Post History
The problem with plot armor is not false safety, but false peril. The central peril of a story is always moral, not physical. It is about what a character wants and what they are willing to do to...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2020-01-03T20:41:51Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25046 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T05:42:08Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25046 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
System
·
2019-12-08T05:42:08Z (over 4 years ago)
The problem with plot armor is not false safety, but false peril. The central peril of a story is always moral, not physical. It is about what a character wants and what they are willing to do to get it. Physical danger may test the character's resolve or complicate their plans, but the real heart of the story is what choices they make in the face of those dangers and in pursuit of their goals. If the only peril driving the story is whether the central character will or will not die, the story is a weak one with no moral core. Concealing who the main character is to make their death seem more possible does not in any way change this. The reader's anxiety about the possible death of a character depends on how much they care about them and how much the root for them (or how much they hope for their salvation). But all that goes with being the main character. Every character should have an arc, but the main character is the character whose arc is the main arc of the story. If there is no arc, they are a red shirt and their death does not matter. (Actually, for from being more unexpected, the death of a red shirt is incredibly obvious. You could set your watch by it.) In a good story, even a suspense story, the reader's pleasure does not depend on surprise. We can read good suspense stories multiple times and they are just as suspenseful each time. A good author can have the reader's heart in their throat for a character even on the tenth reading. It is always about engagement, never surprise. If plot armor is a concern, therefore, it is because the engagement is not sufficient. If the engagement is not sufficient, chances are it is because the reader is not engaged by the moral peril of the story. The fix is not obfuscation. The fix is to find the character's true peril.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2016-10-26T04:35:59Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 13