How do I make a non-cliche escape scene?

[Elanor]

So a person escapes the bad guys. This is a characteristic of most every book I’ve read. I’m writing a prison escape in my current WIP and am wondering how to make it something that’s not just the same old thing.

Any tips and or advice would be gladly appreciated.

I’ll tag a bunch of people.

@kathleenramm @joy-caroline @abigail-m @precious-y @not-so-secret-secret-assassin @morgan @precious-y @sparksaraabbott11 @e-k-seaver @writerlexi1216 @lydia-s @nanisnook @lewilliams @relia@hallie-jean @anatra23 @iluvhim18 @jenwriter17 @keilah-h @nova21 @ariel-f @beth-darlene @buildsbygideon @daisy-torres @jodi-maile @when-i-see-the-kingdom @akbaer @zatara @seekjustice @erinramm @lucy @wyn-rose @millennium @kayleigh-idea @anne-of-lothlorien @christi-eaton @gretald @elishavet-pidyon @koshka @devastate-lasting @e-k-seaver @trahia-the-minstrel @william-starkey @issawriter7

• This topic was modified 3 years ago by Elanor.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

[Issabelle Perry]

@elanor

That’s a GREAT question!!! And actually, I’m in desperate need of some help in this area too with my novel. 😅 So I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but a few things I’m trying to remember with my scene (but seriously, if you guys have ANY tips, I need some too) is to (1) see what everyone else is doing and just… don’t do that that probably didn’t make any sense (2) not make it easy. That’s kind of my problem with my story is that my escape scene is just too easy and convenient. (3) don’t make it predictable. Which kinda goes back to the not doing what everyone else is doing.

Yeah, I don’t think that helps at all, so I hope someone else has better tips than me. 😂

God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com

[E. K. Seaver]

@elanor

 

Funnily enough I’m writing a prison escape scene in my book too. The prison is on the top of the mountain, and of the two people escaping, one knows where they’re going and the other doesn’t. I feel like it’s fairly interesting having the POV character being forced to rely on the already somewhat untrustworthy informed character. They also get out of the prison fairly quickly (because one of the characters knows what they’re doing) but have to walk down the mountain in the snow and the actual confrontation is when they’re at the bottom of the mountain.

 

The pen is mightier than the sword, but in a duel, I'm taking the sword.
ekseaver.wordpress.com

[Jodi Maile]

@elanor Great question! I wrangled with this for a long time in one of my stories. Here’s what I figured out from all that research and whatnot:

Think of the environment and how you can create environmental obstacles. In Avatar Volume 3, there are two episodes where Sokka and Zuko have to escape from a high-security Fire Nation prison surrounded by boiling water, so the only way out is by hot air balloon, which they don’t have, or a metal gondola constantly monitored by guards. If you haven’t seen it, I really recommend you watch those episodes, because the use of environment + the characters’ firebending and strategy skills is excellent.

Think of the characters’ goals and motives. If two characters are both trying to escape, but one character wants to sabotage another character, that could create an interesting situation. Or if one character is trying to escape and the other wants to find something in the prison before they leave, that character’s agenda is dangerous and could cause extra problems on the way out. Even if there’s only one character, their agenda/motives could still prove dangerous for them if they put themselves further in harm’s way.

Make a list of everything that could go wrong and then have one of those things actually happen, and force the character to adapt suddenly to a change of plan. Maybe also make a list of everything that would be expected to happen, and try brainstorming twists to those events until you get something creative that you’re happy with.

I read somewhere that if you have the good guys make a plan and it’s going to succeed, you shouldn’t describe the details of the plan before the character goes out and does it. That way, the audience will be surprised by every twist and turn of the plan and then when it ends well, they’ll be surprised and happy. If the plan is going to fail, then you can describe its details beforehand, so the audience will be expecting things to go according to plan and then it won’t, and they’ll be surprised.

These are just a few things! I hope this helps. Best of luck with this escape scene 🙂

[Elishavet Elroi]

This is a great question. I am currently on a quest to seek and destroy cliches, so this is fantastic.

Let’s see.

Work in the personality of your character. Jesper might pick the lock, Picket might (try to) dig out, fight out, etc., and Janner would work the system against itself (and fight like mad if it didn’t work). Every person sees things differently, so have fun being creative. What is the routine of your prison? Where is your character; are they in the inner prison, or in a tower? What is their knee-jerk reaction when things go awry? How does their mind work; are they mechanically minded, or do they see the mathmatics in Creation? What has their past taught them to do?

Wow, that was long. One more thing. Use what you have given them. Will the acid in the food erode window bars? History tells many tales of brilliant people who used crazy methods to escape captivity.

Have fun, be creative, and thwart those prison officials!

You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

[Elanor]

Thanks so much for the tips everyone. They are all helpful. I just realized I forgot to mention anything about the prison or the escape. Might have been helpful…
So my two girl characters Kedja and Zyla are trying to escape a prison that they’ve been brought to to be trained to work for Okdor, my Villain. Kedja, through a very tragic backstory which I won’t get into, was brought there several years before. Zyla only a few weeks before (she also has quite a tragic backstory) anyhow…

Each group of people in my book (fantasy) has the ability to communicate with a different type of creature. Kedja for the first time finally reveals her gift which is reptiles by getting a poisonous snake to dispose of the guard (the inner prison isn’t overly guarded). Kedja won’t be able to escape and she knew this even before she planned to provide the escape for Zyla. Zyla of course didn’t know this till after and almost refuses to leave Kedja behind. But does eventually get convinced… and then…. the rest is what I’m trying to figure out. I know Kedja will pay dearly and that I need to give Zyla a difficult time as well…

I’m not sure that even made sense but there’s somewhat of the picture (I’m terrible at summering anything when it comes to books.

 

@issawriter7 Same here! I’ve found that I haven’t made what I’ve written of the escape hard enough. I’m still scheming up a way to make it harder  lol

@jodi-maile No I haven’t seen Avatar the Last Air Bender but I’ve heard a bunch about it. Those are all great tips, thanks. Not revealing to the readers to create suspense… definitely going to do that one.

@elishavet-pidyon I’m glad to have given you another cliché to track down. Yes, demonstrating and flushing out each character’s  personalities is a good tip.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

[Linyang Zhang]

@elanor Let whoever imprisoned them “let” them out.

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[Trahia the Minstrel]

@jodi-maile

I love the Boiling Rock episodes! They’re some of my favourite — the bromance between Zuko and Sokka is just so good!😁

@elanor

Just an idea, feel free to toss it away — what if when Zyla escapes she’s crying after this argument with Kedja, and as she gets to the perimeter, she hears Kedja’s screams? This could be a way to hit home what both of them have sacrificed, and then what if Zyla nearly got caught? Or did get caught, and as she was being dragged back, she finally used her gift for the first time, only able to at her most desperate need?

Sorry, I dunno😅 This is totally your story, but it sounds cool and dramatic and what you described made my imagination fly. You should totally ignore all these ideas if they weren’t what you wanted at all.

The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.

[Elishavet Elroi]

@elanor

Oooooo, it sounds really good and has a unique flavor.

Finding a gift through captivity? I think you just helped me with one of my WIPs. 🙂

Thank you, it was fun!

Just because, here is an escape cliche pet peeve of mine:

Saying “I think we’ll make it!” just before getting caught.

*Rueful laugh*

• This reply was modified 2 years, 12 months ago by Elishavet Elroi. Reason: Commas aren't always the answer, especially with injurious typing

You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

[Not-So-Secret Secret Assassin]

@elanor

I have written quite a few escape scenes in my lifetime (the very nature of my stories require it to be so), and cliche escape scenes are one of my pet peeves in stories, so I think that I have a few tips that I can help you with.
First, what constitutes a “bad escape scene”?
1. It’s super easy, and it makes the villain look weak
2. It’s (like you mentioned) cliche and something we’ve seen before
3. It’s not satisfying. The “getting captured and imprisoned” plot arc is used a lot for a reason. The stakes are high and the main characters are at their weakest. It’s a really great story dynamic and when it’s ruined by an unsatisfying escape scene, the readers would rather the characters have just continued being locked up.
4. It’s convenient. Somehow, the guards are just conveniently not good at fighting that day. And they are just conveniently not guarding a crucial part of the prison. Or one guard just conveniently happens to be sleepy that day.

So to make your escape scene difficult, original, and satisfying, here are some ideas:

1. Push the characters to their breaking point. Why are they escaping now of all times? What bad thing will happen if they don’t escape now?
2. Don’t make your prison or whatever convenient for your characters to escape from. Instead of making the prison fit your character’s escape plan, set up your prison first in a logical way, and then make your characters have to work around it. Make your characters conform to the prison, don’t let the prison conform to your characters.
3. Don’t focus on trying to make your escape scene non cliche. Instead, focus on your characters and how they grow in the scene. What is your main character’s weakness and main struggle? How do they struggle even more in this scene because of it? How do they overcome it? Stuff like that.
4. Wrap up or develop a mini subplot. For example, the main character is trying to learn a skill/ superpower/ technique/ etc but has been struggling for the longest time. Here, at the most crucial moment he learns it. Or, another example would be two characters distrust each other, but at the most crucial moment one saves the other, and they become friends. Something like that to wrap up or develop a subplot.
5. Add interpersonal conflict. One of the things that make an escape scene boring is that it just focuses on the outer conflict with them fighting the guards and whatnot. Adding conflict between the characters who are escaping makes it even more intense and unique. Maybe the two of them have different ideas on how to escape. Maybe one of them suspects the other might betray them. Maybe they are escaping with someone who is really super shifty. Anything.
6. Use the “out of the frying pan and into the fire” technique. Instead of making them just escape, and then safely go to base camp, throw them out into the wild where the stakes are even higher and now they are being hunted. For example, in The Two Towers Merry and Pippin escape the orcs, only to enter the “haunted” Fangorn forest.
7. Use the “nothing goes as planned” technique. When things go terribly wrong, but your characters still find a way to make it out (albeit through tough decisions and sacrifices) that’s quite satisfying to read. For example, they might have planned to escape with a few other people or grab a few supplies on their way out. But since their plan failed, they will have to make the heart wrenching decision to just leave it/ them behind.
8. Use the escape as a growth milestone for your characters. If your character is struggling with trusting people, make this the milestone where she really has to put her trust in someone, for example. And similarly, if your character is going down a negative character arc, this will be the milestone where they really take a step into darkness (like, they kill someone or give into their anger and hatred).
9. Force your characters to use skills that they aren’t really adept in. (A character who isn’t good at making plans has to make a plan. A character who loves plans has to learn to be flexible. A character who is pretty weak physically has to do a lot of running and climbing. A character who doesn’t like to hurt anyone has to fight. Etcetera.)
10. Ask yourself what the escape scene is “really” about.

In the Return of the King, when Sam rescues Frodo, that is a very character-focused scene. First, we get the Orcs’ weakness (which we have seen over and over again) greed.
Then the focus is on Sam and his character – his determination and courage to rescue his friend as he fights through the orcs.
This scene isn’t just about Sam fighting Orcs. It’s about Sacrifice v Greed. It’s about Sam reuniting with Frodo and finally reconciling the argument and misunderstanding they had before. It’s a key moment in their friendship. And it’s a key moment in Frodo’s internal journey as we realize that The Ring is more powerful than ever now, and it’s getting harder for Frodo to resist.
Some other examples of this I’ve scene in escapes scenes are stuff like:
The main character finally stepping into a leadership role
The main character letting go of despair and finding hope
The main character deciding not to trust anyone anymore, and just rely on his own power.

So, yeah. Just try to understand the abstract idea behind your scene. It’s essence. What it’s really about.

I have a lot more points, but I’ll just stop there.

From the summary you gave, it looks like you’re already on the right track.
So I hope this gave you some more ideas. Go write an epic escape scene!

Flawless and handsome (as ruled by my grandmother.)

[Elanor]

@trahia-the-minstrel

haha, I’ve got that exact thing. Zyla is crying and Kedja does scream.

The only reason that Kedja can get Zyla to leave her is that they are using Zyla to try to get Kedja to work for them by torturing Zyla (yeah manipulative evil people). Kedja can’t bear it anymore and has to get Zyla free because she can’t bear that someone else is being abused because of her and if it continued any longer Zyla would be simply too weak to escape, making it imperative that it happen now. As it is she’s going to have a hard time with it from her mistreatment and lack of nourishment.

Kedja, a hardened, hateful, angry young woman whose goal in life was to take revenge on (okay, I’m getting carried away) someone who gave her up willingly. A woman who rejected and acted repulsed at any love shown her because it made her feel exposed and weak an opportunity to be used against her.

She embraced this girl when she first was brought to prison for the sole reason that Zyla looked like her younger sister who had died previously. She hadn’t been able to save her sister but maybe she could save this other girl. She would prefer to die for this deed and save one person from living her life than serve the, for lack of better words, bad guys. But, no, she’s too useful to them they are not merciful enough to kill her. At least… not quickly. They tell her that her little friend never made it and any other lies they can conjure up.

@not-so-secret-secret-assassin

Thank you so much for all those tips! They are great. I guess I’m doing some things right because I’ve got a lot of those things going on.

It’s my first novel so I’m wanting to get it just right. lol Not like that’ll happen… oh well a girl can dream. 😆

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

[Power]

Draw out a map of the place they are trying to escape and their route of escape. Look through history at times when people have escaped or broken in to some place.

You will love what you spend time with.

[Elanor]

@elishavet-pidyon

Glad to have given you an idea.

I wasn’t sure if my idea of people communicating with animals is lame-sounding or not. It’s based on my imaginative world when I was little changed a bit but the world, peoples, cultures, and fantasy creatures still have their roots in that. When I was young I’d spend hours upon hours going on adventures and missions and flying on dragons etc in this world. So I’m writing this book mostly for myself. I might do more with it if enough of my writer/reader friends like it. We’ll see…

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

[Elanor]

@power

Another great idea thanks. That’s one I hadn’t thought of.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

[Power]

Also remember bullets and arrows don’t allows miss or “Whizz over their head”, and when someone is hit by one of these they don’t just say “Ow ” and keep running.

You will love what you spend time with.

[Author]

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