If fate enters the picture, what becomes of the character?
Fate in fiction suggests the character has little influence on the path of a story’s events. The development or outcome becomes a supernatural occurrence. Some writers use luck, destiny, written in the stars, or providence to create a desirable outcome in their stories.
But is that fair to the reader?
Does this include genres of speculative fiction that, by their name, hint at the writer using supernatural forces to dictate the character’s steps?
The following are five reasons to discourage fate in fiction.
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Character identity ranks as the top reason readers enjoy fiction. They see the character as a real person with strengths, challenges, victories, and defeats. The character embodies a unique personality, one that makes choices according to the information they have gathered. These choices can be good or poor, and the character faces the resulting consequences. Sometimes they grow from their mistakes, and sometimes they continue with their behavior. The process is logical, ensuring the story is unpredictable, realistic, yet credible. Believable sacrifices mirror real life.
If fate enters the picture, what becomes of the character? Do they cease showing a slice of real life to become a puppet? Readers may face disappointment and lose interest in the story. Purpose, story goal, and the character’s arc become meaningless.
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Plot is the character’s journey to reach a goal or solve a problem. Each scene displays stress, conflict, tension, and high stakes in the endeavor. This development keeps the reader engaged, turning pages, and cheering on a character who is striving to overcome obstacles.
If outcomes are attributed to fate, then the reader may become disinterested and frustrated, and the plight of the character becomes insignificant.
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Stories imitate real life. The reader lives the character’s journey vicariously. The reader might have experienced the same situation or know someone who has faced similar events.
A character whose actions are fated has no opportunity to succeed or fail. This can lead the reader to question the relevance of the story to real life.
Learning how a character realistically solves a problem and changes and grows in the process motivates a reader to continue turning pages.
With fate, growth is diminished to whatever has dictated the outcome of the character’s experience.
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Themes of morality can be explored when a character chooses growth through personal ideals, life experiences, and convictions.
Fate interrupts the natural flow of humans who react and respond according to their wants, needs, and intelligence. The result of If a law-abiding person who breaks from their model to commit acts against what the writer has presented, this confuses the reader.
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Themes of faith are an area where a reader may feel the writer has betrayed them if the story has a supernatural occurrence that changes the outcome of a scene. Instead of a predetermined outcome, use prayer, guidance, life circumstances, and free will to show how God works through human choices.
Fate can water down the power of faith in a character’s life, making the character look weak, passive, and unreliable as a human.
What are your thoughts? Does fate play a role in your fiction?
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels with threads of romance. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.
