One of my problems with a story is that major plot advances take place in a prison (Or dungeon, if that seems more fantasy-esque). If the character is stuck in place, how do I go about adding 'movement' to the novel?
Something I suppose I should note: The story does not take place entirely in the dungeon, but the dungeon is a good couple of chapters.
Now, I'm not dead-set on this dungeon being completely dungeon-esque, so would things like a window that allows for sun/moonlight to get in, add a sense of 'timeflow' to the story?
What other techniques could I use? Oh -- And does anyone have any suggested reading for some techniques in prisonlike environments? Preferably ones that aren't too 'difficult' to read, as my limited attention-span requires somewhat less flowery prose than most hardcore literature.
Hopefully this makes sense.
Thanks a bunch.
Jon
[This message has been edited by Gan (edited June 23, 2010).]
[This message has been edited by Gan (edited June 23, 2010).]
If he's not chained up he could pace. Does his captor visit him to interrogate him? Torture him? Taunt him?
But not all action has to be physical action. There could be a lot going on emotionally and mentally for this character.
That's assuming the prisoner is male. There's a whole other range of fears that could be played upon for a female prisoner.
Well, torture might add a bit of action to it. A psychotic cell-mate. A guard with a strange reaction to the situation. (Perhaps he is incredibly friendly and thinks of the place as a five star hotel.) You could have scenes of people on the outside trying to break him out. (Unsuccessfully and comically, if you aren't going for comedy you can do it a different way.) Cut it with scenes of the people who imprisoned the character. Prison riots are always fun. There is sure to be an interesting power structure with everyone involved. Heck you could write a whole book about a prison. (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile.)
Ask yourself what kind of experience do the people want their prisoners to have.
I don't have a resource for it but I think if you google Tower of London and Bastille, you'll get a wealth of info on medieval prisons.
This is also an opportunity to grow your character. How do they deal with confinement? Are they scratching a count of the passing days into the cell wall? Perhaps they use how often they are fed as a clue to the passage of time?
Prisoners in real world jails develop elaborate means of communicating with each other- codes tapped out on walls, hand signals across hallways, etc. There can be a lot going on inside the prison.
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What other techniques could I use?
Alternate between the present and the past. Part-way through the novel, the character learns, realizes, or considers how he's been bewitched to relive the experiences that brought him to prison. The punishment would be a Think About What You've Done sort.
To show the progression of time, you could use the progression of the guards (some transfer, retire, or die while others come in); the regular re-appearance of an animal, ghost, or secret visitor; or natural changes to the environment (something erodes, rusts, or grows).
Base the character's activities off of his personality and previous experiences. A normal guy might sit around until his mind goes numb, but:
~ an unusually creative sort might make tools, carve messages and images in the walls or floor, make up songs, or tell stories to an imaginary audience;
~ a particularly dedicated soldier might practice fighting techniques and daydream about how he'd respond in specific battle scenarios;
~ a secretively budding mage might develop his magic from scratch;
~ a scientific sort might study the flora and fauna that lives with him by moving plants (algae, fungus, a stubborn tree, etc.) to different parts of a cell to see how they'll or interfering with the roach society (though I'm not sure how you'd make this activity relevant later in the story); and
~ a leader might try to help the other inmates with their issues and then organize them into a team that will break out together.
[This message has been edited by aspirit (edited June 24, 2010).]
Don't forget hunger.
Anyway, good luck.
~Sheena
I'm curious if the following situation is probable:
The world my story is taking place in is, I suppose, dark fantasy. I'm trying to adhere to some of the actual facts of the middle ages; Serfs and peasants, the feudal system, etc. High fantasy doesn't interest me too much.
My understanding is that during the middle ages, most people weren't jailed, but often physically hurt in a manner that reflected the crime. (Thief gets his hand cut off, etc). Of course, this obviously wasn't the case in all cultures.
The characters in this particular prison are somewhat infamous. The idea is that the Lord keeps them stuffed away, guarded by only his most trusted, and when morale among the people or soldiers is low he brings one out for execution.
Another idea I've been playing with, which is definitely a bit more torturous: The main character measures time by the screams of a woman being raped.
Is this too much? I almost feel gross for coming up with something so depraved. Yuck.
[This message has been edited by Gan (edited June 24, 2010).]
As noted above, imprisonment is an ideal time for character introspection. It can also reveal character if the prisoner has to deal with other inmates (and frankly, solitary confinement is expensive and generally impractical without good reason, much better to throw a whole bunch of prisoners in one cell).
I did have a similar problem with a chapter in my book (well 3 chapters). I decided my character needed some time to get over some issues, so I tossed him into a pit for a couple weeks, no light, people basically ignore him and they don't bother feeding him. I did cheat in that he has a sorta cell mate who gets him food (it is complicated). So, it is dark, just one other person to talk to (a man he kinda hates and hopes will die a horrible death) and no space to like walk around and do anything. It is a very internal chapter for him, though he does have someone to chat with at least. I focus a lot on touch (the smell is fairly consistent and unpleasant, sight is gone, taste pretty minimal since no food, but when he does get a few bights, we hear lots about it, hearing is discussed, but generally he strains to hear human sounds but the pit is too deep for that). The negative to this is that I am pretty sure that since touch and breathing and all that is so focused on, I think some people might read some homoerotic subtext into it (with the other cellmate). Which actually, I am cool with the idea of them amusing themselves, as long as it is off screen. My story currently is sex free and I want to keep it that way.
There are only three guards keeping these people in; the Lord can't have too many troops knowing about them or else word would get out about his 'political prisoners' and they'd be worth a lot less. Thusly, he trusts only his three best men to keep watch.
I like the idea of people being used in jails as ransom. That's definitely the kind of darker world I'm going for. I'll have to take a look and see if that type of situation fits any of my characters...
[This message has been edited by Gan (edited June 24, 2010).]