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I have stumbled upon a major stumbling blocks in a story I am currently editing. Here’s the problem:
The main character is an orphan, whose parents have been killed by pirates. He is taken in by a pirate hunter as an “apprentice”. The pirate hunter abuses the main character (punching him, giving him little food, etc.), yet teaches the MC how to become a pirate hunter. This is obviously unrealistic. I could either have the pirate hunter label his abuse “toughening the boy up”, or not teach the MC anything whatsoever—instead the MC picks up the career by observing.
I am out of ideas on how to fix this without changing an entire scene or expanding even more on the story. My word limit is 4,000 words, and I currently have 4,114. Helpful input would be most appreciated!
@warrioroftherealm Well, I’m sure there’s a simple solution out there. The rationalized foolishness of people is simply astounding. People can convince themselves that anything they do is consistent. I really can’t offer an answer, but here are some ideas:
.The pirate hunter has a personal motive and plan for using the boy when he is trained.
.The pirate hunter could have some sort of misconception about your character but still trains him because he thinks it will be the best thing for the character.
.The pirate hunter makes some agreement of honor to train the guy but then becomes irate with him later.
.The pirate hunter could do his job for vengeance and be a totally ruthless fellow who mistreats your MC just to vent himself sometimes, but who still trains him because he just hates pirates and wants to see the boy skewer a few of them while his life lasts. That might make a good foil character too.🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢
Thank you so much! Problem has been fixed! Thank the Lord!
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