Yesterday we talked about Character Change – and the point where, after their first attempt and failure, they get a glimpse of what it will cost them to succeed. Today we’re going to talk about the reward for succeeding.
Every summer, I take the five week beginner’s Tennis class through our local community center. Let me say that again. Every Year I Take the Beginners Tennis Class.
That’s right. Just the Beginners. Yes, there’s an intermediate class. And an advanced level class. And then people actually PLAY each other. For points. And wins.
But see, progressing would require something, well, that I’ve tried to push out of my brain every since I escaped six years of piano lessons: practice.
Now the thing is, I do like Tennis. I like watching it, and I like playing it. I like hitting the ball so that it bounces inside the line, and then out of reach of my opponent. Yes, occasionally it happens. But for the most part, I there I am, the one hitting air as the ball flies past me.
It’s gonna take a lot of practice to get this girl into the intermediate class. And truth is: I just don’t see it. Because once I get there – I’m going to have to play OTHER intermediate players. Who will beat me. And then I’ll have to practice more to get to the Advanced level. Where I’ll get beat again.
The bottom line is…why? What’s in it for me? (Humiliation is not a reward, BTW) I suppose someone could suggest that I could concentrate on the FUN of Tennis (and it is fun), and the occasional thrill when I land a serve INSIDE the service box. But so far, the reward isn’t greater than the cost.
(Although, something inside me compels to return to the courts every summer. I think that’s called FAITH…)
- Your character has to see past the COSTS to the REWARDS. And, they have to believe that it’s possible. Or at least, that it could be. Seeing the Costs and the Rewards will make them look inside, to ask WHY that Reward is worth fighting for. (which brings us to tomorrow’s lesson – the DESIRE, and how that is key in creating character change!) Later, they’ll discover what it is inside them that stands in the way. But for now they have to believe that it’s worth the battle.
So, how do you do that?
1. Give them a hero. Someone who has been the course, and fought the good fight, who knows the Reward. Like Obe-Wan-Kenobi, who was the Jedi master, and Luke’s mentor. Or, in Sleepless in Seattle, Annie’s parents, who had a long-lasting true love.
2. Give them a glimpse of the darkness. Up the ante by adding into the mix the “what if we do nothing” question. Give them a glimpse of what could happen if they don’t fight the good fight. Like, when, at the end of LOTR 1, Frodo and gang fight Mordor’s creepy army. They know their destruction will overrun the land if they don’t stop it.
3. Give them a cause. Kidnap their sidekick, make them fall in love with the princess, save a kingdom – anything to make them realize that if they give up, they’ll lose what they love. Titanic is a classic example (I can’t think of that movie without hearing – “Jack, Jack! Come Back!”) Falling in love makes them realize what they have to live for!
The Reward has to be at least a vivid, as compelling, as tangible as the cost. Or frankly, they’ll end up taking the beginners class, year, after year, after year….
Rachel chiming in: Wow, great post, Suz. I feel like I have nothing to add. Well said,
Okay, one thing. I’ve asked a few people lately: what does your character want?
Mostly, I hear, “to know God loves them.” Or, “to find love.”
Great, noble causes. But left to themselves, it’s not a good story. Take Rose in Titanic. Rose wants to find love yes, but really she wants freedom. From her mother. From society. From expectations.
Rose wants to discover herself. On the voyage, she begins to understand she is not the woman she’s pretending to be. She doesn’t want to be a society wife.
This struggle is what makes us love her. It’s what makes us identify with her. She wants to freedom and Jacks love fuels her courage.
Now, think of your story, and go deeper.
See you tomorrow!