All of the stories that fit into the Dude with a Problem genre are stories of a lone man, lone woman, or lone group (or lone dog!) who finds themselves facing incredible odds and whose survival often includes a struggle to hang onto their own sanity.
Our dudes usually don’t ask for this trouble; sometimes they’re not even sure how they got involved. But involved they are. They’ve got big problems on their hands. In fact, the bigger the problem, the better the story!
But remember, problems are relative. You gotta match your problem with the right dude (or dudette), taking into account your dude’s given background, characteristics, and skill set. It’s the relative size of the challenge that makes the stories work.
Mark Watney, for example, is a skilled astronaut and botanist. He would have no problem surviving in, let’s say, the jungle. But that’s not where Mark Watney finds himself, is it? He finds himself stranded and alone on freaking Mars. For most of us nonastronauts, what Mark accomplishes in The Martian would be literally impossible. But for Mark, it’s only nearly impossible. And that makes all the difference. Because literally impossible makes for a very short and boring story, usually ending in death. But nearly impossible? That makes for some great fiction.
Another thing to note is that novels of this genre tend to work better if there are external bad guys in the mix. These are the forces working behind the scenes, throwing new and exciting challenges at our poor protagonist at every turn. Whether your bad guy is an individual like Annie Wilkes in Misery by Stephen King; an organization, group, or government like the firm of Bendini, Lambert, & Locke in The Firm or the Capitol in The Hunger Games or a force of nature like Mars in The Martian or the sea in Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the golden rule of villains remains the same:
The badder the bad guy, the greater the heroics, the better the story.
So make ’em bad. Better yet, make them progressively badder as the story goes on.
Think about Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, facing harder and harder challenges from the Capitol Gamemakers as the competition goes on. Or even Mars itself, throwing more and more obstacles at poor Mark Watney the closer he gets to escaping the planet.
Regardless of who the bad guy or bad force is, the satisfaction of reading a Dude with a Problem novel comes when our dude uses his individuality to outsmart the enemy in the end. This is where that perfect pairing of dude and problem comes into play.
Mitch McDeere may not be able to survive on Mars, but he can survive a corrupt law firm, because he’s a clever and ambitious lawyer. It’s important to give your dude the abilities they’ll need to conquer their problem up front, abilities baked right into their character DNA. But it’s equally important that your dude (and your reader) not fully realize their potential and how they can use these skills until the time is right and the ultimate challenge is upon them.
The combinations of dudes and problems are endless, but the rules of the genre remain the same. You gotta have (1) an innocent hero, (2) a sudden event, and (3) a life-or-death battle.
First off, the innocent hero. They should have been dragged into the problem without asking for it. Wasn’t Mark Watney just going about his day-to-day chores as the botanist aboard Hermes 3 before a sudden freak Mars storm left him stranded on an uninhabitable planet? And wasn’t Katniss Everdeen just going about her day-to-day life—hunting with Gale, trying to make ends meet for her family—when WHAM! Prim’s name gets called at the reaping?
It’s the hero’s innocence that makes us readers love these stories so much. That dude could be us! We could find ourselves in the same situation and have to defy the same impossible odds. These are stories of survival, not punishment for a crime we committed (hence the innocent hero). Unlike Monster in the House stories (which we’ll talk about in chapter 13), what the hero did to get into this mess is not what the dilemma is about. It’s about how they’re going to get themselves out of it.
Second, we need a sudden event that thrusts the hero into their world of hurt. “Sudden” being the operative word here. These Catalysts come seemingly from nowhere and force the hero to come to grips with what’s happening, ASAP. Starr Williams in The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is completely unsuspecting when her friend Khalil is shot by a police officer. Katniss Everdeen doesn’t have time to think about her decision to volunteer for the Hunger Games in her sister’s place. She just does it. And Mark Watney doesn’t have time to hem and haw about his situation of being stuck on Mars. He’s got to ACT FAST!
And finally, we need a problem worthy of this epic story. There must be a life-or-death battle involved in which the continued existence of an individual, group, or society is at stake.
If Mark Watney doesn’t get off Mars, he dies. If Mitch McDeere doesn’t find a way out of this firm, he dies. And if Katniss Everdeen doesn’t kill twenty-three other tributes, she dies. Starr Williams in The Hate U Give also faces a life-or-death battle, but it’s the battle for the continued existence of the community she grew up in. Khalil’s death and the aftermath are tearing her neighborhood apart.
In other words, the problem must be BIG.
If you want to know whether your problem is big enough, try pitching your story to someone else. Their reaction should be something along the lines of “Dude, that’s a huge problem.” And hopefully their next thought is, What would I do in that situation?
If you’ve succeeded in this test, then congratulations: you’ve got yourself a killer Dude with a Problem story.
Another element you’ll often see in Dude with a Problem stories is a love interest. They’re not always there, but when they are, these characters are typically used as champions or cheerleaders for the hero. Isn’t Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games Katniss’s biggest supporter and confidant? Isn’t Chris in The Hate U Give on Starr’s side through thick and thin? These B Story characters are the ones who will help the hero ultimately believe in themselves and find the strength they need to conquer this problem. These characters also often offer solace to our struggling dude or dudette in times of need.
Tender scenes between the hero and the love interest can often be found in what’s called the eye-of-the-storm moment. This is the part of the novel where the action slows down for a minute and the hero (and reader!) get a chance to relax and reflect. And basically just breathe. When we have all action all the time, it can start to lose its potency and weary the reader. Think about the scene in the cave in The Hunger Games when Peeta and Katniss kiss. Or the prom scene in The Hate U Give. So much is going on in Starr’s life at that moment, yet author Angie Thomas slows it down and gives us a welcome reprieve from all the drama with just a nice, normal high school prom.
Danger is still lurking, the storm still surrounds the hero, but in these moments, it’s effective to take a break from the insanity and just be. These are also great opportunities to amp up love stories and friendships.
In the end, all Dude with a Problem novels are about the triumph of the human spirit. Our dude has survived! Or if he hasn’t, there’s a good, compelling reason for it. A reason that really makes us think. Dude with a Problem stories remind us that we, average humans, are actually a lot less average than we thought. We have hidden strengths. Hidden talents. And when put to the test, we persevere! We overcome! We triumph!
Reading these stories make us feel alive and inspired.
One lone teen defying an entire government? One lone astronaut defying an entire planet? One lone lawyer defying a firm run by the mob?
There’s nothing more inspiring than that.
To recap: If you’re thinking of writing a Dude with a Problem novel, make sure your story includes these three essential ingredients:
AN INNOCENT HERO: who is dragged into the mess without asking for it—or possibly even aware of how they got involved, but in some way has the skills to overcome the problem (even if those skills are buried at first).
A SUDDEN EVENT: that thrusts the innocent(s) into the problem. It should be definite and come without warning.
A LIFE-OR-DEATH BATTLE: that threatens the continued existence of an individual, group, or society.
Popular Dude with a Problem Novels Through Time:
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Misery by Stephen King (beat sheet following)
The Firm by John Grisham
Holes by Louis Sachar
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Martian by Andy Weir
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Misery
BY: Stephen King
STC GENRE: Dude with a Problem
BOOK GENRE: Psychological thriller
TOTAL PAGES: 351 (Scribner Paperback, 1987)
This book wouldn’t be complete without a breakdown of a Stephen King novel. King is one of the most famous fiction writers of our time; his novels have sold more than 350 million copies around the world.
Although many classic Stephen King novels fit into another Save the Cat! genre, Monster in the House, I chose to analyze this psychological thriller—a shining example of a Dude with a Problem—because, well, it’s about an author struggling to write the best novel of his career! (The opportunity was just too apropos to pass up.) But also because, according to King, he wrote this novel—about a fictional author feeling chained to his popular series of romance novels—as a metaphor for his own frustration at feeling chained to the popular horror novels that launched his career.
Not to mention, it’s just one heck of a well-structured story!
Writing a novel can sometimes feel like you’re trapped inside a house with a crazy psychopath who is threatening to kill you if you don’t finish. But, on a less dismal (and more inspiring) note, in Misery, King depicts writing as a much-needed escape from our own miseries—and sometimes the very thing that can save our lives.
1. Opening Image (pages 1–6)
Our hero, Paul Sheldon, wakes up in a fog of pain. He’s barely conscious, close to death. Someone is breathing into his mouth, trying to resuscitate him. When he comes to, he learns he’s in Sidewinder, Colorado, with a woman named Annie Wilkes, who (according to her) is his number one fan.
2. Setup (pages 7–36)
As Paul slips in and out of consciousness, we learn more about him. Paul is the famous author of the Misery books, a series of Victorian-era romance novels. In the latest and last of the series, just released, Paul has killed off his main character, Misery, mostly because he hated writing the books and wanted to try his hand at a new genre. Paul had just finished his latest manuscript—Fast Cars—of which he’s extremely proud. We also learn what happened to Paul to land him in this situation: his car crashed, and Annie (who used to be a nurse) found him, pulled him out, and splinted his broken legs. Annie has been giving Paul a pain-killer called Novril, and he’s now addicted to it.
Paul soon surmises that Annie is crazy, dangerous, and unpredictable. She withholds drugs from him when he’s in pain. She claims that they are a ways from town, and that’s why she can’t bring him to the hospital; the road conditions are too bad. But despite the fact that Annie saved him from that car wreck, Paul slowly starts to realize that Annie is keeping him prisoner here.
After Annie reads Paul’s latest manuscript, she flies into a rage. Not only is it not a Misery novel (she’s a huge fan), it’s also full of swear words, which she highly disapproves of. As a punishment for his dirty mouth, she makes Paul take his pills with soapy water.
3. Theme Stated (page 19)
As Paul tries to piece together what happened to him and why he’s here, Annie tells him: “You owe me your life, Paul. I hope you’ll remember that. I hope you’ll keep that in mind” (page 19).
There are many fascinating themes in this novel, but the Theme Stated, as it applies to Paul’s life lesson, is about survival—and its ironic connection to his ghastly predicament. Despite the horror that befalls him in the next 332 pages, Annie did, in fact, save his life when she pulled him from the car wreckage. But more than that, Annie, through horrifying means, will ultimately push Paul to write his best novel to date: Misery’s Return. The book that will end up saving his life, both literally and figuratively.
On page 7, King writes, “He was Paul Sheldon, who wrote novels of two kinds, good ones and best-sellers.” This was Paul’s view of himself at the start of the novel. He turned his nose up at the Misery novels, the ones that made him successful. But by the end, Paul will learn that best sellers can be good—if he puts in the effort to make them good. When Paul finally finds the inspiration for Misery’s Return, he finds his escape from the misery of his situation. And he finds his will to live.
So, in a disturbing yet brilliant Stephen King–esque way, Annie Wilkes does save his life. In more ways than one.
4. Catalyst (pages 36–40)
Annie Wilkes is unstable. We’re already starting to realize this. But it’s not until page 36 that Paul (and we, the reader) see just how bad it can get. When Annie finishes Misery’s Child to discover that Paul killed off the main character, putting an end to her favorite series, she goes ballistic, overturning the table by the bed. She then storms out of the room and tells Paul that she’s leaving before she does something “unwise.”
Paul is left alone and crippled in the house, without food, water, pills, or any indication of when (or if) Annie is coming back. This is the incident that finally pushes Paul to try to do something about his situation.
5. Debate (pages 40–70)
But what will he do? That is the Debate question.
After a day passes, he starts to wonder if Annie is dead. If she is, he will definitely die in this room. But Annie does return, and Paul immediately begs for his medicine. He’s in a lot of pain. She agrees to give it to him if he agrees to burn his Fast Cars manuscript. She wheels in a charcoal grill. Paul is torn. He has no other copies. This is it. If he burns it, it’s gone. But he needs his pills!
He burns it—and then secretly vows to kill her.
Later Annie brings him an old typewriter, the Royal, and tells him she wants him to write a new Misery novel—Misery’s Return. It will be just for her—her payment for nursing him back to health. Will he do it?
He asks Annie if she’ll let him go when he’s done with the book. She vaguely says yes.
Paul knows she’s lying but also knows that writing the book she wants might be the only thing that will keep him alive.
6. Break Into 2 (page 70)
Paul’s answer to the Debate question is a proactive decision: he agrees to write Misery’s Return. But he’s also surprised to find that he is sort of looking forward to writing again.
7. B Story (page 109)
The B Story is Paul’s relationship with the Misery’s Return book. You might even say that Misery Chastain, the main character of the series, is the B Story character, as she is the one who will ultimately teach Paul the theme.
Before coming to Annie’s house, Paul had already happily dismissed this character, this world, and this series. He was done with Misery Chastain. But the longer he writes the novel and the more Annie pushes him to make it “fair” (meaning, not to “phone it in”), the more Paul finds himself drawn into the story, getting inspired by the plot and the character, and ultimately making it one of the best novels he’s ever written.
“The irony was that the woman had coerced him into writing what was easily the best of the Misery novels” (page 209).
Misery’s Return saves Paul’s life. Both literally and figuratively. There are many instances when the ending of the novel is the
one bargaining piece Paul has against the crazy, unstable Annie Wilkes. And, at the same time, the unfinished book gives him a will to live. (Something we novelists can definitely relate to!)
8. Fun and Games (pages 70–170)
The second act centers on the writing of Misery’s Return. This is the Act 2 world for Paul. He hasn’t gone anywhere new. There aren’t any new characters introduced. But he’s still going to an unexpected place: back into the series he thought he was done with.
The novel-within-a-novel format of King’s book allows us to see some of Paul’s efforts as he chugs away on the manuscript. But the writing gets off to a rough start. When Annie buys him the “wrong” kind of paper for the typewriter, she gets angry and punches him in his shattered knee before storming out of the house again.
Unsure of how long she’ll be gone this time, Paul picks the lock on the door and wheels his wheelchair out of his room in an attempt to call for help. But the phone has been disconnected. He finds the stash of Novril painkillers in the bathroom and stocks up, just managing to get back into his room and hide the pills under his mattress before Annie returns.
Paul works on the first few chapters of the book, in which he has to figure out a way to bring Misery back to life, since he killed her at the end of the last novel. Annie doesn’t approve of the first draft, saying that he “cheated” and the resurrection of Misery wasn’t “fair.” Paul realizes he can’t just phone in this book in order to get it over with; Annie is too smart for that. He’ll have to actually put some effort into this project (theme!).
On page 127, he has an idea, something that really inspires him. He begins to write, quickly losing himself in the writing.
On page 130, King writes, “Paul had no idea she was there—had no idea, in fact, that he was. He had finally escaped.”
Annie reads the first six chapters of the novel and loves them.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Page 18
