I’ve been reading students’ unpublished novels for a summer class I’m teaching alongside Nancy Zafris at Kenyon College in Ohio. Again and again, I see the same fundamental flaw: the characters refuse to get into trouble. This is understandable. Most of us – except for the hopelessly neurotic – are very good at avoiding trouble. This isn’t to say we run from challenges, but trouble itself we stay out of. If there are difficult people with whom we can’t get along, we either stay out of their way entirely or deal with them on a superficial level, being as outwardly courteous as we can stand. We do not take deliberate actions to sabotage our love lives or our careers. For the most part, we obey the law. We don’t embezzle funds or commit murder.
No one should get into trouble if there’s any way to avoid it. Trouble makes everyone unhappy. Trouble prevents us from self-fulfillment. Trouble causes stress and migraines. Trouble is just too much trouble.Continue reading