# What's a reason why two characters like this would be forced to work together realistically?



## ironpony (May 3, 2022)

My story is a crime thriller set in modern times, and I need the main character, a police officer in the case, and a witness in the case, to spend quite a few hours together in the plot, to go where I want it to go.

However, I cannot think of a reason why they would be alone together realistically.  I could write it so the cop is assigned to protect the witness, but I feel normally they would assign more than one officer to protect her, but in order to go where I want it go, I want some things to happen that no other police character can be a witness to.

But also, when protecting a witness, I assume the readers will think that the officer has to call and check in every so often and this is also a problem, since I want him to be finding out some things, without having to report in.

I could also write it so the main character is assigned to get close to the witness, and entice information out of her and record it, since she is being uncooperative and this is his assignment, since it's a big case.  But would he still have to report in every so often if he was doing that?

Or maybe there are better reasons why these two can spend a great deal of time alone together in the plot?  Thank you to anyone for any advice on this!  I really appreciate it!


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## Quelhallow (May 9, 2022)

They are really into coffee.
They fantasize about their future, maybe one of them used to want to be an eco-friendly architect, and another wanted to be a homesteader, but alas, crime happened.
They were both in the chess club in high school.
The witness wants to change clothes, but alas she's a fashionista, so the officer must take her shopping.
They found a stray puppy and don't know what to do with it.

Find a common interest or introduce a problem they must work together and solve in the 'down time' between plot points.


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## Louanne Learning (May 14, 2022)

It depends. So much of what transpires between them depends on who they are. Is he a good cop or a bad cop? Is she a strong, independent woman, or is she traumatized? Writing a plausible coming-together of them begins with who they are. Then, likely scenarios will present themselves.


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## chrismhayes1980 (May 14, 2022)

I can see it playing out as the stereotypical brother and sister spit spatting to begin with. And then possibly either the chick realizes she's actually in serious danger and needs the officer around.

Or the officer is the one that discovers exactly how much danger she's in first and feels duty bound to protect her until she realizes it


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## ehbowen (May 17, 2022)

chrismhayes1980 said:


> Or the officer is the one that discovers exactly how much danger she's in first and feels duty bound to protect her until she realizes it


This I like.


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## ironpony (May 20, 2022)

Thanks for the input!  I could write it like that but others told me a cop would not risk his job and break protocol like that, as many officers do not go out of their way to protect every person in danger. Do readers have a point?


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## ehbowen (May 20, 2022)

ironpony said:


> Thanks for the input!  I could write it like that but others told me a cop would not risk his job and break protocol like that, as many officers do not go out of their way to protect every person in danger. Do readers have a point?


Ninety-five percent of the time yes, they have a point; five percent of the time no, the officer goes 'above and beyond'. If the five percent makes a better story, write the 5%.


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## ironpony (May 20, 2022)

That's a good point, thanks.  I could also write it so that his superior just assigns him to guard the witness if that's better or simpler?


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## chrismhayes1980 (May 20, 2022)

ironpony said:


> Thanks for the input!  I could write it like that but others told me a cop would not risk his job and break protocol like that, as many officers do not go out of their way to protect every person in danger. Do readers have a point?


If it's a detective that has been trying to nail a set of people already they definitely would.


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## chrismhayes1980 (May 20, 2022)

ironpony said:


> That's a good point, thanks.  I could also write it so that his superior just assigns him to guard the witness if that's better or simpler?


Not really easier because honestly if the guys not already invested some how think about when your boss tells ya to do something your not interested in vs if it's something you are excited about or wanted to do any ways.


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## ironpony (May 20, 2022)

Oh okay but a lot of times stores will have the 'refusal to call of adventure' where the protagonist does not want to do what they are forced into doing it first. Unless this is different?


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## ehbowen (May 20, 2022)

Not to be mean, but as the writer it's your job to find a way to "sell" the situation to your readership. I'm thinking of one of my screenplay efforts (you'll find it somewhere in the fiction showcase) where my setup was to have a billionaire's heiress take a job as a small-town librarian and fall for a mechanic. Hard to get more unrealistic than that! We can debate how skillfully I handled it, but I at least addressed the problem and came up with a scenario that I felt satisfactory.


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## ironpony (May 21, 2022)

That's a good point.  Well I like the idea, of the woman convincing him to protect her, herself, but I can't see the character agreeing to that unless he is ordered to by his boss or something like that.

So if I think one way of getting to where I want is better, but I feel the character would not do that, should I just go for what the character would do, even if I don't feel it's as good in comparison?


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## ehbowen (May 21, 2022)

It's your story. Tell it in whatever way is most effective.

The way I heard it explained, in a science fiction context, was that you can get away with expecting the audience to swallow one real whopper as long as you make everything else realistic. So, for _Star Trek_, it's the existence of the faster-than-light Starship _Enterprise_, most everything else is believable (at least to 1960s sensibilities...). For me, it's having an actual angel in the human world as a character. The explanation went on to say (paraphrased, from memory), "So you can get away with a story about time travel, or you can get away with a story about dragons, but if you try to write a story about time-traveling dragons, then...no."

Of course, it's a good thing Anne McCaffrey never heeded that advice....


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## chrismhayes1980 (May 21, 2022)

Clock work Dragon's do exist ( magical power over time and space) but that's another discussion entirely.

However now from your own words, (You fear that the female wouldn't be able to convince him to help her.) 

That to me throws a big yellow flag up, if you don't think your able to get that to happen, either you have very little faith in that character, or you don't have faith in your self to write out something convincing enough. 

Both of these things are going to be important to have to make it easier for you down the journey of completion to your satisfaction.


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## ironpony (May 21, 2022)

Well I guess I just don't see why he would go out of his way to protect her for a whole night when he can just drop her off somewhere I got a friend's house. I just have trouble seeing him go above and beyond for some reason


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## ehbowen (May 21, 2022)

Have something creative happen to his car. Not a flat tire, that's too easy. Something like a broken axle and/or suspension linkage; something that a wrecker driver can't fix on the spot. Try this on for size:

She's a potential witness, right? She doesn't drive; she took the bus to work. They called her in to the police station after she got off shift to interview her. Between this, that, and the other thing the interview lasted until nine at night and she's hungry. His sergeant tells him to give her a ride home before his shift ends at ten.

On the way, in a not-so-nice neighborhood, a big truck cuts him off and he ends up barrelling straight into The Mother Of All Potholes. The police department wants him to use their own wrecker, but that guy is ready to get off shift too and doesn't answer his phone...and there's no police wrecker driver on the graveyard shift. He calls in to his dispatcher asking for a pickup and a ride for his witness, but is brusquely told, "We're busy. We'll send someone for you in a few. You're authorized overtime until they get there."

There's an all-night Denny's just half a block away. They walk there, and she has her dinner while he drinks a cup of coffee. "A few" turns into five hours. Finally, at three in the morning, someone shows up to take her home and him back to the station and his personal car. Put whatever needs to happen in the five hours between ten at night and three in the morning.

See? It's not hard. You just have to decide what you want to have happen, and then find a way to make it happen. Which shouldn't be hard...after all, it IS your story!


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## TWErvin2 (May 21, 2022)

Some officers take part-time jobs. When I worked fastfood some years back, an officer was hired to sit in the dining area on Friday and Saturday nights. That would not leave the characters alone, but think of a job, such as the the lady in question working as a clerk at a fancy hotel at night, and the officer is either hired part time by the hotel or walks a night beat and stops in the hotel lobby. Something like that?


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## ironpony (May 21, 2022)

That's good advice! Thanks!   I guess I'm just not sure which route is best. The are different ways of getting there so how does a writer know which way is best?


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## ehbowen (May 21, 2022)

ironpony said:


> That's good advice! Thanks!   I guess I'm just not sure which route is best. The are different ways of getting there so how does a writer know which way is best?


Pick one. Any one. Seriously. Pick one and run with it as far as it will take you. If you hit a dead end you'll know it; if that happens go back and try another one. Whatever works.

Edit To Add: What is the "best" way for me to get home from my day job? Well, most of the time its taking the Gulf Freeway to Monroe Road. But what if there's traffic? Telephone Road, or maybe Lawndale and Old Galveston. Suppose I need to pick up something from the store? Maybe some Beltway 8. What if I want to have dinner on the seawall overlooking the Gulf? The 'best way' home might involve a detour through Galveston!

The 'best way' is the route which is intriguing enough that it will entice the reader to leave their otherwise boring commute and come on it along with you. Spice it up with memorable personalities, colorful images, and exciting events. When it's over, you want them to tell their friends, "Hey, listen to this great trip I just took! You might want to take it, too!"


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## ironpony (May 22, 2022)

Thank you very much. I can try to choose the best option, but if I have to choose between one that has the most themes, and one that is the most simple, which one sounds better?


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## ehbowen (May 22, 2022)

If it's central to the plot, choose the one with the most themes.

If it's a peripheral subplot, choose the one which is most simple.

Again, it's your story and Your Mileage May Vary. But that's my simplest answer.


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## ironpony (Jun 1, 2022)

Thank you very much!  That seems like a good approach and I will try to keep that in mind.


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