: Re: How to invest readers in a story that (initially) has no clear direction? The main character of my novel (third person limited) is an outlaw, on the run from government agents and living from

@Radia543

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In Robin Hobb's Fool's Errand, the first volume in the second trilogy about her character FitzChivalry Farseer, the protagonist lives in a cottage away from the world for the first quarter or so of the novel. Nothing much happens, until the world intrudes on him again and his next adventure begins. It is one of my favourite novels ever, exactly because of this placid beginning. Of course part of why it works is that readers have read the first trilogy, had an emotional rollercoaster of an adventure with Fitz, and the "time off" is well-earned for both readers and protagonist. Nevertheless a scene like this can be done quite badly, so I strongly suggest that you read that book to see how Hobb masterfully handles it.

One part of why this works for me is that I'm not much interested in the action of most SF & F anyway. For me, it is always the same and quite boring. Almost always some kind of power struggle between competing political fractions such as noble houses or galactic empires has to be resolved through military action and political intrigues, and I find that completely irrelevant. What I read for is the sense of wonder that comes with foreign worlds, strange beings, and future technology. So if I get long stretches in a novel where this sense of wonder is allowed to unfold without people having to kill each other, that's perfectly fine for me.

Another book, where this is well done (to my taste) is The Lord of the Rings. It does have its inciting incident at the beginning, but then nothing much happens for most of the three volumes. Sure, there is some fighting and some fleeing, but for most of the story the companions just travel and look at things. That's exactly what many of my friends who read the books (or tried to read them) complained about, so of course this is not for everyone (and your book might not be for everyone either), but for me (and many other fans of Tolkien) that lack of events is actually what the love about them.

So when you have a character who is on the run, living in the wilderness or otherwise outside of her society, and trying to survive, that all sounds exactly the opposite of boring! For one, her situation must be stressful (hiding from the authorities, fleeing from persecution, finding food and shelter) and there should be plenty of opportunity for action and intense emotions there. Look at non-fiction accounts about people surviving in the wilderness (explorers, extreme sports) or criminals on the run. For another, I suppose that her environment is interesting, too. You mention that you're writing Science Fiction or Fantasy, so the world she is living in is very likely different from our own. Work out this difference, take your readers on a journey of exploration into that world. Have your protagonist discover things, learn and understand what the past was or what her situation and options are. Think of "problem-solving"-novels like crime fiction, where the reader accompanies the protagonist as they uncover what they will later need to overcome the antagonist. And basically, just wallow in the sense of wonder that, I suppose, other readers are looking for, too.

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