Creating a Problem: What’s Your Process?

[Kyrenora]

A while back, I came up with a basic pretense for a novel. I have a world, a protagonist, and a backstory that all excite me. More recently, I have been having some amazing lines and descriptions pop into my head.

But now, quite some time later, I still have no antagonist or great task to put my protagonist against. Without that, I’m unlikely to be able to turn the premise into anything more than a 2-3 page short story.

I truly believe that this may be one of my best ideas so far, and would really love to give it the full novel I believe it deserves. My question is this: where do you (personally) turn when your ideas are lacking crucial aspects like this?

I don’t want to sit around forever waiting for inspiration to strike, and I don’t want to throw together a shoddy character incapable of putting up a real challenge against a strong protagonist.

[Independent92]

One possible means to draw more of your story out is to interview your protagonist as if they were sitting in the room with you. Talk to him or her as if they are another living, corporal being. Seems silly, but gives you details you likely wouldn't consider.

[clint_csperry-org]

Hmm, I just posted something about this. Problems are easy to create. Sit back and think. Where ever your main character is, whatever they are doing, what is the worst possible things that could happen at this very moment. Something devastating is best. Take away that one thing they believe they cannot live without. (You can always give it back later) make a list of four or five of these things. Next write a list of possible challenges that the things will create. I am a pantser, I do not attempt to predetermine outcomes. From here, I would choose what I saw as the most promising scenario, and go with it. I would let the characters resolve the situation and go on.

[ElizaPeaks]

I just read a great tip the other day that suggested thinking about who you want your protagonist to be by the end of the story, and that should steer you in a general direction for coming up with a plot! Also, pick problems that are important to you, and remember that there can be a few different problems all happening at once.

I personally never begin writing until I have my ending decided, that way I know which direction to steer the story in. However, I can't decide on the ending until I've decided on the theme that I want to convey to my readers! In script analysis, this theme is also referred to as the "Big Dramatic Question," or the question that drives the action of the plot. The story cannot end until this question is answered (and the question cannot be a yes/no question, because that's too boring)!

So let's say that a problem that is important to you is bullying. Now, what question do you want to present the audience with? And how do you want this to affect your character? Your question might be something like, "why do hurt people end up hurting people/why do victims of bullying often become bullies themselves?" and, from there, you take your character and you find a way to turn them into a bully by the end of the novel.

[Inkroverts]

I think there are 3 kinds of conflicts. You can look it up again in case I'm wrong.
Man vs Man (basically two people having opposing goals in mind)
Man vs Environment (can be a character surviving in a difficult environment, or 1 person against a society)
Man vs Self (inner conflict, like self-conscience vs self-goals)