The Truth Journey (or Inner Journey, or Spiritual Journey) for your character Part 1
I recently read the Kite Runner. GREAT story. Loved the writing. And, although it was a secular book, it still contained themes of redemption, forgiveness, grace….everything that makes a book resonant…however, I couldn’t help but think, what if he’d added the spiritual perspective — the understanding that God had given him a second chance.
As a reader, I don’t want the spiritual plot to be so thick that it strangles me – and as a writer, I don’t want to strangle my reader. I want the story to intrigue, to draw my reader deeper, to allow them to look at the issues and wrestle with them without feeling as though they are told what to believe and think. I want a journey for my character that feels unique, and yet personal – both to the character, and ultimately for the reader.
How do we do this?
Every story has a character on an inner journey – that’s actually the point of the journey – to teach your hero and heroine some truth that will change their lives. Even for general market books, a character is on this journey – they just don’t point to the source of truth.
So, whether you are writing a Gen Market or a CBA book, you need to know how to develop that “spiritual “ element.
Let’s start, first, with some of the “truths” we’ve seen character’s learn –
What’s the truth in Return to Me? That our hero CAN love again. (remember the line about how his wife’s heart fit perfectly into his new love’s chest – that piece that says…she was designed for him to love her). For her, that she can be free to love this man, that she didn’t “steal” the heart, or him.
How about the Princess Bride: True Love wins the day!
How about the Hunt for Red October (you know I had to bring this up!) That peace is worth risking a war. (or perhaps, winning is worth risking a war?)
As you’re writing your book, you might start out with a truth you want to reveal. Or, you might start out on the journey, not sure where you’re going to end up. Either way, you need a game plan on how you are going to get there.
My hubby and I love to travel. We’ve gone everywhere – well, not South America, but Europe and Asia and Alaska….and we’ve discovered that we travel in different ways. I like a map. And a destination. And the knowledge that I get to eat something normal on the way. He likes to set out and see where the road takes him. The difference isn’t our destinations – eventually we get where we want to go. It’s the HOW.
How are you going to move your hero along on his spiritual journey?
Let’s start with a roadmap:
Stop 1 – Spiritual Darkness – The Lie they believe
In plotting my stories, you know I often start with a story question – and the same thing goes for the spiritual thread. Whether is it a story about a man fighting his own demons of sin (Dekker: Three), or a woman facing her husband’s career as a pastor (Rivers: Shofar Blew), your character will begin in a place of spiritual unrest. Defining that for the reader, through metaphor, or dialogue or situation will give you a place to start from, spiritually.
I don’t want to drive you crazy by continueally reiterating this concept, but knowing your hero’s dark past will he pyou understand their lie….
Maybe we should veer for one second and talk about the lie…
Does my hero HAVE to believe in a lie?
We get this question sometimes when we’re working with clients in a Book Therapy session. Clients have done so much work creating the character, trying to figure out who he is, and it just seems like another mindless question.
It’s not. In fact, I build my characters on just a few key questions, the most important ones that comprise our lives. The Lie They Believe is one of the essential questions that threads throughout the entire book. Without the lie, you don’t know what the truth is you’re aiming for. Without the lie, you don’t know how he/she builds their lives, what their view on the world is, even their everyday choices.
If you’ve read my book Happily Ever After, you know about Joe, my hero, whose dark past event was that his father left his family after they had a child with special needs. Joe’s lie is that he is just like his father, and that a child will special needs will cause him to abandon his own family. This life/fear keeps him out of relationships. Of course the truth is that he is NOT his father, and that with God all things are possible. (if this was a Gen market book, I might just say…Joe is not his father, and have someone point this out to him). But, this lie has dictated how he lives his life.
We now have a picture of our hero, and can determine his everyday choices, and maybe even his mannerisms and behavior.
So, again, you start by going to that dark moment in their past and ask: What lie do you believe from that dark moment?
The lie will lead you to the most important question in the interview: What holds them back from a relationship with God? Try and boil it down to one sentence.
Again, in Happily Ever After, my heroine, Mona needed to trust God and forgive herself (accept God’s forgiveness). My hero, Joe needed to forgive his father.
Ie, in Francine River’s book, Redeeming Love – Angel needed to accept God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, and then see Hosea as God’s instrument to love her.
So….Stop One: What Lie do you believe?
We’re talking about the Black Moment – asking questions and listing our favorite on Club Book Therapy Voices – join the discussion! Every Voice counts!
Tomorrow…we continue our spiritual journey!
Just a reminder: we still have openings in the POLISH conference. Go to http://polish.mybooktherapy.com Or, 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 June, in Denver. A great way to learn the foundations of storycrafting, and getting feedback on your story idea. Go to: www.themasterseminar.com