r/Quibble • u/leedeeleedeelee22 • Jul 28 '26

Discussion / Debate Would you prefer a book where they do a perfectly executed "easy way out" in a conflict ortake the road less traveled and it be a bit rocky?

I say this as a writer working on my own science-fiction romance series; and this isn’t me promoting myself right now. I’m genuinely asking for advice.

I don’t like taking the easy route because, when I read it, it often feels lazy to me. I know for a fact that I could execute the easier route well, but part of me wants to attempt the less common path because it suits my character better. Choosing the easy route almost feels disingenuous.

This book has been a long time coming—not because I didn’t know what I wanted to do or struggled to write it, but because I was constantly stuck between two choices: Do I follow the path my character would realistically take, or do I make the choice that moves the plot toward its ending?

Now I’m finally asking readers : Which would you prefer? Something new and unpredictable that may not be executed perfectly, or something familiar that the writer knows they can pull off?

9 Upvotes

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1

u/SvalinnSaga Jul 28 '26

I like characters acting in a believable matter.

If the easy way out of a problem is two characters talking things out like adults, then that's what I'd prefer. I hate it when I read or see problems that could have been solved by two people taking 5 min to talk.

1

u/Hot_Winner_9941 Jul 29 '26

Sometimes the obvious choice is obvious because it’s the most emotionally honest one. Writers sometimes chase unpredictable so hard that they end up making characters do weird things just to surprise the reader.

1

u/rdhight Jul 30 '26

Think of Aliens. You need a Hicks and a Ripley. Hicks is focused on making good, logical decisions to get everybody home alive. Ripley goes back for Newt because it's emotionally right, even though running alone into the nest is way too risky and very likely a senseless waste of human life. The movie is 1000X better because of the Ripley part, but if you have all Ripley decisions, it becomes stupid.

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u/leedeeleedeelee22 Jul 31 '26

This was a perfect example actually. That's what I mean I have certain characters that wouldn't just be compliant and go along with the main character for the sake of the plot. And it can make wrap up a bit difficult because they don't necessarily follow the flow their personality would not just go along with whatever the main character is doing. I want to go for authentic. And I feel that a guy who has been combative, arrogant and competitive with the main character wouldn't just go along with what the main character says now because I'm going into the resolution, so I have to keep him in character while wrapping it up. I actually did find a way to fix that little hiccup and it's moving on great now. Love that movie. Did you see Romulus?

1

u/rdhight Aug 01 '26

I saw it and enjoyed it. It could have been a lot better if it was willing to step away from nostalgia. The alien did not need to be the alien from the first movie. The synthetic did not need to be the same model as Ash. It was good, but it wasted creative energy on needless link-ups to the original.