So here is my problem: My protagonist is entering into an event of his own free will. It is not illegal and if he stops participating, all he has to do is walk. No harm, no foul. He later decides to pursue something else. My problem is the whole structure is dependent on him staying with the initial event while also pursuing the other venture. How can I make it so that he *must* stay with the first while still pursuing the second? My only solution was to provide an incentive to stay in the first that is too good to leave, but this will not work without the reader having to take an incredible leap outside the suspension of disbelief. I'm almost convinced that to make it work, I'll have to rework the entire main plot. I'm not against doing that per se, but I feel it would be much more successful if the original idea could be retained. Thank you! First-time poster.
Thank you for the replies. Lawless - the two ventures are near each other (same vicinity) unfortunately. However, changing location *might* be something I could explore. It closes some doors; as long as I can pull it off without opening others. ChickenFreak - That's kind of what I'm trying to do except that the side bet would have to be either very beneficial or very detrimental if won/lost, otherwise the reader would need to stretch their suspension of disbelief to its limits. If only this was fantasy or sci-fi. Unfortunately, its a drama. Again, thank you both!
Well, maybe the first thing could be, like, his life-long dream or the dying wish of a dead friend or something?
My friends, I thank you. Something that I have been stuck on for nearly a year has been resolved by the collective of your suggestions. A mish-mash of all four broke something loose in my brain and I believe I am now on the right path. And to think, it was only my extreme stubbornness about reaching out for help that set me back so much time. I hope, in time, that I am able to provide the same type of help to either you or other creative posters on this forum.
