It is late. Very late. And I am sitting on an attractive yet uncomfortable piece of furniture in one of many seating arrangements found throughout this hotel. I am listening to a woman who is talking to me. No, that’s not quite right. A woman is talking to me—has been talking to me for over an hour, perhaps two. And at this very moment, this is what I am thinking:
This woman has been lying to me for over an hour, perhaps two.
Now, I’m not sure she knows she is making stuff up; she has clearly had too much to drink. And since I don’t really know her, I can’t be sure she is making stuff up. All I know is that I feel trapped. I don’t want to be awake right now. I don’t want to be talking to this person at all. But somehow, I am, and I can’t just leave.
One: I can’t leave an inebriated woman in a public place at…ohmygod,it’sfourinthemorning!
Two: I can’t get a word in edgewise, and yet I can’t interrupt her because that would be rude.
Three: I am one of the organizers of this event and if I’m rude to her she might badmouth the organization to others.
So there I sit. Trapped.
There are so many ways in which a person can feel trapped. I have been physically trapped in a room by someone stronger than me. I have felt trapped in a job. I have been trapped in a plane on the tarmac within sight of the jetway for nearly two hours when hello?! I can see it! I can see the door! I can see multiple doors not forty yards away! Just let me out of this thing and I will use my very functional legs to walk forty yards to the door!
Being trapped causes a reaction in us. There are the emotional reactions: fear, anxiety, despondency, anger, vengefulness. There are physical reactions: elevated heartbeat, sweating, adrenaline pumping. There are mental reactions: calculating fight or flight options, devising plans to escape, trying to talk ourselves down from a panic attack.
No matter what the situation, being trapped generally doesn’t feel ho-hum or blasé to us. It’s a way to raise the tension in your story. And, in fact, it might be your story.
Speed. Rescue Dawn. The Shawshank Redemption. Panic Room. The Shining. Identity. 127 Hours. The Martian. Phone Booth. Get Out. Misery. All of these are movies where someone or multiple people are physically trapped. And there are so many more!
But what about Pride & Prejudice? Aren’t those girls trapped by sexist cultural rules? What about The Last King of Scotland? Isn’t the doctor “trapped” in his job working for a war lord? Or Good Will Hunting? Isn’t Will trapped in his own history as an abused foster child and his low expectations for his life?
And the best part about stories where someone is trapped? Usually they eventually break free.
Let’s explore this dynamic as we brainstorm ideas for a story. (And then maybe at the end I’ll let you know the rest of my experience trapped in that unending “conversation.”)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Experimental Wolves to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.