As anyone who has read my work before would know, I am working on a book with the draft name: Disbelief Suspended. It is a strange fantasy book, with a few elements of absurdist parody, wrapped in a 70s-era world with epic elements. Overall, though, it is a story of a young man that hasn’t done much with his life. He wants to change that, with the one year he has left to live.
Yes. Jayson Constantine wants to become a protagonist.
This poses a problem. It takes a couple of chapters for Jayson to gain the motivation to actively pursue his desires. It takes that long for him to make things happen. And for those that wish to hook themselves on a character in chapter one, rather than a weird premise, Jayson falls flat by design.
Jayson is not a protagonist until chapter 3.
This is the story that I have decided to tell. This is the first time I have come across a flaw in the story that I cannot determine how to fix. The entire book documents Jayson’s struggle to make himself notable, to overcome his passivity and make something good happen.
It may be that this element turns readers off at the beginning of the story. It may be a story doomed for failure, in that fashion. Or it may be that I can find a way to change the hook, to show the reader who Jayson is meant to be.
We’ll see what happens. Take what you will from this post. Plan your hooks, be resilient, be creative. And should I make it work…
I’ll update with another post regarding my decision.
See you around!
-Kyle Adams
Kyle Adams 