Options for Dilemmas in a Sequel

 

THE DILEMMA IS composed of three different phases:

Review: The protagonist will look back on the disaster and consider the missteps that allowed it to happen. This phase is often intertwined with the preceding reaction section. Its length will largely depend on its proximity to the disaster and the pace you wish to set.

Analyze: Now that your character has progressed past his initial emotional reaction, he will have to start considering the specifics of his problem. The dilemma will always present a question, the gist of which is, “How do I get out of this mess?”

Plan: Once your character has sufficiently analyzed the problem, he will move into the planning phase—which will then segue right into the next section of the sequel: the decision (which we’ll discuss in the next segment).

 

Exercise: Plan your scene’s dilemma using the following questions.

 

Question #1: How will your protagonist work through each phase of the dilemma stage?

 

Question #1.1: Is it actually necessary to review the disaster in order to remind readers what happened? If so, how will your character review it?

 

Question #1.2: How will your character analyze the dilemma?

 

Question #1.3: How can you state your protagonist’s problem as a specific question?

 

Examples:

• How will he get out of this snake pit?

 

• How will she get Joey to forgive her for lying to him?

 

• How can he find money to buy groceries?

 

Question #1.4: What plan will your protagonist come up with to mitigate the effects of the disaster and move forward?

 

Question #2: How much depth will you need to go into in order to properly flesh out your sequel dilemma? Will you:

 

• Indicate the dilemma implicitly (e.g., by allowing the reader to presume the dilemma based on the previous disaster).

 

• Indicate the dilemma explicitly by summarizing/telling it (e.g., “Marti had to figure out how to get some groceries before they all starved”).

 

• Indicate the dilemma explicitly by dramatizing/showing it (e.g., Marti’s stomach growls).

 

Question #3: How is the dilemma influenced by the disaster at the end of the previous scene?

 

Question #4: How have you made sure the dilemma is clear to readers?

 

Question #5: Why does the amount of time you spend on the dilemma match its importance within the plot?

 

Question #6: If you’ve chosen to include a review section of the preceding scene, how does it avoid repetition?

 

Reference: Structuring Your Novel, chapter 20, pages 241-245.