Sometimes the struggles that your characters face don’t feel relevant. I don’t just mean the outward struggles like killing a dragon or withstanding physical torture, because hardly anyone can relate to something that drastic. I mean that those moments when your protagonist is forced to make a decision through tearful eyes aren’t any good if the reader isn’t crying alongside them.
When your character hits their dark moment, or even when they’re simply faced with a difficult decision, you want your reader to truly empathize with that struggle. This is especially true when it comes to writing contemporary or romance novels. Without that connection, the plot starts to feel like unnecessary drama. When you begin running out of things to keep your main couple apart, throwing more and more contrived hurdles at them isn’t going to affect them or the reader in a meaningful way.
Mara wrote about how important it is to have your character make choices a while back, but how can you make sure those choices hit hard? When your character is between a rock and a hard place, how can you make sure that your readers truly understand what’s at stake?
Turns out the musical movie La La Land just might have the answer.
La La Land
Mia and Sebastian are two artists struggling to stay afloat in the vast city of Los Angeles. Although Mia works as a barista, she dreams of becoming a famous actress and auditions every chance she gets. Meanwhile, Sebastian is an expert pianist who wants to revive the world of Jazz.
Despite having zero mutual acquaintances, Mia and Sebastian happen to cross paths a few times as they continue to individually pursue their dreams, and eventually come to bond over Jazz music and old movies. After going out for such a classic movie one night, they dance, realize their love for each other, and decide to begin a relationship.
For a while, it works. Mia and Sebastian are able to support each other’s work through advice and constant motivation. Sebastian urges Mia to quit her job and put on a one-woman play, while Mia gives plenty of encouragement for his music in return. Sebastian gets a permanent job with a more modern band so he can offer financial support, and Mia designs the name and logo for his future Jazz club.
However, as each one grows to be more successful, they don’t have as much time for their relationship as they used to. After a handful of miscommunications and one large argument, they decide to break up.
A few weeks later, Sebastian shows up on Mia’s doorstep with news of an acting opportunity for her. He lands her a huge role in a new film, and the two are able to forgive each other. Unfortunately, Mia’s new gig leads her to Paris, away from him. At that moment, everything comes to a head and they are forced to choose between their dreams and each other. Sebastian can either follow her to Paris and abandon his music, she could refuse the job to follow him, or they stay apart forever.
Since both of them have worked so hard for their dreams, they end up parting ways permanently, not out of anger or spite, but simply because they chose different paths of life.
The Key To Character Decisions That Hit Hard
Needless to say, some fans were very angry at the ending of this movie. Since this was a romance, everyone expected the couple to end up together. But the unexpected, bitter-sweet ending moved many to tears and made a simple musical into a wild success. It won six Oscars and is still considered to be a masterpiece almost a decade later. Although the expert cinematography and beautiful score played a part in this, most of its heartfelt impact came from the decisions the characters made. The viewers were able to feel the stress and sadness that Mia and Sebastian felt, and shout or laugh or cry alongside them.
Why? Because all of the character’s decisions were based in the theme.
The theme of this movie is essentially: How far will you go for your dreams? What do you do when you live in the dirty city of LA, you can’t land a gig, you’re struggling to pay the rent, and everyone’s telling you to give up? Through the dialogue, plotline, and even the songs, the movie makes it clear that you can’t just throw away your dream. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise when Mia and Sebastian go so far as to sacrifice their relationship for the sake of their success. The ending wasn’t what anyone expected, but it illustrated the movie’s point perfectly.
Your character’s decisions should either support or tear down the theme. When they’re tearing it down, this most often reveals an anti-theme that’s supported by the antagonist (although that’s an entirely different article for another day). Ultimately, though, your character’s decisions should result in them choosing what’s right (or what your theme says is right).
Having your characters make active decisions isn’t all about them choosing between cereal or muffins in the morning. It’s not even about them taking risks or choosing to go on an adventure. It’s the central decisions between right and wrong that build your theme and tell your reader what they should take away from your story.
Whether you write high fantasy, sci-fi, or romance novels, keep your character’s trials from feeling contrived by tying in their decisions with the theme. Watch them struggle between two options, but let them ultimately choose the one that will support your moral. Resolve your character’s decisions with the key point of your story, and their struggles will feel infinitely more relevant.
Let us know:
What character decisions hit especially hard for you? How did they tie into the theme of the story?
Hello, I’m Sophia! I’m a child of God and I (if you couldn’t tell already) love to write! I’m also a total theater kid and strong dessert (specifically cupcake) enthusiast. For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed both reading and making my own stories. I’m so glad I get to share with you what I’ve learned from some of my favorite (or sometimes least favorite) stories on this blog.