I'm currently reading through What Dreams May Come by the legendary Richard Matheson. At first, I worried about the many pages of exposition used to introduce the afterlife. Then, catching me off guard, Matheson did something very rare:
He forced a tough decision upon his protagonist.
That may not seem so rare at first, but it is when you think about it for a bit. Most of the choices we're presented with in stories may appear tough at first glance, but more often than not, the right decision is obvious. Of course, the protagonist might have to slay a dragon or two in order to rescue his/her beloved, but it's apparent from the onset that this would be the good and right thing to do.
Real life choices, at least in my experience, are rarely so obvious. Many of the difficult decisions to be made are of the "fucked if you do and fucked if you don't" variety, where even inaction could have disastrous consequences. Most of the time we have to just pick one and hope for the best. Think of how many times you've read a story where that happens, or have watched it on TV or a movie. I'd wager that you'd have difficulty remembering enough instances to even count on one hand.
That, to me, is why actual tough choices in fiction -- the "Well... crap" Moment -- are very, very infrequent.
In What Dreams May Come, the main character dies in a horrible accident. Despite entering the afterlife and all the miraculous beauty it has to offer, he can't help but worry about his wife he left on Earth. The other members of the deceased tell him not to be bothered, as she'll join him soon enough, but they are all shocked to learn that, in her infinite grief of her husband's departure, she decided to take matters into her own hands and end her own life.
At this moment the choice comes: does the protagonist let his loved one endure close to a quarter century of Hell -- or the novel's version of Hell, anyway --, or attempt a one in a trillion chance of finding her and risk losing both of their souls forever.
I dunno. To me, at least, that is a pretty shitty choice to be presented with. In the first option, she's guaranteed (most likely) to rejoin her husband in heaven, but at the expense of enduring unimaginable torment for years upon years. In the second option, he can make the brazen and most-likely-to-fail attempt to reach her, at the risk of royally fucking them both over for all eternity.
What would you do, in the main character's position? Would you let someone you loved more than anything else endure hell for close to twenty five years, or make a worse-than-the-lottery chance at rescuing him/her, at the risk of damning you both forever?
See, that is what I think writers should strive for more often. Fucked-if-you-do-or-don't decisions force the readers/audience into the perspective of the characters, and allow more opportunity for empathy. The television series "The Shield" was spectacular with this during the final season, which allowed the audience to share identify with a less-than-savory character that they otherwise wouldn't want anything to do with.
So, strive for those decisions in your writing. Make it tough for your characters... and your readers. They'll thank you for it.
