Ack, we left our character on his second attempt to change, and with a mini victory….and then Rachel and both had to finish our books. *grin* Yesterday we both turned them in, yay!, so this week we’re going to finish the journey on character change!
We’re been through acts 1 & 2 – showing him the need for change, and the cost and rewards, stirring up a desire inside him, and giving him a taste of victory. Now, as the Act 2 fades out, we’re going to move him into….training for Battle. (or tackling the change inside).
This is the fun part of the book (which is why I’m moving it back to Act 2- the section where all the fun and games happen). You’re going to put your character through a number of skills tests. Interpersonal challenges. Physical foibles. Through which, we’ll see him change.
For example, I saw, “You’ve Got Mail” during my travels last month….it’s a great example of this “Training for Battle” concept. Remember when Tom is about to meet Meg for the first time in the coffee shop, and he realizes that it’s his nemesis form the “shop around the corner?” He then tells her that he has a project that will need some “tweaking” before they can get together.
The next forty-five minutes or so of the movie are about that tweaking. He proceeds to “woo” her because he’s realized that once she finds out who he is, she’ll hate him. So, he must make her fall in love with him in the flesh, so that she won’t reject him as her online friend.
Sure, your character will have some failures during this section. Some slammed doors, maybe some cuts and bruises, but eventually, they will grow stronger, wiser, more handsome. *g*
Ask yourself going into each scene during this section – what does my character learn in this scene that makes him/her a stronger/better person? What losses can they have? What victories?
Eventually, you’re going to give them a string of victories until they feel empowered and powerful. Then, of course, you’re going to rip the rug from under them, and push them right into their black moment.
In my recent book (that I turned in Monday!) my character, a wanna-be PI struggles with jumping to conclusions that lead her down rabbit trails. But, during this “growth” phase, I have her get a number of things right, and use her sleuthing skills well, until she thinks she’s practically Sherlock Holmes. Of course, that’s when the REAL bad guy shows up…
Rachel chiming (hear the music?) in: In the book I just turned in, my character faces several dark moments because she’s tried to ignore extreme heart ache from her past.
As she faces each one, she has to speak her heart, and confess to the one person she wants to love her more than anything what she’s done.
Her past is the thread throughout the book, with flashbacks, so I use it to guide her character and dialog.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about the Black Moment, and how to craft one that causes deep character change!