Dilemmas & costs
Bartleby, the Scrivener · Herman MelvilleHe can leave the office. Can he leave the problem?
A character escapes an exhausting situation, but the people left with it still know whom to call.
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Dilemmas & costs
Frankenstein · Mary ShelleyThe crew wants a promise before the captain takes another risk
Surviving a crisis will only restart the danger unless the people doing the work can set terms for what happens next.
Dilemmas & costs
Frankenstein · Mary ShelleyHis enemy asks to be heard before he is judged
Give a dangerous opponent a claim the hero cannot dismiss without contradicting a principle or responsibility of their own.
Dilemmas & costs
James · Percival EverettHe knows the answer. Saying it directly could get him punished.
Write a correction when the person who needs help also has the power to punish the person giving it.
Dilemmas & costs
Leave It to Jeeves (in My Man Jeeves) · P. G. WodehouseWhat if the insult describes a different audience?
A failed commission can suggest a new use for the work, provided the character has the skills and contacts to pursue it.
Dilemmas & costs
The Lady, or the Tiger? · Frank R. StocktonShe knows which door will save him. It will also give him to her rival.
Make a trusted helper's decision difficult by giving them both the needed information and a personal reason to fear using it.
Dilemmas & costs
The Metamorphosis · Franz Kafka; translated by David WyllieHe wants to join the music. Who will see him approach?
Let a character's attempt to join the family create a practical problem the family cannot ignore.
Dilemmas & costs
The Signal-Man · Charles DickensA railway worker sees a warning but cannot tell which train is in danger
Build horror around a responsible person who has reason to fear a disaster but lacks the information needed to prevent it.
Dilemmas & costs
After Twenty Years · O. HenryHis duty requires an action he cannot bear to perform himself
Give a character a compromise between personal loyalty and official responsibility that still has a cost.
Dilemmas & costs
A White Heron · Sarah Orne JewettShe could earn ten dollars by showing a hunter where a bird nests
Make a choice about sharing information difficult by giving the character something they sincerely want from the person asking.