A Brief Rant

[LibraryOgre]

ARRRRRRRRgggggggghhhhhhhhh.

I have written myself into a corner.

I know where this story is ending up. I know what I've written. But now I can't figure out how to get the protagonist out of the pit filled with snakes and gnomes without a Deus Ex Machina.

razzafragginstoriesgottamakesense

[Jasdoif]

ARRRRRRRRgggggggghhhhhhhhh.

I have written myself into a corner.

I know where this story is ending up. I know what I've written. But now I can't figure out how to get the protagonist out of the pit filled with snakes and gnomes without a Deus Ex Machina.

razzafragginstoriesgottamakesense

Admittedly this works best in a non-periodic medium....But work in reverse: Come up with your protagonist's method, then go back to earlier chapters/etc. and put in hints on why the protagonist would have that method available.

[Draconi Redfir]

tie the snakes together like a giant rope, then wrap one around a ball of gnomes as a counterweight, and throw it out of the pit. The climb out via the snake-rope.

[Thanqol]

ARRRRRRRRgggggggghhhhhhhhh.

I have written myself into a corner.

I know where this story is ending up. I know what I've written. But now I can't figure out how to get the protagonist out of the pit filled with snakes and gnomes without a Deus Ex Machina.

razzafragginstoriesgottamakesense

Have the bad guys capture him. It maintains the negative narrative beat and it's way more acceptable for coincidences getting people into more trouble than getting people out of it.

[Morgana]

Gonna need more context there

[truemane]

If it's a single story, and not something you're writing in installments, and if it's a first draft, then just be kind to yourself and author them out of the pit. Work out details like that once your'e finished. Sometimes you have to know where you ended up before you can figure out how you got there.

I remember I was once writing a long piece and I was STUCK at a bit in the final act and so, after Bob explains to Karen another why something happened, Karen said "That doesn't make any sense." And Bob went "I know, but it'll make more sense once the author re-writes it."

And it did.

First drafts suck. That's their job. If your first daft doesn't suck, you're either Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, or not doing it right.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

ARRRRRRRRgggggggghhhhhhhhh.

I have written myself into a corner.

I know where this story is ending up. I know what I've written. But now I can't figure out how to get the protagonist out of the pit filled with snakes and gnomes without a Deus Ex Machina.

razzafragginstoriesgottamakesense

Maybe...

Start with the solution.

Forget about the pit of snakes and gnomes for a moment. Think back about all the things your protagonist has done so far. Is there any skill, tool or connection they have been shown to posses, but they haven't used to great effect yet? That could be how they get out of trouble.

Now you have to rewrite the trouble they're in, sticking as closely as possible to what you had while allowing your new solution.


Alternatively, come up with a general solution to your current problem and rewrite your character's background to make that solution possible.