I was drinking an extra tall vanilla latte, blinking back the sand in my eyes as Sally came in.  A glorious Monday morning, the sun winking off the frosty waves of Lake Superior, the sky a triumphant eggshell blue, the snow glistening under all that grandeur like diamonds.

Good thing, too, because I’d stayed up late watching both Casablanca and Pearl Harbor to prepare for our conversation this morning. I knew, after meeting with Sally for three weeks, she took our conversations seriously and wanted to be on my game.

She sat down and pulled off her knitted mittens.  “I started a notebook from last week, like you suggested.”  She pulled out a hardbound journal with a leather cover and handed it to me.  I opened it and to my delight found copied phrases and sentences, analysis of plots and notes to self as to why she liked them.

“This is perfect.  Have you discovered something about your voice?”

“Yes. I love the poetry of words, how they string together, and I like to use them in unusual ways.  I like stories about sacrifice and unrequited love.  And I love snappy dialogue, the kind that cuts at the heart of a character. A lot of the passages I copied where examples of these.”

“Excellent. Continue to study how the masters do it, and then try it yourself – in your own voice, of course.  As you get further along writing your novel, we’ll talk about some tricks how to do that.  But I’m sure you’re wondering when you’ll get to start writing?”

“My character keeps talking to me, and he’s getting louder,” Sally said.  “But I don’t know how to start really developing him.”

“We’re going to start working on him this week, I promise.  You’ll have homework that will help you learn the specific things you need to construct his journey.  However, today I want to talk about the four elements you have to put into your book to make it a best-seller.”

“I just want to get it written, first.”

“But you do want it to be powerful, right?  So you need to look inside the framework and produce the four elements that every reader craves. It’s these four elements that draw us to movies like Pearl Harbor and Casablanca.”

“Besides Humphrey Bogart and Ben Affleck?”  She winked.

“They help, that’s for sure.”  I winked back. “But if you think about both those movies, embody four essential plot and character elements  –  Acts of Heroism, Sacrifice, Justice and Redemption.”

She was writing these down.

“Acts of Heroism aren’t just about men or women doing heroic things, like saving a child, or going to war.  It’s about moving your character, step by step, from selfishness to selflessness.  You have to cause him to want the good of others by the end of the movie.”

“Like Rick sending Ilsa away.”

“Yes.  And like Rafe wanting Danny to live to be a daddy at the end.  And of course, Danny telling Rafe that he should raise his child.  It’s these elements that show us what true heroes are and make use love the characters despite their mistakes and sins.

“The second element is Sacrifice.  Obviously, a hero sacrifices, and building that element into your story shows the true heroic nature of your character. It can be a sacrifice of love – like Rick, or a dream – like Rafe. Or it can be a sacrifice of a friend, a job, a business.  A sacrifice can be something at the end of the journey, or it might be something at the beginning of the journey.  Like Harry Potter losing his family before the stories open. A sacrifice makes your character just a little bit more sympathetic and likeable, and makes a reader root for them.

“The third element is Redemption. We need to see that your character, or some major player is redeemed. That by his actions he has found a measure of salvation.  Rick is redeemed when he discovers that Ilsa did love him, and would rather stay with him.  He has to “do the thinking for both of them,” and when he does – and makes the right decision – he’s redeemed from being a “guy who never sticks his neck out for others.”  Rafe is redeemed from losing Evelyn to Danny when he realizes she will “never see another sunset without thinking of him.”  He knows she loves him, and he is able to step away from her and let Danny have her.  Redemption comes as a result of the epiphany and helps them right the wrongs they, or others have done to them.”

“The fourth element is Justice.  Human beings crave justice, and we want it in our stories. And frankly, it’s what allows us to like the endings of Pearl Harbor and Casablanca.  Although Danny dies, we all know that Evelyn really belonged to Rafe, and Rafe realizes just how important Danny is in his life.  This ending brings Justice to the wrongs perpetrated in the story.  And Rick…he knows Ilsa doesn’t belong to him, even though he has her heart.  We find justice for him – and all of France – when the Prefect of Police says, “round up all the usual suspects” and we realize that Rick is going to get away…and perhaps even get involved in fighting the war again.”

“The truth is, without these four pillars holding it up, your story will be uneven, and even shaky. So, as you’re creating your character this week, think about how you’ll weave in Heroism, Sacrifice, Redemption and Justice.”

She finished writing. “And I supposed you’re going to tell me to look for these in every book and movie I see.”

I smiled.  “And then write down some ideas.”

“Like losing the girl?”

“Or, since it’s a world war 2 movie, he could lose a leg or an arm. Or a best friend. But we’ll get to finding the right sacrifice as we build your character.  Right now, I just want you to be thinking of this as you build your story. Your dare for this week: come up with a list of ideas for each of these elements.  And then…I want you to name your character.”

“Like Joe, or Butch?”

“No.  Use a metaphor that captures his essence, his personality.  Ask him how he sees himself.  That will help us build his identity.  And, bring me a picture of your hero. I want to see what he looks like.”

“Ben Affleck won’t do?”

“Oh, he’ll do just fine.”

Truth:  To build a strong story, you must have Acts of Heroism, Sacrifice, Redemption and Justice built into the plot and characterization.

Dare: Look for these four elements in your WIP or favorite stories, and add them to your storycrafting checklist.