wake Up Patrick Duffy! (it was all a dream)

…then she wakes up, and the whole thing was a dream. Dreams have a long and checkered history in fantasy literature – and other forms of entertainment as well. On of the most infamous uses of this device was on the TV show “Dallas�, where during the 1985 season Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy – see how this all ties together?) dies. At the start of the next season you see Bobby in the shower, and the entire previous year’s season was “just a dream�.

The uproar from the fan base was significant, but it was the only way to get Duffy back on the show, since much of the season was about the repercussions of his character’s death. That’s a bit much, though the dream device is certainly used to famous effect in Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland�, the entirety of which is supposed to be a young girl’s dream.

You probably don’t want to go this far with your use of the dream plot device, but dreams can be useful as transmitters of information, or as transformative tools for your character; for example, one recent book uses a series of dreams to educate a young mage in her craft. Warnings and portents, wisdom and eldritch connections – all are fair game for the dream plot device. Dreams also open up the opportunity to explain something about your protagonist’s past without resorting to either exposition or flashbacks. The former can make the story drag, and the latter can be jarring as it yanks you out of the story.

Additionally, conversations with dream beings can be far more candid than conversations your character would have with other characters, and dreams offer the opportunity to use that bit of imagery you’ve been trying to find a place for.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but these ten provide a substantial tool kit to start with, with an infinite number of variations and combinations possible. So when you’re stuck, grab a plot device, wedge one end into your story, and yank. That will get things moving!

Thomas M. MacKay is an author in the Return of the Sword anthology. For more information click here.