We’re discussing ACT 3 of a Suspense! Last week we broke apart the Black Moment. This week and next, we’re going to talk about the second part of the Black Moment…the inner journey element.
The purpose of every story is the inner change of the POV characters. The external events are simply a catalyst to drive home the changes the characters need to make.
At MBT, we call this the Lie Journey.
As an overview, the premise of the Lie Journey is that every character has a lie they believe, based on something that happened in their past. This lie has determined their behavior and choices until the start of their journey. However, this journey is about breaking that lie and helping your character become a better person, or at least examining the person they are, the things they believe in. They attempt to break free of this in Act 2, but in Act 3, the Black Moment convinces them that the Lie is true, and they will never break free.
Unless they have a…
Overhaul/Epiphany. The journey your character is on is to teach him something, and to bring him to some sort of wholeness. However, he can’t change unless he sees some sort of “truth.” Every book has this – even ABA books. Maybe the hero realizes it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Maybe he realizes the world isn’t against him, or that some things are worth fighting for (this is often also called the Moral Premise). Whatever it is…it’s after the Greatest Fear and Lie come true that he realizes he’s trapped…and it’s this truth that sets him free. This is the point of his journey. And when he accepts this truth, he is suddenly overhauled…a new person, the hero he was meant to be. A hero ready for the final battle.
As a reader, I don’t want the internal or 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?)
Ideas?
So…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. How are you going to move your hero along on his spiritual journey?
Let’s start with a roadmap:
Step 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 father’s (and his own) low expectations (Eagle Eye), or a man uncovering his past (The Bourne Identity), 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 continually reiterating this concept, but knowing your hero’s dark past will help you 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.
In my current novel, My Foolish Heart, one of my heroes – Seb, lives life in the glory days of his past. He believes he’s made too many mistakes and that if he can just return to his days of football, by being the coach of his old small town team, he will be able to overcome his mistakes. His lie is that he is only as good as those glory days…that he’ll never be more. This lie keeps him from being able to see the man he could be, without football (egads!) Of course the truth is that he can be any man he wants to be. Because it is an inspirational book, I add in the element that God has a plan for Seb, and that he needs to trust God for that plan and for the man he will be.
We now have a picture of our hero, and can determine his everyday choices, and maybe even his mannerisms and behavior. For example a man like Seb, reveling in the glory days, will talk about his past exploits, and lean heavily on his choices and friendships of the past. Knowing the lie helps your character to walk onto the page fully formed.
So, again, you start by going to that dark moment in their past and ask: What lie do you believe from that dark moment?
Tomorrow we’ll discuss how to incorporate the lie in to your journey.
Happy Writing!
Susie May