We talk a lot at My Book Therapy about “The Lie” journey. It’s an easy way we examine and layer in the Internal Journey of the character, and even tap into the spiritual element of the journey. The Lie is essential to every story because the lie defines the over arching emotional journey of the protagonist.
And the truth is… we all believe a lie at some point in our life. We probably weave in and out of various lies our whole lives – from what others think about us to what we think about ourselves to what God thinks about us.
Talking with one of my spiritual daughters, I learned she feared God would bring her to a certain place, then pull the rug out from under her. Let her down. When she went to the Lord in prayer over this fear, she flashed back to a “dark moment” – another story aspect we focus on here at My Book Therapy – where an adult in her life crushed her young heart.
She’d had the promise of a relationship but when she flinched, the special moment crumbled. She got yelled at and rejected.
She assigned that experience to other adults in her life. She assigned that experience to God. “People will let you down. God will invite you to partner with Him and the moment you screw up, you’re out of there.”
My daughter’s dark moment fed a lie that molded her life until TRUTH came and set her free.
When you’re developing your story, you have to create the same journey for your protagonist. The lie, fed by a dark moment of the past, is the foundation of your story.
How can you develop the lie/dark moment thread?
1. Figure what your story is about. Is it about finding love, coming to forgiveness, realizing a specific dream? Brainstorm out an over arcing theme. It doesn’t have to be nailed down perfectly, but get something defined.
2. Create a dark moment from the past – distant or recent – that relates to the story theme and moral goal. For example, if your heroine is going to find true love in your story, then the dark moment must relate to an issue of her heart. Say she was an ugly duckling and her brothers told her repeatedly, “No guy will ever love a girl as ugly as you.” So no matter how beautiful she becomes, in her heart, she is flat ugly.
3. The dark moment feeds the lie. “I’m ugly and no matter what I try to do to make myself look better, I’ll always be ugly.” Typically, if we believe something like this about ourselves, it tends to manifests in our lives. Kind of a self fulfilling prophesy.
4. The lie becomes the truth to the protagonist. “I’m ugly. There’s nothing I can do about it.” The lie becomes the fuel to motivation and goals.
5. BUT, deep down, there’s a gurgling of truth. “Maybe I am beautiful. At the very least, not butt ugly.” Hint at this truth as the story progresses. We must see the flaw as well as the strength of the protagonist.
6. Craft a scenario where the protagonist will hear the truth. The voice of truth can come from the love interest, best friend, parent, pastor, angelic visitation. But make it fit your story.
7. Bring the protagonist to a place of pressure where they can give up the journey and believe the lie, OR push past the lie and choose truth.
Truth is an uncomfortable place. But she or he has finally realized the lie has kept them back for too long. Like my daughter, our characters have to learn that a dark moment from our past does not have to define our whole lives. The challenge is realizing, facing and defeating the lie.
Many times when I’m working with therapy clients, the weakness of the character thus the plot (character journey) is because the lie is not well defined.
So, get to work. You have special dispensation to lie – for a little while.