In a post on Writers Helping Writers, September Fawkes says that a crisis is the perfect way to reveal character. “The crisis is a moment where we lay out current stakes and the directions the story could go, depending on what the character chooses,” Fawkes says. “This reinforces the character’s agency, and what the character selects will reveal a lot about him or her. In fact, a crisis is one of the most effective ways to reveal true character.”
There are two kinds of good crises. In the Best Bad Choice, your hero has to choose between two crappy options. In the Irreconcilable Goods Choice, she has to choose between two positives, but can’t have both. Sometimes the kind of choice isn’t obvious, and sometimes your hero might have both the good and bad kinds of dilemmas in one turning point.
“For example, in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins gets called on an adventure. He has two options: Refuse and continue to live his predictable life, which invites a sort of personal stagnation, or accept and risk danger and death, which include gaining personal experience and growth,” Fawkes writes. “Each option has both negative and positive stakes tied to them: Stay safe and alive, but somewhat stagnant, or risk danger and death, and grow through experience.”
You can give your protagonist more than two options to choose from, but whatever choice they make should be difficult, irreconcilable, and impossible to reverse without damage. You might even find a way to give your hero the choice not to choose, but that requires strong motivation.
Crises reveal character and your hero’s belief system. Given the choice between two values, which does your hero feel strongest about? When push comes to shove, which do they hold onto? Contrasting crises can also show how your protagonist and their values have changed over the course of your story.
“Because crises emphasize agency, they also put responsibility on the protagonist,” Fawkes adds. “When he chooses an option, he’s also choosing its ramifications.” Those outcomes can be internal conflict, doubt, and regret that you can mine throughout your story.
