The Truth Journey (or Inner Journey, or Spiritual Journey) for your character Part 3

 

Okay, I’m just going to say it, and I’m using my Mom tone.  The Black Moment is the POINT of your story.  Because without the Black Moment, there is no epiphany and no character change, and if you are writing a romance, it is Absolutely Required. 

 

If you don’t have a black moment in your story, then you don’t have a story.  Sorry if that hurts…BUT, we’re going to fix it, right? 

 

Last week, I talked about building the black moment.  Today, let’s revisit that a moment, and talk about how to weave in the lie for effective character change!

Step Five:  The Black Moment

 

In this step, the lie rears its ugly head, and the hero is caught in the darkness.  This is RIGHT BEFORE the epiphany, and in a great inspirational story, the emotional and plot black moment can be entwined with the spiritual black moment.  This is when, after he’s tried to escape on his own, he realizes he can’t – that the lie is pulling him back in.  So, he drops to his knees and lets the lie cascade over him. 

 

You know when this is in the Patriot – it’s set up wonderfully in a previous scene, right before Gabriel’s wife dies, when Martin finally tells his son what his fears are:

 

When I went to war, it changed me.
And I didn’t want that to happen to
you.

 

Gabriel says in essence, Don’t worry father, you taught me well.  But then his wife is killed, and what happens – -Gabriel turns into a man bent on revenge and ends up getting killed.  Martin is devastated, and he goes back to the belief that, although he’s tried to do things honorably, the sins of his past have caught up to him, in a sort of cosmic way. He has lost his children, his life – and if he can’t fight for revenge, then he’s lost his reason for fighting. 

 

The spiritual black moment is when the lie seems bigger than life, and inescapable.  

 

Why do you need this?  Because this is when the TRUTH will come in and set them free.  (That’s the next step and we’ll get to that).

 

First, how do you use the LIE in the Black Moment? 

 

Sometimes, I have the Black Moment Event and follow up with a reaction where they realize the impact of that Black Moment Event, and thus see the LIE, which is unescapable.

 

In a romance, I might put the LIE in after he’s hurt the heroine and they’ve “broken up” (and/or vice versa for the heroine).  Or, I might push it back to the moment when his greatest fears come true and he realizes he’s lost her for good.

A LIE might actually occur BEFORE the black moment event – where his lie CONTRIBUTES to the black moment. 

 

Or, you could have the BME, then the LIE, THEN have the romantic black moment, as a result of all three.

 

How to decide when to use the LIE? Look at the rhythm of your story – does the lie cause the Black Moment, or does the Black Moment cause the Lie?  Taking it further and wrapping it into the romance – does the Black Moment cause the Breakup, which results in the Lie?  Or does the Lie cause the Breakup, and thus the Black Moment? 

 

We’re going to stop for a moment and just think that through –

 

Let’s take a look at Return to Me:  The lie is that she stole her boyfriend’s wife’s heart and he can’t love her because of it.   Let’s look at the sequence of events:  She feels guilty about the heart (we see that in earlier scenes) so the lie is ever present.  She then sees her thank you letter on his desk.  The lie revives, she runs (her black moment), she confesses to him her pain and he walks away (the romantic black moment and confirmation of the lie) So, the lie leads to the black moment, which leads to the breakup, and the confirmation of the lie.  

 

For him, he wonders if he can love again.  He loves her…until she leaves him and then he finds out about the heart.  It’s the romantic black moment because he wonders if he really loves Gracie, or if it is something else.  Black Moment Event leads to Lie…and the Romantic Black moment when he walks away.  Then, he realizes he misses her (the epiphany!) and has that moment where he says…I’ll always miss my wife, but I ache for Grace.  (ah!) 

 

Which leads us to:

Step 6:  The Aha!  The truth that sets them free –

 

At some point during the black moment, you need to interject some light. It’s wonderful if it is delivered in a metaphorical moment, but it’s also good via another voice of truth –

 

So, there’s Martin in the Patriot, after Gabriel’s death, and his fellow soldier – a friend, comes in and tries to console him.  He tells him that his losses matter to everyone, and that he has other children to fight for –

 

LEE says:
Nothing will replace your sons but
if you come with us you can justify
their sacrifice.

 

And then we have the poignant scene, where the militia and Continental army are leaving…and Martin looks like he’s turning back…and sees Gabriel’s mended flag.  And although it doesn’t have scripture at that moment, we understand that there are some causes worth fighting for, and that he can fight for honor rather than revenge. 

 

Of course, we’ve just talked about RTM – the truth is delivered through his friend’s reaction to the letter – wow.  And then, through his own words…

 

Book Therapist Question:  What is the truth that will set YOUR hero free? 

 

Next week, we’re going to talk about the LAST step in the journey, something I call Storming the Castle.  If you have any questions about the LIES (and the spiritual journey), hop over to Club Book Therapy Voices and join the discussion!

 

Just a reminder:  If you want a crash course in writing a best-seller, from plotting to characterization to scene building, Chip MacGregor and I have one more Bestselling Fiction Master Seminar in Denver June 18-19.  A great way to learn the foundations of storycrafting, and getting feedback on your story idea.  Go to:  www.themasterseminar.com