'THREE characters, ONE impossible choice?' | #AskAbbie

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Welcome back to Ask Abbie​, where I answer YOUR writing questions and help you make your story matter! Today I'm answering a tricky question: What if you have 3 protagonists and 1 inciting incident? How do you show each character's "impossible choice" moment and make the audience care? In this video, I share my best advice for writing a powerful inciting incident with multiple characters.

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✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE ASKABBIE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ "HOW DO I MAKE MY BOOK LONGER?"

→ "WHAT'S BETTER: SUSPENSE OR SURPRISE?"

→ "HOW DO I COME UP WITH A PLOT FOR MY NOVEL?"

→ "HOW DO I RAISE THE STAKES FOR MY CHARACTERS?"

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

[writer_surabhi_singh]

As a writer with five MCs, it gets really tough for me to develop all of the characters' backstories along with the side characters' and several villains'. Thank you for this video!

[candellina]

This is SPECIFICALLY what I need to pin point in my novel! I have two MCs and an antagonist in third person close POV and they share the same inciting incident.

[ouyang]

I love that you post on Wednesdays AND Saturdays now! Extra layer of goodness 😍

[mickeyandclaire]

My story has a main character, with 3 very important side characters. I’m writing in first person, while switching between each characters povs. Thank you Abbie for all the help!

[srinivasansridhar]

Great, This advice I got at the right time. I am struggling for weeks to get my story started. The characters are standing in line stamping their feet. Thanks a lot, Abbie. Now I am going to bed for a sleepless night😀

[FlickerFox]

This was the very problem that disrupted my writing the past few weeks. Nothing else I found was very clear on what to do about it. I have a different story I've been developing that I switched to working on. Your video is extremely helpful and may have just saved my others story's life

[katjaa]

Thank you Abbie!! I always freak out when I see a notification that you uploaded a new video :)) you helped me so much and I feel like I have become really a better writer since I started watching ur videos! Lots of love from a small country in Europe <33 Have a great day! sending hugs

[billybobboo]

I was literally just thinking about this and then this came up on my recommendations. How do you always know what I need to know!!!

[Progressive-Boomer]

Thank you for the profound impact you have made on my writing. ...much appreciated🙏

[utube]

Your killing me Abbie, I'm a wanna be writer teaching myself the craft, and you have me doing rewrites. AARGH!

[radianttrails]

I don't know if you've ever played around with story-driven video games or visual novels, but the Legend of Heroes Trails series writing is actually blowing me away. Incredible character development (even the NPCs have side stories throughout the games that are entertainment) excellent conflict and resolve, world building, etc. These games have hit me harder than most books, and just one Trails in the Sky game has over 700, 000 words. Alot of reading lol but so much detail and its text boxes so its concise and the payoff these writers reward you with is tremendous

[amyhull]

Perfect timing, I was just writing about 3 MCs, and this absolutely has helped, thank you!

[hannahewoods]

I love this! I always get attached to several different characters even if they were intended to be a side character, haha... so this is really helpful insight into how to balance all their internal conflicts/journeys. <3

[caitlyn]

Hi Abbie, loved the video! Could you possibly make a video on how to make writing a habit. I think one of the hardest things that many writers have to deal with is getting started, but if it is a habit, then it will be easier to get started. Love your content btw Abbie!

:-)

[AnastasiaCreates]

I love this section on your channel!!!

[TheOneGirlRebel]

Haven’t even finished the video yet and I already have three questions/ video request:

1. Internal conflict with multiple characters, how?

2. How to use the three act structure with multiple (more than two) characters?

3. What resources/books would you recommend for writing for multiple characters first or third person?

Thanks Abbie!! You’re vids and podcast are the first things i look at when searching out answers to writing questions I have!!

[joshua]

The game “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” has the same inciting incident for SIX characters. They choose to fight against the system and fight the “true enemy” rather than fighting each other mindlessly.

[Anna-B]

I need advice. I’m righting a Cinderella retelling as a regency romance. I know her first meeting with the prince will be a masquerade ball, but how can I have her continue seeing the prince and going to these events without her stepfamily knowing WITHOUT magic? I have no idea

[HistorywithHannibal]

Hi Abbie, can you make a video on how to engage your audience and how to push the story forward?

[rantple]

Wait why is this exactly what I needed because I have three protagonists