The character that I’ve imagined is stuck. Literally. He’s in solitary confinement, or in a dungeon, or abandoned on an island, and I know how he’s going to escape. But, for now he’s stuck. Should I just jump ahead to the completed tunnel or the finished raft as my protagonist prepares to leave so I don’t bore my readers? Or, should I take them through this daunting isolated period in my main character’s life?

Perhaps you are familiar with movies such as Castaway in which the protagonist spends over half of the time on an island by himself. Or older films, such as Papillon and Midnight Express in which the major character is in prison for the majority of the film. These prisoners may not spend most of their time in isolation but they still seem stuck in one place without much to do except focus on escaping.

You may also be familiar with some famous books. The Count of Monte Cristo is not about a real count, but a wrongly imprisoned French sailor named Edmond Dantés. He spends much time in the first part of this historical novel in prison and in isolation. Of course, there is the famous novel Robinson Crusoe, with the eponymous main character who spends 28 years on a tropical island.

How do I make a solitary life interesting? First, there is the matter of survival. The main character must figure out how to continue to live. Most readers assume this person will survive until the end of the book, but this often requires finding sustenance and evading dangers. It becomes a game of wits. Making survival seem difficult but plausible is the challenge I take on to keep the reader’s interest.

Most authors do not leave this person in complete isolation. Dantés digs a tunnel that ends up in cell of another prisoner, Faria. Caruso helps a man, whom he calls Friday, escape from cannibals. However, living in isolation can mess with one’s mind. Finding just one other companion is a major accomplishment.

Making isolation interesting may be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to bring maturity to the main character. While stuck in the dungeon or on the island, there will be lessons the protagonist needs to learn or goals that he needs to achieve. Most of these we would not have considered unless we had gone through these same experiences.

Finally, the main character doesn’t need to be male. The Island of the Blue Dolphins is an excellent story of a woman who survived in isolation for many years. So, the solution to having a character who is stuck is often not to jump ahead to the escape. The most exciting part of the story may be taking your reader through the challenging experience of surviving in isolation.

Photo by K.N. Listman