What’s up, storytellers?
What’s up, storyteller? I’m Clark Rowenson, the Magic Engineer, and it’s time to talk about magic. We’re moving on from discussing Sanderson’s First Law to talking about plot problems themselves.
My version of Sanderson’s First Law of Magic states:
“The author’s ability to satisfactorily solve plot problems is directly proportional to readers’ understanding of said magic.”
So, let’s talk about plot problems.
What Are Plot Problems?
Plot problems, simply put, are problems that matter in the context of the plot.
If it’s something that is significant in the plot and is treated as such, it’s a plot problem. It’s not just a matter of:
- “Would this event be significant if it happened in real life?”
- “Is this important to the characters?”
- “Is this important to their goals?”
What I mean by “significant in the plot” is how much of the plot deals with the problem. So, the more time you spend exploring, defining, or trying to resolve a question, conflict, issue, or concern, the bigger the plot problem is.
For example, dealing with the big bad guy is usually the main plot problem of a book or movie. This could mean getting rid of the big bad guy or tearing down an empire. The plot problem is “How do we get rid of the big bad guy or tear down the empire?” And, if you get to the end and the solution to achieving that goal comes out of nowhere, then the solution is unsatisfactory and often anticlimactic for your audience.
Another way to think about this with the try/fail cycle in storytelling.
- They try, they fail.
- They try again, they fail again.
- They try, then they succeed, but not necessarily in the way they want to.
The more try/fail cycles they go through, the bigger the plot problem. Going through any try/fail cycles usually indicates some kind of plot problem because you’re spending enough time on it for them to try, fail, and have to try again.
Solving Plot Problems: The Black Company
Now, when we’re dealing with plot problems and trying to find satisfactory solutions to them, the first thing we need to ask is whether what we’re looking at is, in fact, a plot problem or not.
There are a couple of things you can look for.
If there’s a problem that comes up and it is solved instantly, it’s not really a plot problem. This is true even if the potential consequences are severe. If it’s solved that quickly, it’s not a plot problem and you can use the magic to solve it quickly.
This is exactly what happens in Black Company. Near the middle of the series, the Black Company, Company of Mercenaries, is going from point A to point B. Along that route, they are ambushed multiple times on their journey by the rebel forces. These problems are solved because they have a couple of wizards in the company, and their magicians detect the ambushes and deal with them. The company overcomes them and moves forward.
Being ambushed by rebel forces is a big problem. That’s going to make you take a different route. It’s going to lead to this, that, and the other thing. But, because they solved it instantly in terms of the duration on the page, it was fine. It’s just something that came up. They solved it with magic, and we moved on.
Solving Plot Problems: Mistborn
Let’s take a look at the fist book of the Mistborn Trilogy. There’s a part in this novel where Kelsier is fighting the Steel Inquisitor in the town square and a lot is happening. We spend an entire chapter on this awesome, epic fight scene of everything going back and forth. If they suddenly resolved that conflict with just a wave of their hand, that would not be great.
So, if it’s solved instantly, or near instantly (on the first try), then it might not be a plot problem. And, if you do have a problem that isn’t the main problem, but instead is part of a bigger problem, then you’ll want to think about how solving the problem plays into the rest of the plot. Does solving the problem end the story, or is it just the means to solving a bigger issue?
The last thing to consider is if the problem carries significant consequences within the story. If it’s something that will cause severe mental, physical, or psychological trauma for a character, even if it’s just one character in a mundane or personal way, then that might be a serious problem. Then again, you may decide to have them suffer those consequences, which often leads to the problem becoming how the consequences are handled, and so on. However, if something happens that doesn’t really matter to anybody present or the direction that the story is going, then it’s not a plot problem within the context of your story.
Solving Plot Problems: The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride is the best example for understanding if a problem is a plot problem or not.
Wesley dying is absolutely a problem and something that they need to deal with. However, Wesley’s death is not the main plot problem of the book. And, because of that, it was okay for his death to be solved with a chocolate-covered miracle pill. It was still satisfying because the book didn’t just end there, there were consequences for what happened. They didn’t give Wesley the miracle pill and then he was instantly alert and fine as though nothing had happened. There were lasting consequences. Also, the story wasn’t over. They still needed to rescue Buttercup and deal with the Count.
Bringing Wesley back the way that they did was the solution to a problem that rose and fell fairly quickly. He died. Shortly after they brought him back. It was a very short-lived problem, and it wasn’t the main problem they were trying to solve. Instead, it was a means to solve the real problem, which was dealing with Count Rugen and rescuing Buttercup.
I really like that example because it has to deal with a character dying and bringing them back to life. Yet the death and return to life isn’t a very big plot problem.
Foreshadowing is Key
Something to think about now, when you want to solve plot problems effectively, is to foreshadow the solution in advance and then explain enough for the solution to make sense. That specificity is what allows you to satisfactorily solve plot problems with soft and irrational magic systems.
If you hone in on what your plot problem is and the solution you want to provide, you can then make sure that you are foreshadowing and explaining the solution just enough while leaving the rest vague, irrational, and soft. And it’s fine.
That’s a big part of why each Harry Potter book works in isolation. Each book had foreshadowing about what was going to be important for the solution of that book. The author didn’t have to explain the entire wizarding world all at once. She just had to explain a tiny piece and foreshadow that tiny piece before they used it to address the problems they were facing.
How Much Foreshadowing is Enough?
The amount of foreshadowing and explanation you need is directly proportional to the size of the plot problem.
For the main problem of your entire book, you need to be building the foundation from early on in the book. It doesn’t have to be the very beginning, but you need to spend a fair amount of time foreshadowing and making sure it’s solid and that people understand it and are ready.
Whereas, if the plot problem is a short mini-arc, you don’t need to foreshadow the solution as much. And, where you foreshadow doesn’t have to be directly in relation or proximity. For example, if you have a small arc at the end of the book that you want to solve, you can foreshadow that at the very beginning or just a little bit before. The point is that the amount of time you spend foreshadowing is going to be relational to the size of the problem that it’s dealing with.
The Reader Experience Matters
The last thing to remember is that how you solve your problems is also going to depend on the experience you want to deliver.
It’s important to think about how you want your readers to feel at the end of the story. You don’t want your readers to feel as though you tricked them. Instead, think about how the solution might make them feel.
This is part of what Sanderson does really well. He makes you feel smart as he reveals the solution because you’re following alongside and seeing the solution unfold.
Mysteries are another great example of when everything clicks into place in your brain right before the big reveal. They’re laying the foundation, thinking through the facts, and everything falls into place as the character solves the mystery and the audience is right there every step of the way.
Using Magic to Create Plot Problems
In addition to using magic to solve plot problems, you can also use magic to create plot problems. And, when it comes to creating problems with magic, you can do a lot more handwaving. As long as the solution doesn’t directly involve addressing the magical problem, that’s fine.
If somebody shows up, does a handwavy magic thing, and makes a thing happen while your characters are trying to deal with the person, that’s fine.
But if you have something where a magic rock punches into the earth and starts doing things and the rock needs to be neutralized, well, then it’s important to understand the magic rock. In that case, the magic system itself is integral to the solution to the problem because it’s integral to solving the plot problem.
If the magic creates a problem and the characters are solving the problem not by tackling the magic, but instead by focusing on the things around it, then that’s okay.
For example, if magic creates a superhuman who then becomes a tyrant, you don’t necessarily need to deal with the magic, you just need to overcome the person. That may or may not require a magical solution, depending on the story.
Solving Plot Problems Without Magic
If the magic isn’t part of the solution, you really don’t need to worry about it in terms of your magic. However, you do still need to worry about how you’re solving plot problems in terms of story structure and satisfactory conclusions.
Everything we’ve talked about here still applies to mundane solutions to plot problems.
If you’re specifically worried about your magic, then you don’t need to worry about it if you aren’t using it to solve plot problems. Meaning, if you have a soft, irrational magic system and the magic doesn’t solve the problem, you never need to explain more of the magic.
That’s how Lord of the Rings does it. The problem doesn’t get solved by magic doing a thing. All we need to know is that the Ring is going to Mount Doom. That’s it. Everything else is Frodo getting there and them trying to get the ring into Mount Doom. That means that Gandalf’s powers, the powers of Sauron, none of that matters and it doesn’t need to be explained because it’s not solving the plot problem.
Closing
Magic can set things up. It can create an environment for success. If you’re sieging a capital, magic can get you through the gate. Magic can take your characters into that final conflict. And then, if you defeat the bad guy through mundane means or trickery, that’s fine. You just do it with a poison blade, or by knowing their non-magical weakness. That’s all fine. That’s all good. As long as you foreshadow those things.
If you’re not using magic to solve the plot problem, then you don’t need to explain anything about the magic to satisfactorily solve the plot problems. However, you may still need to explain it in other ways depending on your story and world-building.
However, if you are using magic to solve plot problems, especially using soft irrational systems, it’s all about determining what you need to share and what you need to explain to make it work. Then, focus on balancing the known and unknown for a great, satisfying solution to your plot problems. Keep writing and stay awesome.
