Solution w/o Deus Ex Machina

[Wiglaf]

Imagine you were a wealthy man a long time ago and suffered a reversal of fortune due to an act of God. Now you are homeless and a debt collector has just tracked you down in order to enslave you as payment for your debts. How would you save yourself?
I need ideas beyond running and hiding as at this point they have failed. "...and he was enslaved for the rest of his days," seems like a bummer of an ending.

 

[Cory Swanson]

I am thinking of some sort of Mark Twain style of trickery a la Tom Sawyer and the painting of the fence.

 

[Wiglaf]

I keep hoping for a realistic way he can pay it off or get someone else to pay it off in return for something. He can't just escape; his family is under the same threat. He is also concerned because the runaway slave that has helped him belongs to the person his family would be handed over to. His creditor is a much worse slaveholder than he was.

 

[SciFrac]

Agreed. Let's see this guy use all of his wit and resourcefulness to pry himself out of the situation. Maybe he could use the info on the collector to flip the tables.

 

[Phyrebrat]

• Blackmail
• Murder
• Joining forces with the antagonist to beat a bigger foe
• He has something the antagonist needs.
• A reveal that the antagonist actually needs his skills for some secret operation all along

Any help?

pH

 

[Brian G Turner]

I was about to suggest a few options, such as the debt collector being indebted to him for some act in the past, else the protag had some business investments that were never liquidated, such as his ownership of the debt company.

Then I realised perhaps you're lacking something about the protag's development itself. What does he want? What is he trying to achieve? What is the purpose of focusing on him for the story?

It may be that you're missing a character motivation, rather than plot element.

2c.

 

[harryjones0071]

choices - hide and change identity, or go on the offensive and eliminate the hunter - so probably a bit of both - evade, get off the grid , change identity, track down the source of your debt / government system / organisation / infiltrate and remove the debt... on the way you might find there are more sinister reasons for the debt, or a personal vendetta from someone on you, and you have to follow that path down -
the real satisfaction for the character, and the reader, is in taking a difficult situation and turning it around so that you have a victor, a hero worth following -
even if the debt is from shady circumstances, redemption along the way to removing the debt will make the readers love him even more -
or else , he finds out on removing the debt an love for chaos, spying and killing - and gets dragged into that murky underworld - and becomes a lord in there ...
anyway - breakfast time

 

[J D Foster]

If he has a beautiful daughter with a title she could marry money
His wife, daughter, niece could have smuggled some jewels out when he was originally broken. They could have kept them all this time just in case.

 

[Wiglaf]

I was about to suggest a few options, such as the debt collector being indebted to him for some act in the past, else the protag had some business investments that were never liquidated, such as his ownership of the debt company.

Then I realised perhaps you're lacking something about the protag's development itself. What does he want? What is he trying to achieve? What is the purpose of focusing on him for the story?

It may be that you're missing a character motivation, rather than plot element.

2c.

His motivation at this point switches from survival to getting his own back and keeping his family out of slavery, especially the females as the creditor is known for being overly "friendly" with his female slaves.
Perhaps what I need is a motivation for someone to help him, preferably for a steep price. Indentured servitude for having his debt purchased? It would be better than chattel slavery and the risk of having his daughter raped.

 

[Brian G Turner]

His motivation at this point switches from survival to getting his own back and keeping his family out of slavery

What I mean is: what is his motivation at the start of the book? What is it halfway through? Whatever happens at the end should ideally be a logical continuation of that, rather than a sudden change. Whatever he's fought to do in the first act should perhaps be continued into the final one.

Have I ever recommended Save the Cat by Blake Snyder to you? It's all about character motivation and conflict. A short and succinct book, too.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Perhaps a former business partner from when he was wealthy might want him for reasons pertaining to their old business? Or maybe a rival from the old days, for the same reason? They would agree to help him for the information in his head, or for the sheer joy of humiliating him, or some such? It would really grate on him to have to be saved by someone like that.

 

[Susan Boulton]

A version of the Count of Monte Cristo

 

[NbDawn]

How long ago are we talking? Officials can be susceptible to bribery. Your once wealthy character probably knows a number of other wealthy people. Perhaps he can convince the official that he knows how to get his hands on a valuable object or two belonging to one of these other wealthy associates. If the person was your character's enemy, then it might be a great way to get even for some other past misdeed, such as sleeping with his spouse. If the person is a friend, perhaps your character can tell him the situation and together the two of them can turn things around on slaver. Perhaps your character has only bought some time with this bribery and next finds himself in a situation where he doesn't really want to steal from anyone and yet still has to find a way out of debt. Maybe he can sell a kidney on the black market. Perhaps he finds a way to use the knowledge that helped him obtain his initial wealth to begin with and put it to use in another way, perhaps to benefit a wealthy benefactor who agrees to pay his debt.

 

[Dave]

The debt collector is his ******* son from his favourite whore. He was born into poverty but made money selling spades and shovel to prospectors during a local gold rush. The son despises his father for never seeing if he was okay but the father was not aware of him. Now reconciled, he pays his father's debts.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

God gives him challenges to overcome to regain his riches.