Last week, we covered the first two main elements of the GUTS section. The GUTS, or Act 2 of the book is the section where more stories get flabby and boring…or, it can be the part where the story really takes and starts rockin’. 

We touched on the first two elements –

1.      The Growing relationship of the hero and heroine.

2.      The Unexpected twists and turns.

Both of these elements, however, are tools of the next element…

3.      The Truth.  Or, the  Spiritual, Romantic & Plot truths that lead to the eventual epiphany.  In Act 2, as the hero and heroine progress through challenges, triumphs and failure, they will learn tiny life lessons, or truths that contribute to the epiphany they will encounter after the black moment.  A great suspense isn’t just about defeating the bad guys, it’s about learning some truth, discovering some untapped element that makes the hero/heroine larger than life and gives us hope that we too, under the circumstances, could do the same.  In an inspirational novel, the life changing truth can come from above as God reaches down into the hero or heroine’s life and changes them. 

During the GUTS of the story, your character should encounter “Truth Tellers”  or people who drop tidbits of truth they will gather up later. 

How do you find the epiphany you are leading your character toward?  You start with asking – what is the lie they believe?  Each character has something they believe about themselves or the plot, about love, and about God that are lies they have to confront as they journey further into the story.  A good suspense takes a look at each of these lies and puts pressure on them.  It’s only when they see their epiphany truth that they can uncover the lies, find the courage to face their deepest fears, declare their true love, or get right with God. 

For example in my book Expect the Sunrise, my heroine Andee is petrified of making the wrong choice like her mother and therefore ending up unhappy. Therefore she doesn’t like Scotts or FBI agents.  Also, she believes that one wrong move will destroy her entire life.  She realizes that she can’t always look at life through the rear view mirror, but must accept life as it comes, and that she doesn’t have to have the same outcome as her parents even if she makes the same choice to marry an FBI agent.  And, even a failure can be used by God for good.

Ask:  What lesson will your character learn during the course of the story? What truth does he/she learn at the end that changes them and makes them into better people?  How will the challenges of Act Two eventually lead them to their epiphany?   

Tomorrow I’ll reveal the last element of Act 2…Secrets!

Susie May